Communication is the life-blood of any social system (family, health, social, religious, legal, community). Effective communication entails having an understanding of the dynamics of social systems and the types of communication that operate typically within them. The agent of communication is the self and, indeed, most communication is determined by how the individual communicates with self. The course will focus on both the personal and Interpersonal aspects of communication within and across the particular social systems of which course participants are members.

Aims/Objectives

• To provide participants with a solid foundation in the theory and practice of personal and interpersonal communication.
• To introduce participants to the influence of the different social systems – couple relationship, family, classroom, school, community, workplace, church, country on how individuals communicate.
• To build effective ways of listening and communicating in the relationship with self and others.
• To apply the mature communication developed to a variety of key social systems, particularly, the couple relationship, the family and the workplace.

Click on any module code for a detailed module description.

The six modules for the course are:

• Authentic Self Expression
• Family Relationships
• The Nature and Power of Emotions and Thought
• The Nature of Communication
• Holistic Approaches to Stress and Illness
• Sexual Maturation

Year 1 Modules:

• AP1849: Authentic Self Expression (5 credits)
  The Nature of the Self; The Emergence of the Self; The Early Years; The Eclipse of the Self; The Concepts of Self-Image, Self-Esteem, Self-Concept; The Realisation of the Self.
• AP1850: Family Relationships (5 credits)
  Defining the Family; Parents as the Family Architects; Types of Families; Family Relationships; Family Communication; Family Conflict; Conflict Resolution.
• AP1851: The Nature and Power of Emotions and Thought (5 credits)
  Introduction to Beck's Cognitive Theory; Albert Ellis's Rational Emotive Therapy and Fritz Perls' Gestalt approach to thoughts and emotions; The nature of Emergency and Welfare Emotions; The nature of the Freudian defences; Understanding specific emotions; Distinction between emotional receptivity and emotional responsivity.
• AP1852: The Nature of Communication (5 credits)
  Levels of communication; Non-verbal communication; Verbal communication; Meta-communication; Metaphorical and Mythical communication; Defensive communication; Open communication; Therapeutic communication.
• AP1853: Holistic Approaches to Stress and Illness (5 credits)
  Stress and illness as creations; the causes and the inner terrain of stress and illness; intentions of stress and illness; the nature of psychophysiological and psychosomatic conditions; psycho-social approaches to stress and illness.
• AP1854: Sexual Maturation (5 credits)
  Self and sexuality; Early experiences of sexuality; Current experience of sexuality; Exploration of meanings attached to sexuality; Defensive sexual expression; Open sexual expression; Common sexual difficulties; Therapeutic approaches; Safe holding of sexuality for children and adolescents.

Course assessment is by continuous assessment

• Dr Tony Humphreys

Applications are currently closed