Undergraduate Course: Working and Relating: Developing Your People Skills (SCWR08007)
Course Outline
| School | School of Social and Political Science |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 8 (Year 2 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | The course emphasises the importance of developing positive and respectful working relationships. This course will be an introduction to the skills and principles involved when working with people, in a voluntary or paid capacity. It is a requirement that students have work experience to draw upon. |
| Course description |
a) Academic Description
The course explores the development of effective communication skills in the workplace. Based on the premise that self-understanding is the foundation of developing effective working relationships, this course will act as an introduction to the skills, knowledge and principles involved when working with people in a voluntary or paid capacity. Whilst this is a Social Work course, the learning will be highly relevant for students from other disciplines who are working in a range of settings involving people. The course will assist all students in developing their professional skills for future employment.
b) Outline Content
The course comprises of one lecture and two tutorials per week. This emphasis of learning within the tutorial context reflects the applied nature of the course¿s pedagogical principles.
Topics covered:
* Presentation of Self
* Communication: Skills, Empathy and Emotional Intelligence
* Electronic Communication in the Professional Context
* Transactional Analysis
* Power in Communication
* Gender and Use of Self
* Race Culture and Ethnicity: Communication and the Difference Dynamic
* Communication through the Life Span
* Creative communication: Social Work Practitioners share examples of innovative methods of communication
c) Student Learning Experience
Students are expected to be active learners. The aim of tutorials are twofold: to provide an opportunity to explore the content of the lecture and the weekly reading and secondly for each student, via an individual presentation to provide an analysis of their own experience in relation to workplace communication. The presentations will include the integration and application of course themes to the student¿s specific work setting. During the tutorials, students will be encouraged to engage in reflecting upon their own and others¿ experiences. Skill awareness will be developed through participation in group learning based around the presentations and discussion. The course reading and a weekly lecture will provide the theoretical underpinning to learning.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2025/26, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
196 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
70 %,
Practical Exam
30 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Individual presentation (30%); Essay (70%). The essay component must be passed in order to pass the overall course. |
| Feedback |
The tutorial presentation is the formative assignment for this course which is delivered in tutorials in which students are expected to be active participants, contributing to their own learning and that of other students through the delivery of a short presentation. Students will receive immediate, verbal feedback from the course tutor on the standard and content of the presentation. At the end of the course, students will receive their grade for this component of the assessment.
Summative assessment - the essay is the summative assignment for this course. Students can choose to draw upon the material they used for the tutorial presentation for their essay, and are encouraged to make use of the verbal feedback received from the course tutor to develop their analysis of communication within their workplace setting.
Guidance for all assignments is provided as part of the course materials, and an essay briefing is given as part of the course. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Articulate key concepts and theories underpinning interpersonal interactions, and how these apply in professional workplace contexts.
- Demonstrate an understanding of factors (e.g. gender, culture, race, disabilities, etc.) that shape interpersonal dynamics in professional settings.
- Relate key concepts and theory to evaluate their own interpersonal skills in professional contexts.
- Reflexively appraise their own interpersonal skills to identify areas of strength and for future development.
- Identify techniques to enhance professional interpersonal and communication skills in practice.
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Reading List
Indicative Bibliography:
Goffman, E. (1959) The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life
Thompson, N. (2009) People Skills
Bassot, Barbara. (2020) The Reflective Journal. 3rd ed. London: Macmillan Education UK
Howe, D. (2013) Empathy: What it is and why it matters. London: Palgrave MacMillan
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Additional Class Delivery Information |
1 lecture and 2 tutorials per week for 10 weeks |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Anna Chiumento
Tel: (0131 6)51 1785
Email: achiumento@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mr Ewen Miller
Tel: (0131 6)50 3925
Email: Ewen.Miller@ed.ac.uk |
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