Redesigning Everyday life - Perspectives of Occupational Science
Course name in Norwegian: Aktivitetsvitenskaplige perspektiv på helse i hverdagslivet
Study program: Further education/Videreutdanning
Weight 10 ECTS
Year of study Spring 2028
Program description: This course is only available online in English
Introduction: This course explores how daily occupations can be re-designed to enhance health, well-being and meaning in everyday life. Drawing on occupational science and participatory design approaches, students examine how social, cultural, and environmental factors shape what people do — and how they might re-do everyday occupations to create more just, sustainable and meaningful ways of living.
Required preliminary courses
The student must have a bachelor’s degree or equivalent. The bachelor’s degree must consist of a minimum of 180 ECTS credits within relevant social sciences and/or health science disciplines, with an average grade no lower than C according to the ECTS grading scale. Proof of English proficiency is also required.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
Knowledge
Explain key concepts of occupational science as they relate to the re-design and transformation of daily occupations.
Understand how to integrate knowledge from various disciplines (e.g., economics, sociology, public health) to design and influence more comprehensive and sustainable social and health services
Skills
Critically analyze everyday occupations in terms of meaning, context, and the impact they can have on a personal, social and ecological level
Apply participatory and creative methods to re-design daily occupations with attention to inclusion, sustainability, and justice.
General competence
Reflect on how re-designing occupations can influence health, identity, and community/society well-being.
Communicate and visualize ideas for re-doing occupations through prototypes, narratives, or visual storytelling.
Teaching and Learning Methods
The course is organized into a series of online lectures and seminars. Students are expected to play an active role. Lectures are given by the course lecturer and invited lecturers. Students will also be required to present papers and discuss course themes during lectures and seminars.
Course requirements
The following coursework requirements must have been approved in order for the student to take the exam:
Coursework 1: The student must submit a coursework paper of at least 1700 words (in addition to front page, list of content and list of references), written individually or in groups of max 4 students. A student must have approval from the course lecturer in order to write individually. The paper must be approved by the course lecturer.
Coursework 2: The coursework papers are to be presented at an online seminar, Participation in the seminar is mandatory.
Students whose papers are not approved after the first submission will be given the chance to resubmit once. Papers that are not approved after two submissions will disqualify students from sitting the final examination. A student who is absent from the presentation will have to submit a compensatory coursework requirement within a given deadline.
Assessment
The student's learning outcome will be assessed on the basis of a 3 days (72 hours) individual written home exam of max 4300 words. Font and font size: Calibri, 12 point. Line spacing: 1.5.
Permitted exam materials and equipment
All aids are permitted, as long as the rules for source referencing are complied with.
Grading scale
Pass/Fail
Examiners
The exam papers are assessed by one internal and one external examiner. A random selection consisting of at least 25% of the exam papers will be graded by both an internal and external examiner. This will inform the grading of the remaining exam papers.
Course contact person
Björg Thordardottir
