A seminar paper on a key life-course phase linked to C (1,500 word)
Please note: I am a 46 year old black African woman who relocated to the United Kingdom from Nigeria year 2000. I had my first child at 24 going to 25 years, it was a difficult pregnancy as I had gestational diabetes and pre-eclampsia which led to later development/diagnosis of post-natal depression despite living with my parents and siblings and having a very good supportive network) Here you can talk about the feelings of not being good enough as a mother, the self-doubts about how worthy of a mother I was at the time and the stigma and shame attached to mental health illness like post-natal depression in a typical Nigerian family. You can also talk about how religion takes precedence over anything else and how the culture shock and acclimatisation affected me. Please note that middle age is from age 45-65
Please ensure you stick to all the instructions using majorly the academic sources provided to you here.
- Middle Adulthood
Seminar Paper on Life course phase component (40 % of module mark)
This assignment is a seminar paper that works with your own experience and understanding of a key life-course phase and introduces ideas from the reading about this.
Aims of the assignment:
The aim of this assignment is for you to demonstrate the quality of your understanding of the particular life-course phase which you have chosen to explore. You may choose any of the themes from the seminar sequence, that is, from babyhood to old age.
You should draw explicitly on your own life experience – preferably your direct experience as a child, adolescent or adult, or your close experience of e.g., a relative or very close friend if you are addressing later age themes. The personal experience used should be relevant and authentic but need not be either dramatic or traumatic in order for you to produce a successful assignment.
In terms of theory, you should show that you have engaged with the psycho-dynamic approach underpinning the module, though you do not have to agree with this theory, and you may wish to critique the model or draw additionally on other approaches.
Further advice
The following notes are additional guidance which should be read in conjunction with the advice given in the Student Handbook and with the instructions for this assignment.
Content e.g., relevance, breadth and depth, use of literature, attention to anti-discriminatory practice.
I. Address the exact question or title set, and cover each of the main areas required in the recommended proportions.
ii. Reflect carefully on your experience of the life stage in question and draw directly on these experiences, changing names and identifying details if appropriate. You should briefly introduce/locate yourself in the Introduction –
iii. Draw a range of relevant literature into your argument. For this assignment address the theory-base underpinning the module directly.
iv. Ensure that you address issues of difference and diversity directly. Analysis e.g., critical evaluation, originality of thought
v. Think carefully about the issues before writing the assignment; develop, explain, and substantiate all points made and follow a clear line of argument which runs throughout the assignment.
vi. Where you draw on specific concepts (e.g., containment, latency) briefly define, explain, illustrate, and reference the concept.
vii. Aim to analyse and explain any contradictions or tensions which arise between your understanding of the theory and your own experience of the life stage in question.
viii. Be explicit in your reflection upon your emotional experience of the life-stage in question. You will be marked, not according to the experience described or the particular emotions you report, but on your ability to reflect upon your experience and learn from it in ways which will enhance your practice
