THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH

DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2024/2025

Timetable information in the Course Catalogue may be subject to change.

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Health in Social Science : Counselling Studies

Undergraduate Course: Trauma in Society (CNST08002)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Health in Social Science CollegeCollege of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 8 (Year 2 Undergraduate) AvailabilityAvailable to all students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryThis course will seek to explore these new developments and aims to introduce students to the different ways that trauma is experienced by both individuals and society.
Course description This course will bring a range of disciplines together from across the school and the college to explore the topic of trauma in society.
The concept of trauma has gained increasing traction in the past decade, in the recognition that the impact it can have on individuals can be lifechanging. The Scottish Government for example now seek to have all their policies based on a ¿trauma informed¿ mindset. Underpinning this is the understanding that adverse childhood experiences (ACE¿s) play an important role in the life chances of individuals. Academic research in this area is often inter-disciplinary, and feeds into government and 3rd sector policy. It is therefore paramount that students wishing to work in these areas have an understanding of what is meant by trauma, and develop a critical mindset in regards the material surrounding trauma and society.
This course will seek to explore these new developments and aims to introduce students to the different ways that trauma is experienced by both individuals and society.
It will be separated into 3 distinct blocks, and we will recruit lecturers from across the school and beyond, to deliver on their topic of expertise.

Block 1 - What is Trauma?
Block 2 - Trauma and Society
Block 3 - Healing Trauma

Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesNone
High Demand Course? Yes
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2024/25, Available to all students (SV1) Quota:  0
Course Start Semester 1
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 200 ( Lecture Hours 20, Seminar/Tutorial Hours 10, Online Activities 10, Feedback/Feedforward Hours 0.5, Summative Assessment Hours 1, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 154 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) Written assessment, 3000 words, 100%
Feedback Formative. A 500 word blog post introducing the topic of their summative paper using accessible language.

This will be submitted in Week 5, with individual feedback, and group feedback given in tutorials as general guidance and support for the summative assessment.
No Exam Information
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Demonstrate an understanding of a range of approaches that the social sciences use in engaging with the subject of trauma.
  2. Demonstrate an ability to critically evaluate the ways in which trauma impacts on human society and the world we live in.
  3. Employ communication skills to communicate about trauma across disciplinary boundaries
  4. Use a range of approaches to formulate and critically evaluate evidence-based solutions/responses to issues of trauma in society.
Reading List
1. Marya, Rupa & Patel, Raj, 2021, Inflamed: Deep Medicine and the Anatomy of Injustice. Farrar, Straus and Giroux
2. Film: The Wisdom of Trauma. Available at: https://thewisdomoftrauma.com/
3. Haines, Stacy, 2019, The Politics of Trauma: Somatics, Healing and Social Justice. Penguin books
4. Van Der Kolk, Bessell, 2014, The Body Keeps the Score: Mind, Brain and Body in the Transformation of Trauma. Penguin Psychology
5. Prentis Hemphill¿s podcast, ¿Finding Our Way¿, somatics and social justice, particularly around race and gender: available at: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/finding-our-way/id1519965068
6. Mehl-Madrona, Lewis 1998, Coyote Medicine: Lessons from native American healing Prentice Hall and IBD
7. Marian, Dunlea. 2019 BodyDreaming in the Treatment of Developmental Trauma: An Embodied Therapeutic Approach. Routledge.
8. Herman, Judith Lewis. Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence: From Domestic Abuse to Political Terror. Basic Books.
9. Klein, Naomi 2008 The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism. Picador
10. Levine, Peter 1997 Waking the tiger: Healing trauma: The innate capacity to transform overwhelming experiences. North Atlantic Books US
11. Mehl Madrona, Lewis 2010 Healing the mind through the power of story: the promise of narrative psychiatry. Bear and Company
12. Resmaa, Menaken 2017My grandmother¿s hands: Racialised trauma and the mending of our bodies and hearts. Central Recovery Press
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Students will encounter material with sensitive content that includes themes of trauma which can evoke strong personal reactions and responses. Students will be supported in the development of personal self care plans which will be revisited weekly within tutorial time.
The course will contribute to the graduate attribute in research and enquiry, as students will be required to read and critically evaluate a range of source materials, and to think through topics such as how society responds to issues of trauma. It will also contribute to the development of communication skills and personal effectiveness, particularly around time management, meeting deadlines, managing workloads, and working in small teams.
KeywordsTrauma,Society,Mental Health
Contacts
Course organiserMs Anna Ross
Tel:
Email: Anna.Ross@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMs Cecilia Malmberg
Tel: (0131 6)50 3890
Email: cecilia.malmberg@ed.ac.uk
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