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Diversity and difference in communication

Interpersonal communication in health and social care services is by its nature diverse. As a consequence, achieving good or effective communication whether between service providers and service users, or among those working in a service means taking account of diversity, rather than assuming that every interaction will be the same. This free course, Diversity and difference in communication, explores the ways in which difference and diversity impact on the nature of communication in health and social care services.
Course learning outcomes
After studying this course, you should be able to:
After studying this course, you should be able to:
- demonstrate an understanding of competing perspectives on issues of communication, difference and diversity
- demonstrate an understanding of the ways in which issues of ethnicity, gender and disability impact on interpersonal communication in care services
- apply ideas about communication and difference to everyday interactions in health and social care contexts
- analyse the ways in which ideas about difference can both reflect and reproduce inequalities between groups in the context of care services
- identify strategies for working with difference and diversity in the context of challenging discrimination in health and social care contexts.
First Published: 10/08/2012
Updated: 29/05/2019
You can start this course right now without signing-up. Click on any of the course content sections below to start at any point in this course.
If you want to be able to track your progress, earn a free Statement of Participation, and access all course quizzes and activities, sign-up.
Course content
- Introduction
- Learning outcomes
- 1 Introducing diversity and difference
- 2 ‘Difference’ and communication
- 2 ‘Difference’ and communication
- 2.1 A communication ‘problem’?
- 2.2 Analysing communication problems
- 2.3 Ways of understanding ‘difference’
- 2.4 The social construction of ‘difference’
- 2.5 ‘Difference’ and identity
- 2.6 Reflecting on identity
- 2.7 Aspects of identity
- 2.8 ‘Difference’, power and discrimination
- 2.9 Experiencing prejudice and discrimination
- 3 Ethnicity
- 3 Ethnicity
- 3.1 ‘Race’, ethnicity and communication
- 3.2 ‘Race’
- 3.3 Ethnicity
- 3.4 Describing your ethnicity
- 3.5 Ethnic categories
- 3.6 ‘Racialisation’ and racism
- 3.7 The process of 'racialisation'
- 3.8 The impact of 'racialisation'
- 3.9 Being on the receiving end
- 3.10 Working with difference
- 3.11 Ethnic matching
- 3.12 Services for inter-ethnic communications
- 3.13 Employing interpreters and link workers in health and social care
- 3.14 Challenging racism
- 3.15 Exploring anti-oppressive practice
- 4 Gender
- 4 Gender
- 4.1 Thinking about gender
- 4.2 Talking about gender
- 4.3 Reflecting on gender and identity
- 4.4 Where does gender come from?
- 4.5 Gender and power
- 4.6 Gender and power in the workplace
- 4.7 Gender and power in helping relationships
- 4.8 Gender and difference
- 4.9 The revival of gender essentialism
- 4.10 Men and women communicating differently?
- 4.11 Critiquing gender essentialism
- 4.12 The implications of gender differences in communication
- 4.13 Gender and parenting
- 4.14 Changing fatherhood identities
- 5 Disability
- 6 Conclusion
- References
- Acknowledgements
- This site has Copy Reuse Tracking enabled - see our FAQs for more information.
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16 hours study
Level 1: Introductory
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