Special Education A

The aim of the course is to give an introduction to the special education field. Students develop the knowledge, values and approaches required to deal with various situations and environments. The course comprises the following components: - central concepts in the special education field - special education in a historical and societal perspective - national and international directives and policies pertaining to special education issues - students' approaches to special education issues - ethical and democratic perspectives - special education issues in relation to theoretical perspectives at the levels of the individual, group, organisation and society, - academic approach, basic research methods and academic writing. Instruction is in the form of lectures and seminars at on-campus meetings. Students work on assignments for learning and for assessment, individually and in groups between meetings. A minor independent study, presented in an essay and discussed in seminar, concludes the course.