Curriculum for Life
What is Curriculum for Life?
Curriculum for Life (C4L) are new elective courses providing students with opportunities to develop themselves as global citizens, creative leaders, change makers and social innovators.
Each of the six courses are designed to help you develop skills for your future and provide you with the opportunity to collaborate with people across different Subjects, Schools and degree programmes, broadening your perspective beyond the traditional learning environment.
These courses will tackle real-world problems including human rights, societal change, data skills, social justice and intercultural literacies. All Curriculum for Life courses are designed to welcome students from any academic background, so there are no pre-requisites.
You can find out more about each of the courses below. Regardless of which C4L course you are taking, for any further advice, contact your local College advisory team.
Am I eligible?
- In the Academic Year 2025/2026, C4L courses will be available to Year 2 undergraduate students in the College of Arts & Humanities, Year 2 MA Social Science students and Year 2 students on select College of Science & Engineering and BSc programmes (including Psychology). Except for CiP, Curriculum for Life courses are also available to Visiting Students at the University. They are a level 1 credit option.
- Each course is worth 10 or 20 credits and is compatible with progressing to your preferred Honours combination. C4L is available for a maximum of 20 credits.
- Look out for C4L courses when enrolment opens. Spaces will be limited, so enrol early to ensure a space!
What C4L courses are available next academic year 25/26?
Collaborations In Practice (CIP). EDUC1138. Credits: 20
'Collaborations In Practice' at a glance:
The course is available in Semester 1, 2025. Teaching starts in induction week, Monday 15th of September. Attendance in this first week is essential to take part in the course. There will be weekly classes thereafter, with the course finishing at the end of November. This course is not available for Visiting Students, but the rest of the Curriculum for Life courses are.
Course code: EDUC1138. Credits: 20
What will I learn from this course?
This course aims to develop your awareness of different disciplinary ways of thinking and practicing that allows you to negotiate collaborative, sustainable and interdisciplinary ways to respond to local, national and global societal challenges.
Through engagement with a project and with students from across the University, you will develop confidence and skills associated with working within real-world interdisciplinary teams and learn to articulate the experience and skills that employers value.
What is the course timetable for CiP?
|
|
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
|
Induction Week (w.c. 15th September) |
10-12 Lecture |
10-12 Lecture 12-1 Supported Study |
10-12 Lecture 12-1 Supported Study |
10-12 Lecture 12-1 Supported Study |
10-12 Lecture 12-1 Supported Study* |
|
Week 1 (w/c 22nd September) |
|
|
3-5 Lecture for All Students |
|
|
|
Week 2 – Week 9 |
|
|
1-3 Tutorial Group A 3-5 Tutorial Group B |
|
|
Supported Study on the 16th-18th September includes time to complete some required tasks.
Supported Study on Friday 19th September includes mandatory tasks for following week.
How will I be assessed on this course?
There are three components of assessment for this course:
- 10% group pitch for the problem-solving task.
- 50% co-designed project output for the research-based task from your group.
- 40% individual reflective log.
|
Sequence |
Assessment type |
Weighting (indicate % or Pass/Fail |
|
Formative |
Reflective Log Entry |
0 |
|
Summative (Week 3) |
Pitch |
10% |
|
Summative (Week 9) |
Project Output |
50% |
|
Summative (End of Course) |
Reflective Log |
40% |
What unique learning experiences will I have on this course?
Much of this has already been outlined above, however the unique experiences would include:
- Opportunity to engage with a project partner from GCF, Hunterian or beyond the institution entirely
- Opportunity to create a project output with real world meaning
- Opportunity to engage in enquiry-based learning at an early stage in your degree
What kind of partners will I work with on this course?
Who is the course leader?
Dr Michael McEwan is leading this course.
You can read more about this course here.
Measuring your social world. SSPS1001 QM1. Credits: 20
'Measuring your social world' at a glance:
This course is available in Semester 1, 2026. Course code: SSPS1001 QM1. Credits: 20
What will I learn from this course?
You will work through the process of data generation, collection, and basic data description. Examples will draw upon the topics of sustainability and challenges around climate change. You will begin with learning about how researchers conceptualise ideas and translate this into definable and measurable elements, and associated challenges when this is done without care. By the end, you will have an understanding of why the data generating process matters, how to collect data, and how to offer basic descriptions, including visualisations of your data to a non-expert audience.
How will I be assessed on this course?
|
Sequence |
Assessment type (drop down menu) |
Group or Individual Assessment |
Weighting (indicate % or Pass/Fail |
|
Formative Feedback |
Weekly tasks related to applying topics from class |
Group |
0% |
|
Summative: Lab book |
4 lab assignments: 1-make a mini dataset (criteria provided) 2-descriptive statistics of your mini dataset; including data visualisations 3-test your data; basic hypothesis tests 4-critique a mini report and the dataset used to produce it |
Individual |
75% |
|
Summative: Presentation |
Students select an element taught during the semester and present the lesson in a pre-recorded 5-10 minute presentation |
Individual |
25% |
What unique learning experiences will I have on this course?
Students are rarely, if ever, explicitly taught how to generate measures related to concepts that are important to them for research. This course engages with elements that are crucial to this, helping you to become more critical of the research you will read in honours courses, and to promote confidence in defining and measuring ideas that are important for you during your dissertations.
This course also offers a pathway to additional quantitative methods training in semester 2 with SSPS2001: Analysing your Social World. Leading to 20 weeks of supported data and analysis training.
Who is the course leader?
Dr Nicole Pamphilis is leading this course.
Does Scotland need human rights? Mobilising for change with civil society. SPS1010. Credits: 10
'Does Scotland need human rights? Mobilising for change with civil society' at a glance:
This course is available in Semester 2, 2026. Course code: SPS1010. Credits: 10.
Teaching begins in the week commencing Monday the 12th of January and ends on the week commencing Monday the 23rd of March, and can be taken alongside 'Making sense of problem substance abuse in Scotland' another 10 credit C4L course running in Semester 2.
What will I learn from this course?
Do you know, that in 2025, the United Nations raised 90 distinct concerns about the UK’s record on human rights? Human rights are central to our daily lives. Many people recognise their right to be respected and to receive dignifying treatment but would not understand that this was anchored in human rights. Similarly, they may have some understanding of what the United Nations do, or are familiar with UK legislation such as the Human Rights Act, but not understand what difference these structures and tools can make to everyday lives and communities. This course is designed to consider how Scotland can get back on track. More than telling you what I know, I will share what I do, building relationships with civil society to help communities name and claim their rights. I aim to help you develop a broader perspective and critical understanding of rights issues, to cultivate your appreciation of various viewpoints and responsibilities as global and local citizens, and to develop your problem-solving ability through lectures and discussion of the key human rights issues.
How will I be assessed on this course?
|
Sequence |
Assessment type (drop down menu) |
Weighting (indicate % or Pass/Fail |
|
Formative |
200-word ‘challenge’ outline |
0% |
|
Summative – submitted within 2 weeks of course end date |
Poster that captures an imagined funding bid for a civil society organisation. 500 words plus images |
50% |
|
Summative – submitted with the poster |
Reflexive engagement focusing on either: team-working; building an interdisciplinary solution; opportunities working with civil society. 500 words |
50% |
What unique learning experiences will I have on this course?
You will work in teams to identify a challenge that falls within the themes of human rights, and challenging poverty in Scotland. You will be encouraged to consider your role within the challenge, drawing on broader disciplinary content and or skills. In week 2 each team will submit a 200-word outline of their challenge as a formative assessment. Strong examples will be shared with the entire class with the permission of team members. General formative feedback will also be provided to help students steer their team towards articulation of a challenge that links to human rights and poverty.
The first summative assignment is produced individually, drawing on team discussions. Each student submits a poster, with a word count of around 500 words plus images. The poster should articulate the group’s shared challenge and outline the student (and by extension their discipline’s) contribution to shaping the problem and imagining solutions.
The second summative assignment is submitted at the same time. Reflexive engagement focusing on either: team-working (including barriers experienced); building an interdisciplinary solution; opportunities working with civil society. The reflexive piece should also be 500 words.
What kind of partners will I work with on this course?
Making Rights Real was founded in 2020 and works with communities towards rights realisation. The Director, Clare McGillivray will join us for discussion on how we build sustainable relationships, speak truth to power and change the world. We also hope to draw on the expertise of colleagues at the Scottish Human Rights Commission, globally recognised for their excellence.
Who is the course leader?
Professor Jo Edson Ferrie is leading this course.
Applied Data Skills. PSYCH1012. Credits: 20
'Applied Data Skills' at a glance:
This course is available in Semester 2, 2026. Course code: PSYCH1012 Credits: 20
What will I learn from this course?
This course provides an overview of the basic skills needed to turn raw data into informative summaries and visualisations presented in professional reports, presentations, and dashboards. The course will introduce you to R, a programming language that can help automate working with data. The course will cover importing and processing data from spreadsheets, producing data summaries of descriptive statistics in tables, creating beautiful and informative visualisations, and constructing reports that automatically update when the underlying data changes. You will also learn to use Generative AI to ethically and responsibly assist with coding.
While the technical focus is on data processing in R, the course is designed for students from all disciplines, including those with no prior programming experience. Examples and applications will highlight how data skills are used across sectors—such as public policy, health, education, creative industries, and social sciences.
How will I be assessed on this course?
Full details of each assessment will be provided in dedicated assessment briefs. The descriptions below are indicative summaries and are designed to support student understanding of overall course structure and expectations.
|
Sequence |
Assessment type (drop down menu) |
Group or Individual Assessment |
Weighting (indicate % or Pass/Fail |
|
Summative |
Weekly MCQs: There will be a weekly multiple-choice quiz administered on Moodle that tests and consolidates the functions and concepts learned that week. You will be given two attempts on each quiz. |
Individual |
10% |
|
Summative |
Backwards engineer: You will be given a dataset and a finished report on that data. Your task is to write the code that produces the report. You will be asked to peer review other submissions and will receive a mark for participation (7.5% for submitting, 7.5% for peer-review). A solution file and walkthrough video will be released as instructor feedback.
Coding is not a skill that can be learned by cramming. Additionally, we place a large emphasis on peer coding and therefore you must attend 75% of all classes to receive a grade for this assessment. |
Individual |
15% |
|
Summative |
Technical brief: You will be given a choice of two datasets and a technical brief for the content of the report. Your task is to write a fully reproducible report using R and RMarkdown that clearly and effectively presents and summarises the data to provides key insights. Individual feedback will be provided via a rubric on clearly defined marking criteria in addition to an overall written comment. |
Individual |
75% |
What unique learning experiences will I have on this course?
You will collaborate to solve real-world data challenges, culminating in an individual project that integrates technical and communication skills.
Who are the course leaders?
Professor Emily Nordmann & Prof Lisa DeBruine are leading this course.
Making sense of problem substance use in Scotland. MED1020. Credits: 10
'Making sense of problem substance use in Scotland' at a glance:
This course is available in Semester 2, 2026. Course code: MED1020. Credits: 10.
Teaching begins in the week commencing Monday the 16th of February and ends the week commencing Monday the 23rd of March. This course can be taken alongside 'Does Scotland need human rights? Mobilising for change with civil society', another 10 credit C4L course running in Semester 2.
What will I learn from this course?
Substance use is a complex, ‘wicked’ problem that disproportionately affects Scotland, reflected in the high rates of alcohol and/or drug related deaths, and wider ranging impacts on health and wellbeing. However, alcohol and/or drug use is an integral part of Scottish culture, and responses to tackling associated harms must balance a person’s right to enjoy life, with their right to health and wellbeing. Responses to reducing the harms resulting from problem substance use (PSU) span across disciplinary boundaries – including health, law, education, economics, engineering, and beyond.
In this course, you will explore the different ways that substance use can be understood and how PSU affects individuals, families, communities, and societies. You will be supported to reflect on your relationship to substance use, and the connection it may have with your disciplinary ‘home’ (e.g. geography, history, engineering). Through collaborative working, you will develop skills in communicating complex issues with compassion.
How will I be assessed on this course?
The course ILOs are assessed in the following ways:
|
|
Group Presentation |
Info Sheet |
Reflection |
|
ILO1: Demonstrate how problem substance use is understood from different perspectives. |
X |
X |
|
|
ILO2: Explain, to a variety of different audiences, key issues associated with problem substance use. |
X |
X |
|
|
ILO3: Reflect on their relationship to substance use on a personal and professional level. |
|
|
X |
Specific details on assessment:
|
Sequence |
Assessment Type |
Group/ Individual |
Weighting |
|
Formative |
Discussion about plans for the vlog or podcast. Occurs in Week 3. Feedback type
|
Group |
N/A |
|
Summative |
Podcast / Vlog – Submitted at end of course. Students will work in groups of 4-5. Presentation should be collaboratively curated, but not all members need to have a speaking part. No longer than 10 minutes (pro-rata for smaller groups, approx. 2 mins per person). [ILO 1, ILO2] The podcast or vlog must be accompanied by a one-page document containing the following information:
Feedback will be provided on Moodle and will focus on ‘feeding forward’ – highlighting skills and avenues for growth as students progress in their disciplines. |
Group – can accommodate individual for accessibility reasons |
20% |
|
Summative |
|
Individual |
80%
|
What unique learning experiences will I have on this course?
Currently, there are no courses at an undergraduate level focusing on substance use – therefore you will be engaging with an under-explored area within the University of Glasgow curriculum. The teaching team on this course have experience in teaching and researching on substance use and mental health and will be joined throughout the course by guest experts to help enhance your learning. Given the close links to Byres Community Hub (situated within the School of Health and Wellbeing, and a link to the local community) and the Substance Use in HE project, there will be additional opportunities to get involved with emerging work in the university around substance use and how to actively promote safety and wellbeing. We hope where appropriate, student outputs can be displayed in the Clarice Pears Building – open to the wider UofG staff, UofG student community, and the public. There may be the opportunity for students who are passionate about this issue to put their learning into practice and join our intern team.
In addition, students will have the option of undertaking training on overdose prevention, intervention, and Naloxone – a medication that can temporarily reverse the side-effects of an opiate overdose to provide time to seek professional, medical help.
Who is the course leader?
Dr Sharon Greenwood & Prof Julie Lanlan-Martin are leading this course.
Intercultural Literacies. LIBARTS1002. Credits: 20
'Intercultural Literacies' at a glance:
This course is available in Semester 2, 2026. Course code: LIBARTS1002. Credits: 20
What will I learn from this course?
In this course, you will learn about how people navigate and deal with intercultural situations, in other words, situations where there are people present from multiple different cultures. We will discuss this in relation to situations that are quite typical, such as being an exchange or international student, being a tourist, or being an international migrant. While these all suggest culture at a national level, we will discuss what culture might mean on a more general level, asking how it might relate to concepts like class, ethnicity, religion and gender. Taking this wider understanding of culture, we will explore how we can communicate better with diverse audiences.
How will I be assessed on this course?
|
Sequence |
Assessment type (drop down menu) |
Group or Individual Assessment |
Weighting (indicate % or Pass/Fail |
|
Formative |
Draft interview questions |
Individual |
0 |
|
Summative |
7 minute presentation |
Individual |
20 |
|
Summative |
Interview Plan |
Individual |
30 |
|
Summative |
Reflective commentary |
Individual |
50 |
What unique learning experiences will I have on this course?
This course is the only undergraduate course at Glasgow to focus on how developing intercultural skills across the curriculum. These are important skills in many disciplines, as culture affects how people act in many situations and being aware of cultural specificity and difference will allow you to understand better how people are engaging with communicative acts in everyday life settings, from websites to medical consultations and beyond.
The use of fictional examples will differ from standard practices in literature and film studies as the class discussion will focus on how they approach or represent intercultural situations and use them as a source of reflection linked to your own and your peers’ experiences.
Our focus on the interview and reflecting on the interview as one method of assessment means that you will learn this useful skill which can be applied in many disciplines, but is not always taught as a research methodology.
Who is the course leader?
Dr Jonathan Evans and Dr Elisa Segnini are leading this course.