The background for establishing a further education programme, Culture for Health Studies, was the pilot project: Culture as a preventative measure for children and juveniles.
The pilot project involved the cooperation of the Department of Cultural Studies and the Department of Social Work Studies through skill development, lectures and conferences to strengthen and increase the level and knowledge of students and teachers alike, and to consolidate Faculty interests in the academic field from a culture/health perspective.In addition to the use of cultural resources in health promotion, the development of interdisciplinary cooperative competencies is central to the entire field.
The initiative for the pilot project arose from specific academic interests at TelemarkUniversityCollege and was also generated from regional and national interests.Considerable government analysis has, in recent years, lead to an increased interaction between the areas of culture and health; at the same time as the need for interdisciplinary thinking and collaboration across all subject areas is emphasised at the college.
The programme outline for Culture for Health Studies has been developed by the following individuals:
Professor Edvard Befring, University of Oslo
Professor Odd Steffen Dalgard, Government Institute for National Health
Chief Psycologist Målfrid Grude Flekkøy, The Nic Waals Institute
Assistant Professor Gro Lorentzen, TelemarkUniversityCollege
Associate Professor Sigrid Straand, UniversityCollege of Telemark
The point of departure for the implementation for a further education programme was to engage collaboration among all departments at TelemarkUniversityCollege, where the Department for Cultural Studies and the Department of Health and Social Work Studies would have a special role.The goal is that departments will be involved at various stages and levels of competencies in the form of brainstorming, teaching and advising. Both professionally and administratively, the programme is organized by the Faculty of Health and Social Work Studies and The Department Social Work.In practice, the Department of Social Work will determine the course programme; other departments will have minor roles.
Culture for Health Studies started as a pilot project in the autumn of 1998, with financial support from Arts Council Norway and the Norwegian Ministry of Health and Social Affairs. In 2000 it became a permanent programme at TelemarkUniversityCollege.
Culture for Health Studies was established in connection with the cooperation between the Norwegian Ministry of Health and Social Affairs and the Arts Council Norway on the pilot study Culture Gives Health, whereby selected municipalities participated through a variety of initiatives in regional and local cultural life.The main aim was to reinforce the efforts of the local community in health promotion and prevention work.Upon the conclusion of the project, a culture and health network was established by the municipalities which took part in the project, and those which have joined later.
The municipalities and local communities face increasing responsibility for community development, and will in the future most likely be the main players in the progress toward better national health, greater cultural diversity and increased well-being and security. This leads to the need for new competence.As the education system is the primary institution when it comes to qualifying, information and moulding attitudes, the establishment of Culture for Health Studies can be seen in this light.
A good deal of official analysis points also to the need for creativity and cooperation across all fields and between all sectors from the perspective of culture and health.Core documents reflecting these ideas are:
·There is a need for everybody:Strengthening national health in the municipalities (NOU 1998:18) focuses, among other things on, the education of personnel in national health.The national health perspective aims at education and training, and especially encourages a broadening of foundation knowledge concept to include empowerment of the local community as an element of the national health strategy. The University Colleges in Tromsø, Bodø, Telemark and Lillehammer have been challenged to create a network with a focus on the aspects of multidisciplinary cooperation within the fields of health and social work.
·The Rehabilitation Report, (Government Report. nr. 21 1998-99) illuminates knowledge and competence development, especially with regard to rehabilitation.The report makes clear, amongst other things, that the multidisciplinary cooperation in the programme Culture for Health at TelemarkUniversityCollege can be relevant for participants in rehabilitation work.
·Expansion plan for mental health 1999 - 2006.Development of municipal measures. (Public information bulletin I-4/99 from the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs).The starting point expansion plan is based on an overall world view and a hope for community development with greater focus on cultural and personal values, decentralisation, family and local community and a just distribution of resources.The expansion plan has a chapter which deals with increased competence and recruiting of personnel, with a focus on multi-disciplined further education.Research actions of Arts Council Norway and the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs invite the municipalities to integrate people with mental illness into existing culture and leisure activities in the chapter, Development of culture and leisure initiatives.
·Local Agenda 21(LA 21) is one of the many concluding documents from the UN Conference on Environment and Development in Rio 1992.Local governments are invited to dialogue and collaborate with residents, organisations and private enterprises to promote sustainable development processes.In Norway, the Rio process was followed up locally, regionally, nationally and internationally by the Ministry of the Environment.As a result, the Ministry has entered a four-year cooperation contract with KS, The Norwegian Employer’s Organisation, to establish and test regional intersections for LA 21 in some counties. One of the partial aims is to mobilise inhabitants and employee organisations towards active cooperation in LA 21- processes to establish their own meeting points and networks.Telemark is one of the counties participating in the trial.
·A prescription for a healthier Norway(Government Report no. 16:2002 - 2003) deals with issues which contribute to the creation of health problems, or which contribute to counteract disease. Norwegian National Health Management is based on how individuals develop "increased energy to overcome everyday challenges".One chapter indicates that Culture for Health Studies is an example of the use of cultural resources in National Health work.The report also underscores the value of education, and further education for health personnel, focusing on the connections between physical activity and health.
·Cultural Policy to 2014 (Government Report no. 48:2002 - 2003) prioritizes the main themes of cultural politics for the future. This report focuses primarily on the professional arts, in addition to the significance of an active and engaging cultural life for individuals and communities.A chapter about Culture and Health emphasises that taking part in meaningful cultural activities can lead to increased quality of life and greater success in mastering life’s challenges.
PorsgrunnMunicipality was accorded status as a culture and health municipality in 2000. The municipality has developed and implemented a broad range of measures in this area, especially with regard to cultural initiatives in psychiatry.The municipality’s culture office cooperates with the district psychiatric centre in Porsgrunn and the Department of Health and Social Work Studies at the UniversityCollege. The aforementioned cooperation involves teaching, research and development work, with respect to cultural and psychiatric health.These actions include, amongst other things, a yearly conference: The Porsgrunn Conference for psychiatric health, culture and research.
This further education programme totals 60 Norwegian (ECTS credits) study points and is a part-time course which runs over 2 years. The teaching is organized in modules, usually 3-4 per semester, during daytime and primarily on weekdays.The programme course is designed so that the students can combine the study with fulltime work. A precondition is that the employer grants leave from work to attend the class sessions, and further that the students set aside time for private study/work in regional/colloquial groups.
The aim of the programme is that the students acquire core knowledge in the subject areas of culture and health to gain insight into the different aspects of interaction between culture and health at the individual and local community level. Students will also gain insights into the contents and consequences of globalisation.
A further goal of the study is for students individually and in groups to develop competence in creative, multidisciplinary cooperation.
The programme aims to oblige the community’s need for information about the relationships between culture, well-being and health including understanding of how responsibility is delegated between volunteer organisations, public and private businesses. Further, the prerequisites for use of cultural resources and creativity in work with different groups, organisations and local environment is emphasised.During the programme students will gain competence in communication skills, team work and project work.
Knowledge of interdisciplinary cooperation is a focus in all areas of the study. Students who have different career backgrounds will also receive training in discussion and collaboration techniques across subject boundaries.
There is a wide range of professions which work with general health promotion, or with people who find themselves in vulnerable situations – permanent or temporarily. The work is carried out by public bodies, private businesses or volunteer organisations.
The further education is therefore directed towards a broad range of professions; cultural workers, health and social workers, teachers, pre-school teachers, police officers, community planners and other jobs within relevant areas.
To be accepted for the programme, students must satisfy the minimum requirement of 2 years of university or university college education.
The programme is comprised of 4 main subjects, 15 study points (sp) (ECTS credits) each. The first year offers one main subject each semester. The second year 2 main subjects have a parallel schedule. The main subjects complement and support each other. To take the second year, it is therefore prerequisite that the first year is successfully completed, or that the student has equivalent competence.
Main subject 1: Culture, Health and Quality of Life15 sp(ECTS)
Description:
Culture and health concepts will be analyzed from various theoretical approaches, and the relationship between culture and health will be emphasized.
Interconnections are also discussed and demonstrated through examples from culture and health projects.
The students will gain an overview of the most common traditional and modern art and cultural expressions. The meaning of cultural and social capital will further be discussed. The central concepts within cultural sociology will also be reviewed.
The connection between culture and nature focuses especially on body, bodily experiences and body language.
Physical activity and outdoor life is presented as a resource to maintain and improve mental and physical health.
The students will gain knowledge of different strategies for health work such as treatment, prevention, rehabilitation and health promotion work.The course will focus on both culture for health: with regard to prevention and health promotion on an individual and broader community level, and culture: to manage illness and disability on an individual and society basis.
Main subject 2:Modernity, Globalisation and Identity 15 sp (ECTS)
Students will develop knowledge and understanding of modernity’s basic institutional dimensions and globalization in a broad sense and also how globalization has local and national consequences, and can result in increasing marginalisation.
Modernity and globalisation clearly reduce the significance of distance and territorial boundaries, thereby allowing many more people to share elements of culture. Globalisation of culture may lead to greater homogenation, but can also create new inequalities through local articulation of a global phenomenon.Modernity involves an increased individualisation as well as a development towards the more complex. During the course, students will perceive how modernity and globalisation have great human consequences for the way of living, lifestyle and identity formation.
In most cultures, religious traditions and ideas influence the everyday life of individuals: their values, attitudes, standards and sanctions. The students will gain insights into perceptions of health, disease, and ways of life in different cultures.
The networks theory and method is considered at both an individual and local community level. At the individual level, factors play a part in the course of a person’s life will be reviewed; the connection between a social network, the identity, and the quality of life is emphasised.At the local community level, discussions will include how a community creates a variety of opportunities for integration and local mobilisation. An understanding of the significance ofnetworking will also point towards the necessity of cooperation between formal, informal and volunteer networks.
Main subject 3:Cooperation and Creative Management15 sp (ECTS)
The course offers a short introduction to organisational theory with special emphasis on factors that promote and inhibit cooperation. The culture of organisation and managerial problems is touched upon, as well as important limiting conditions for multidisciplinary and inter-sector cooperation.
The users of different services are important partners in cooperation, both to gain information and to design suitable aims and measures: they are the starting point for the work. Mastering and resilience are important topics due to the need for strengthening inner competence and social networking. Empowerment is also an important approach, whereby the users can gain control over their daily life and protect their rights.
Strong professional interests inhibit flexible cooperation. In addition to information about different professions, professions will also be critiqued, and also the problems which can occur within multidisciplinary and inter-sector cooperation.
In addition to public administration, volunteer associations and the market play a large role in health-related issues. During the course, different forms of cooperation and cooperative partners will be highlighted.
The course requires knowledge of appropriate methods of cooperation. Examples are group communication, conflict management, different types of meetings, project work methods etc.Creative forms of treatment such as the use of music, art and expression therapy are reviewed, and information about promotion and arranging for culture in health and care institutions are central themes.
Main subject 4:Interdisciplinary Project Work/Research Methods15 sp (ECTS)
In this part of the course the students will complete a project which is related to the culture and health perspective.
Project work and research methods evolve from the students’ knowledge about and experiences from the project and build on previous teaching. The formulation of problems, collection of data, analysis and report writing, evaluation methods and action research will also be considered.
The students will establish project groups which investigate at least 2 professions. Dispensation can be given from this requirement.
The project groups will have the opportunity to demonstrate their work to the class, and will receive responses from fellow students and teachers. This method of working will provide insights into different aspects of culture and health issues, and simultaneously allow the students to experience and acquaint themselves with critical reflections and constructive comments. Every project group will, in addition, be assigned an instructor/advisor.
During lectures or excursions, specific themes will enlighten central areas with regard to the interconnections between culture and health. The themes can relate to one or more of the projects or review current research in that area. The choice of theme will be done in cooperation with the students.
The learning methods are lectures, seminars, group work, colloquial work, project work and student presentations, in addition to practical exercises with cultural modes of expression.During the class sessions, lectures and examples which are relevant from a culture/health perspective will be emphasised.In addition there will be excursions and/or presentations of different initiatives/projects.
The project work carried out during the course is chosen to develop the ability for multidisciplinary cooperation and completion of systematic, creative work. The project work will contribute to the learning of practical skills in research-based study. Advisories will be scheduled for students.
The integrated learning methods of the programme demands continuity and active participation. The students are responsible for their own learning, but at the same time also influence their fellow students’ learning environment, especially where group work is involved.Therefore, it is expected that the students participate in the different learning initiatives which are organised by the college. Individual elements of the course are obligatory. This will be clarified in the study and semester plan.
Each of the course years concludes with a final examination.The obligatory course requirements must have been fulfilled in order to sit for exams.There is one course requirement each year. The first-year exam must be successfully completed and passed in order to take the second year.
Year 1
Course code: 9841ÅR ST1 Course requirements first year, Main subject 1 and 2
The course requirement consists of an individual written exercise related to the main subjects in year 1. Assessment: pass/fail.
The course requirement must be passed in order to take the examination.
Course code: 9841ÅR 000 Culture, Health and Quality of LifeModernity, Globalisation and Identity30 stp
Written examination under supervision, 8 hours, without study aids. The first year must be completed and passed in order to continue to the second year.
Year 2
Course code: 9842ÅR ST2 Course requirements second year: Project outline
The course requirement is: Group Project outline
Course code: 9842ÅR 000 Interdisciplinary Project Work in groups with oral individual examination 30 stp (ECTS)
Project paper in groups with verbal individual examination.Written and oral elements are equally weighted.The project must be completed and passed so that it can be presented verbally.Individual oral examinations focus on an in-depth project, the individual student’s academic level, and covers the entire content of the course: literature, learning, excursions, exercises etc.
The TelemarkUniversityCollege grade scale is from A-F, whereby E is the minimum requirement to pass the examination.A grade is given for each course year, together with a combined grade for the whole course.
Minor adjustments may occur during the academic year, subject to the decision of the Dean
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