| CODE | GER1008 | ||||||||||||
| TITLE | Theoretical Issues in Ageing Policy | ||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 01 - Year 1 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 5 | ||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Gerontology and Dementia Studies | ||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | Participants in this study-unit will engage in participatory lectures, group discussions, and assignments to explore how population ageing poses social, economic, and cultural challenges to individuals, families, communities, and global societies. The initial phase focuses on identifying these challenges, while the second phase examines innovative strategies for restructuring societies, workforces, and intergenerational relationships to address these challenges and leverage the opportunities arising from population ageing. The study-unit draws on the principles of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing, which advocates for changes in attitudes, policies, and practices to ensure that older adults are recognized as active contributors to societal development rather than solely as recipients of welfare. A comparative analysis is conducted between the ideologies of the Welfare State and the Welfare Society. The former, characterized by a monopolistic approach, fostered dependence on the state. In contrast, the Welfare Society emphasizes a collaborative framework in which the state, civil society, communities, families, and older individuals themselves each play a vital role. Study-Unit Aims: - Understand the Challenges of Population Ageing: Explore the social, economic, and cultural implications for individuals, families, and societies globally; - Analyse Societal Responses: Examine innovative approaches to structuring societies, workforces, and intergenerational relations to address ageing-related challenges; - Promote Active Ageing: Advocate for policies and practices that recognize older adults as contributors to societal development; - Compare Welfare Models: Evaluate the differences between the Welfare State and Welfare Society ideologies, highlighting their impacts on dependency and collaboration; - Foster Multisectoral Collaboration: Emphasize the shared responsibilities of the state, civil society, families, and older individuals in addressing ageing challenges. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Demonstrate better the challenges and consequences of population ageing on every social institution; - Demonstrate the importance of empowering older persons so as to ensure their full participation in every aspect of life; - Argue the need of mainstreaming ageing in all facets of life; and - Discuss how the attitude of old age being a problem to society must not only be challenged but it must be eliminated. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Appraise different policies and welfare ideologies aimed at ensuring the quality of life and well-being in old age; - Illustrate how participation and engagement in later life should be the basis of contemporary social policies; and - Integrate the evolving process of population ageing within the larger process of development. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: - Harper, S., & Hamblin, K. (2014). International Handbook on Ageing and Public Policy. Edward Elgar. - Phillipson, C. (2013). Ageing. Polity Press. - United Nations (2002). Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing. - Walker, A. (2014). The New Dynamics of Ageing. Policy Press. Supplementary Readings: - Formosa, M., Scerri, C., & Meeks, S. (2020). Punching Above its Weight: Current and Future Aging Policy in Malta. The Gerontologist, 60(8), 1384鈥�1391. - United Nations (2006). Guidelines for review and appraisal of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing, United Nations, New York. - World Health Organization (2015). World Report on Ageing and Health. WHO. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Independent Study and Online Learning | ||||||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Christian Borg Xuereb Alex Gobey (Co-ord.) |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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