Topic outline

  • General

    The purpose of this course is to explore what we mean by wellness, well-being, self-care and creativity and how these meanings have changed over time. We will also be exploring how these ideas influence our learning about and enactment of wellness, wellbeing and self-care. In order to do this we will explore the human condition and the various ideologies humans have invented to manage health. Most scientific research is aimed at either restoring humans to well-being or ameliorating symptoms from a disease. In this course we focus on creative meaning making to develop an inclusive map of different approaches to assist students in navigating their way around.

    Course Coordinator Dr Wendy Lowe, wendy.lowe@abdn.ac.uk 

  • What skills does this course develop?

    The terms ‘wellness’, ‘well-being’, ‘self-care’ and ‘creativity’ are used relentlessly to promote self-improvement. We will be exploring how these ideas influence our learning about and enactment of wellness, wellbeing and self-care through the deployment of a reflective creative personal map. By focusing on creative meaning making to assist students in navigating their way around the health field, students can integrate different concepts and models of wellness and wellbeing into their own personal and professional practice. Each week, students will add to their reflective creative map by incorporating key concepts, models, and drivers of wellbeing. Each week, there will be a lecture which introduces the key concepts followed by a tutorial which will enable students to discuss their ideas and experiences around the terms. Formative feedback on the map will be provided halfway through the block so that students have a firm grounding in what they are expected to achieve. The essay is a reflective piece of writing to again assist the student to assimilate and synthesize the different concepts and models covered over the duration of the course.

    Course Learning outcomes:

    • Understand and begin to map how concepts and models such as wellness, well-being and self-care have evolved over time and the drivers and key stakeholders associated with this evolution.

    • Understanding the difference between risk based and asset based healthcare through the concept of Health Literacy through Centre for Disease Control and National Institutes of Health.

    • Discuss key elements and critiques of positive psychology and how these have been addressed in successive waves.

    • Describe existential well-being and how this relates to logical inconsistency and the embodiment of the self-care system (SCS) through the medium of a reflective creative map.

    • Understanding and applying Trauma Informed Self-care and the science underpinning them to their reflective creative map.

    • Using a creative map, synthesize and continue to develop different approaches to wellness, well-being and self-care whilst considering the impact of social media.

    • What is the timetable?

      Teaching each week will consist of 2 hours of lectures followed by 2hours of tutorials. 

      • How will I be assessed?

        There are two components of assessment

        Essay (50%) 2000 words.  (An opportunity will be provided for a formative submission to get feedback before the final submission through the tutorial work in week 16.)

        Creative Artwork (50%). Presentation and exhibition of reflective creative output that demonstrates your understanding of different approaches and how you relate to them . The reflective creative output includes but is not limited to drawing, painting, collage, video, sewing, knitting, textiles, YouTube, TikTok, music, claywork and so on. This will be worked on throughout the tutorials and is a key thread throughout the course. 

        • What do previous students think of this course?

          NEW 26-27 

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