Equal Opportunities

Module Title	Equal Opportunities
Module Code	25-6063-00L
Semester of Delivery	See Module Information Table
Mandatory/Elective/Option	See Module Information Table
Level	6
Credit Points	20
Assessment Mode Weighting	CWEX100
Pre-requisites	None
Co-requisites	None
Class Contact Hours
Average Weekly
Semester
Directed Learning
Average Weekly
Semester
Module Leader	Anthony Bennett
	Sheffield Business School
Module Banding	A
Approval Status	Validated

Rationale

Equal Opportunities is a highly visible social issue. It relates to the desire and need to ensure that everyone, regardless of age, gender, ethnic origin, social or physical status has the opportunity to play a full part in economic and social life. Demographic and social changes over the last couple of decades, which are likely to continue in the present century, make it vital that organisations take steps to ensure that they make optimum use of their human resources and provide products and services which are appropriate and relevant to consumers and clients.

In seeking to examine the development, implementation and monitoring of various types of Equal Opportunities strategies, and to explain their role in society, the module plays a vital part in the preparation of students for working life. In order to do this a rigorous academic approach is adopted in which the theoretical underpinnings of equal opportunities are explored through the analysis, of concepts such as: feminism, racism, discrimination and stereotyping.

Running through the module is a strong theme concerning personal approaches to equal opportunities issues; coping with discrimination, recognising our own prejudices etc. This helps to contextualise the student's personal development as nurtured through the PDR programme.

Summary of Aims

The aims of this module are to:

1. Build upon and develop the student's knowledge and understanding of equal opportunities issues
2. Enable students to define key terms with relation to equal opportunities in order to make accurate use of them and enhance their understanding
3. Encourage students to recognise their own prejudices and debate responses to them
4. Enable students to compare and contrast approaches to the promotion of equal opportunities in a wide variety of settings, including the criminal justice system, education and employment
5. Encourage students to play a full part in the debate over the future of equal opportunities initiatives
6. Facilitate the making of more informed choices regarding future careers and personal development

Anticipated Learning Outcomes

By the end of this module students should be able to:

1. Demonstrate understanding of key terms and concepts such as racism, feminism, discrimination and segregation through description, comparison and explanation;
2. Identify the historical roots of modern concepts of equal opportunities;
3. Apply the terms and concepts to their personal experiences of discrimination;
4. Identify and discuss some of the constraints operating on those responsible for the development of equal opportunities programmes both for staff within organisations and in relation to services and products developed and delivered by those organisations;
5. Evaluate a particular equal opportunities initiative against a set of defined criteria; and
6. Discuss the European context in which equal opportunities initiatives operate.

Assessment and Feedback Strategy

The module will be assessed through course work and examination.

There will be three elements to the assessment of coursework, corresponding to the three approaches adopted to the study of equal opportunities in this module:

• an essay 1,500 - 2,000 words demonstrating academic analysis on a subject chosen from a list (all outcomes across all essay titles - for any one student some outcomes e.g. 6 might not be assessed);
• an individual presentation on a piece of legislation or major event (outcomes1,2,4,5); and
• a personal statement (outcome 3) (not assessed).

A three-hour written examination will take place at the end of the semester. Students are required to answer three questions. The first is compulsory and pre-seen and concerns equal opportunities issues within an organisation of the student's choice (outcomes 1,4,5). The remaining two questions are unseen and there is a choice. They require students to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of some of the complex issues in the field of equal opportunities, to organise and present material from a variety of sources, and to communicate clearly in a limited period of time (outcomes 1,2,5,6).

Feedback is given individually (in writing) and collectively (orally) on all coursework elements within three weeks of the hand-in date.

Module Assessment Criteria

Learning Outcome	Assessment Criterion	Level descriptors
		fail	PASS	2.2	2.1	First
Outcome 1	essay, presentation, examination	inability to identify and describe terms and concepts	basic description of some terms, sketchy on concepts	sound description, evidence of understanding of concepts	good description and explanation of terms, lucid on concepts	accurate and sophisticated use of the key terms, far-reaching understanding of concepts and evidence of ability to apply them to real issues in the field of equal opportunities
Outcome 2	essay, presentation, unseen examination questions	confused or incomplete grasp of the historic roots of modern concepts of equal opportunities	ability to describe some historic events, some partiality, little grasp of concepts	accurate knowledge of past events, understanding of concepts	accurate knowledge and full understanding of the historic roots of modern concepts of equal opportunities	accurate knowledge and full understanding of the historic roots of modern concepts of equal opportunities, exceptional ability to perceive the relevance of the past for the present
Outcome 3	personal statement - not formally assessed	lack of perception of or misplaced definition of personal experiences of discrimination	accurate perception of personal experiences of discrimination, partial or confused application of terms and concepts of equal opportunities to such personal experiences	accurate perception of personal experiences of discrimination, developing ability to apply terms and concepts of equal opportunities to such personal experiences	accurate perception of personal experiences of discrimination, well-reasoned application of terms and concepts of equal opportunities to such personal experiences	accurate perception of personal experiences of discrimination, astute, insightful application of terms and concepts of equal opportunities to such personal experiences
Outcome 4	essay, presentation, seen examination question	little or no evidence of recognition of constraints on policy-makers and those responsible for the delivery of equal opportunities programmes	partial or confused recognition of constraints on policy-makers and those responsible for the delivery of equal opportunities programmes	methodical description of constraints on policy-makers and those responsible for the delivery of equal opportunities programmes	methodical description and critical analysis of constraints on policy-makers and those responsible for the delivery of equal opportunities programmes	clear evidence of understanding of constraints on policy-makers and those responsible for the delivery of equal opportunities programmes, creative and critical approach to their analysis
Outcome 5	essay, presentation, examination	confused or irrelevant description of initiative	sound description of an initiative, little more	full, systematic description of initiative partial but appropriate evaluation	full, systematic description of initiative broad and appropriate evaluation	coherent, cogent, in-depth evaluation of an equal opportunities initiative
Outcome 6	essay, unseen examination question	uninformed about the European context	partial, sketchy information	basic accurate knowledge of European context	wide, critical understanding of European context	informed and confident discussion of the European context

 

Teaching and Learning Strategy and Methods

Teaching and learning will take place through tutor inputs, group sessions and directed study. Tutor inputs will be interactive and will serve to provide an introduction and framework for each of the sessions.

Students will be expected to refine this knowledge through reading and apply it in the group sessions. It is in the group sessions that skill development mainly occurs. Individual members of the group are allocated responsibility and clear guidance is given with respect to what they are expected to do. All students contribute to group sessions.

Students will also be encouraged to keep up to date with current issues in equal opportunities and to relate classroom learning to everyday experience on an on-going basis.

This strategy is underpinned by written materials, updated annually and designed to support student learning. To this end it provides clear summaries of each of the weekly sessions, guided reading and a precise indication of what is expected of students both week by week and by the end of the semester.

Indicative Content

• Definition of terms: equality; opportunity; minorities; labelling/stereotyping prejudice/discrimination; segregation/integration/assimilation.
• Groups experiencing discrimination: women; black people; old people; young people; people with disabilities; people from ethnic and/or religious minority backgrounds.
• Manifestations of discrimination in economic, political and social settings.
• Justifications for equality of opportunity.
• Approaches to the promotion of Equal opportunities.
• Equal opportunities legislation.
• Equal opportunities in politics and society.
• Equal opportunities in practice.
• Equal opportunities in education.
• Equal opportunities in the family and welfare.
• Equal opportunities and the European Union.

Indicative Reading List

Extensive guidance on reading is given in the learning support materials.