Self, Identity and Agency examines the ways in which people shape, and are shaped by, the world around them. In this course you will examine questions such as: Are we 'born' the way we are or are we 'made' the way we are? How might issues be socially constructed and what are the debates about how meanings are created?? How and why do human beings grow and change over the course of their lives and what factors shape and determine their life chances? In order to answer these questions we will draw on a range of social science and psychological theories which can be used to increase understanding of human development and of the dynamics between the individual and the society of which they are a part. The course requires you to develop analytical skills in examining these theories and to apply them to an understanding of a range of social issues which confront individuals in contemporary society. You will consider how your future professional practice will both influence, and be influenced by, these issues. It is particularly relevant to those working in human services such as psychologists, social work practitioners, youth workers, teachers, educators, community workers and others.?However, the course will also be useful to any professional working in a relational dynamic.

This course is an academic study of constructs of self, identity and agency through interdisciplinary knowledge forms. It is not a therapeutic study.