UNISON Ulearn Northern Ireland

Targeted at: Any member
Duration: 20 weeks but no regular class
Qualification: Open University 10 credits

This is part of the Open University’s Openings programme which aims to introduce new people to the Open University, helping to develop study skills, knowledge and confidence. It is particularly useful for members who work shifts and cannot commit to a regular timetable, or members who have dependent care responsibilities which makes it difficult to attend classes.

Each Openings course lasts a maximum of 20 weeks and is supported by regular telephone contact with a tutor. Each learner will receive a core text, the course guide, one audio CD, one DVD and the assignment book and will work at their own speed. Learners will submit two assignments and can earn 10 credits for successful completion.

The Course

Understanding Society is built around six key questions:

• Who does the work in the home?’ You’ll look at how far housework is shared within UK families, and at how the work of women in the home has developed and changed.
• ‘What makes us the same; what makes us different?’ You’ll explore how a sense of belonging that links us to some people but separates us from others is developed, and what happens when there is a meeting of different cultures.
• ‘Why can we buy goods from all over the world?’ Today most of us are surrounded by goods made in other countries. How and why has this happened and what do we mean by globalisation?
• Why do people travel to other countries for work? People have always moved for work but migrant labour has become a particularly important issue in recent years. You’ll explore why people move and the effects of migration.
• ‘Why does where we live matter?’ Our health, jobs and education are all related to our housing and to where we live. You’ll examine the importance of ‘place’ for our life chances and look at how we feel about where we live.
• ‘How do we bring about change?’ People can bring about or resist change. You’ll look at a range of social movements from the Suffragettes to the more recent movements protesting against genetically modified crops.

This Openings course would be helpful if you are interested in going on to one of these courses; An Introduction to the Social Sciences: Understanding Social Change (DD100) or An Introduction to the Social Sciences: Understanding Social Change Part 1.

Courses run from February, June, September & November. You must be registered at least two weeks prior to course starting. If you are interested in this course, please download an expression of interest form.