QMU Postgraduate Prospectus 2022 | Page 158

MSc Mad Studies

This new MSc Mad Studies is the first of its kind internationally . It has been designed in partnership with CAPS Independent Advocacy and academics at QMU from
Occupational Therapy and Public Sociology . It has developed from the ongoing “ Oor Mad
History ” project at CAPS and the Mad Studies short course at QMU titled “ Mad Peoples
History and identity ”.
This course will be particularly suitable for you if you are a graduate with lived experience of mental health issues engaged in the mad movement and / or mental health organisations within the third or public sectors . You may be a student , volunteer , activist or employee who wants to learn how Mad Studies theory and research can meaningfully contribute to your academic skills , activism and work . It will also be suitable for you if you are a professional who is looking to expand your knowledge , skills and practice through single CPD modules in mad studies .
With part-time and full-time options , Mad Studies is suitable for people from local , national and international contexts , who wish to further develop critical thinking , generate mad studies knowledge and research . There is a campus based route and an online route available . Your studies will be driven by regular engagement with activists and educators from the mad community and the close sharing of insights with your peers on the course . You ’ ll learn from academics and activists who have diverse community experience , and who are engaged with critical education , activism and innovative research .
Mad studies is an emerging academic discipline that explores the global knowledge that has emerged from the mad movement . This body of knowledge includes the exploration of the dominant understandings of madness . It examines individual and collective experiences of madness . It offers a critique of the mental health service landscape and the cultural and socio political responses experienced by the mad community . It evaluates activist responses and the creation of mad knowledge and action .
What is central to the philosophy of this MSc Mad Studies course is the importance of the mad community critiquing the dominant discourses on madness by creating its own discourses , spaces , partnerships , alternatives and organisations . At its analytic core mad studies should have mad people , mad issues and mad culture .
As a student on this course you will be part of a diverse and intersecting community of learners that include people with lived experience and members of the mad community , public sociology students and professionals from the public and third sector . You will explore the potential impact of mad studies in diverse contexts .
This course offers you the opportunity to engage with diverse public groups and to reflect critically on how mad studies can contribute to work for social justice and change . You will study what is distinctive about Mad Studies and Public Sociology and the methods of engagement and research of the disciplines .
The MSc Mad Studies course draws on the experiences of mad studies scholars and activists throughout the world and involves teaching by academics from a range of disciplines in which mad studies is relevant . Lecturers are engaged in research , education and activism with various communities within society .
The course is embedded as an integrated pathway on an existing master ’ s framework for person-centred practice ( PCPF ), in partnership with CAPS Independent Advocacy , and
QMU ’ s Occupational Therapy and Public Sociology teams . The PCP framework offers a person-centred approach to learning , fostered through four processes of engagement : experimentation , collaboration , critical discourse and evidence-informed perspectives . Specifically , the MSc course aims to ensure the centrality of mad studies to facilitate learning at master ’ s level .
Structure
You can opt to study for the full MSc , a PgDip or a PgCert . You can also register as an associate student to complete a single module for CPD . The Mad People ’ s History and Identity module may be of particular interest - find out more at www . qmu . ac . uk / study-here / continuing-professional-developmentcpd-courses / cpd-courses-folder / mad-people-s-history-and-identity /
Teaching , learning and assessment
You will attend lectures and seminars , work in groups on campus and online as well as carry out independent learning . There is a blended learning approach that will involve you engaging in online modules and sessions . You will be expected to participate in discussions , collaboratively develop ideas and engage with experiential learning . It is particularly expected that you will be engaged with a community either through personal experiences , employment or voluntary commitment , to reflect on the mad studies potential contribution to that context .
We offer a range of stimulating assessment methods , including blogs , reflections on practice , live debates , group work essays and presentations , posters as well as individual
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