Study-Unit Description

Study-Unit Description


CODE LAS1086

 
TITLE Mistakes: the possible precedent of success

 
UM LEVEL I - Introductory Level

 
MQF LEVEL 5

 
ECTS CREDITS 4

 
DEPARTMENT Centre for the Liberal Arts and Sciences

 
DESCRIPTION Mistakes are the precedent to success. However, only if, one seeks to reflect and learn from the mistakes made and develop a plan of action for future change. Otherwise, history will repeat itself, and mistakes lead to vicious cycles.

This study-unit deals with various types of mistakes, whether individually, collectively (whether as a couple, family, or community), nationally, politically, professionally, and internationally. The study-unit shall identify various mistakes made (in diplomacy, laws, education, and society, among others) and the impact of such, including the negative or success achieved thereafter.

The study-unit discusses a range of topics from international debates and historic events such as war, climate change, diplomatic relations, migration, and the emergence of nation-states, to themes that are often considered personal matters or intimate affairs, such as intimate relationships, vulnerabilities, culture, religious and national identities.

The aim of the lectures is to encourage discussion and analysis of mistake/s as a point of departure for future change.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Knowledge & Understanding:

By the end of the study-unit the student will acquire knowledge about:

- various mistakes in history that led to disastrous outcomes or successful change
- various changes, movements, and concepts initiating bottom-up (example changes at the grassroots impacting legal change) as well as a top-bottom (politically extolled discourse that impacts everyday relations).

Will be able to:

- critically analyze how the past impacts the future.
- reflect on the impact of the state and society on minority issues.
- present coherent arguments on a range of topics from international debates and historic events to public debates and themes impacting the individual.

2. Skills:

By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:

- Students would be able to take pragmatic stock of strategies learned, knowledge as well as skills acquired and successfully apply them to practical everyday situations.
- The transferable skills acquired during the lectures and fieldwork sessions, inter alia, include:
- Reflective skills: students will learn about the reflective process and how to put ‘reflection’ in practice to become reflective of one’s own actions and those of others.
- Critical thinking: students will question critical actions of the state and the society in minority-majority conflicts
- Problem solving: students will learn how to identify a problem and solve it through planning (whether through individual, national, and/or global action).
- Teamwork: students will learn to work in group for class presentation purposes.
- Public speaking: students will learn how to present arguments (as well as counter-arguments) in a coherent manner in public speaking fora.

Main Text/s and any supplementary readings:

Main Texts:

- Sastry, A. & Penn, K., (2014). Fail better: Design smart mistakes and succeed sooner. Harvard Business Review Press.
- Tjosvold, D., Yu, Z. Y., & Hui, C. (2004). Team learning from mistakes: the contribution of cooperative goals and problem‐solving. Journal of management studies, 41(7), 1223-1245.
- Kucharska, W. & Bedford, D.A., (2020). Love your mistakes!—they help you adapt to change. How do knowledge, collaboration and learning cultures foster organizational intelligence?. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 33(7), 1329-1354.
- Schaefer, B.D., (2006). The United Nations Human Rights Council: Repeating Past Mistakes. Heritage Foundation.

Supplementary Readings:

- Krueckeberg, D.A., (1997). Planning history's mistakes. PlanningPerspectives, 12(3), 269-279.

 
STUDY-UNIT TYPE Lecture and Fieldwork

 
METHOD OF ASSESSMENT
Assessment Component/s Assessment Due Sept. Asst Session Weighting
Presentation SEM1 Yes 50%
Assignment SEM1 Yes 50%

 
LECTURER/S Anthony Licari

 

 
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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 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years.

https://www.um.edu.mt/course/studyunit