Bespoke Masterclasses
Discover our Masterclasses
Institute of Business, Industry and Leadership
School of Business
Superhero Leadership: The power to change me and then the world
Leadership is about change. Where there is change there is life and hope and joy. Finding the desire and will inside you to bring change is exciting but challenging. Especially in a messy world. In this Masterclass we invite ourselves to become 'good leaders' who use our heads, hearts and values to bring hope for today and tomorrow. Even in the face of pain and suffering. To over-come our struggles through leading well.
Some leaders try simple and crude approaches to deal with a messy world, and make it worse. But in this session we return to issues of our values. Can love, respect, courage, sacrifice, and serving others be taught? No. These qualities come from a wider understanding of leadership. This suggests leading well isn't just about knowledge alone. It's about being as well as knowing.
This session invites us to go on a journey to winning the authority and respect to lead others to a better place. Is this being a superhero, being that person who makes THE difference in your own life, home, community and then business? Maybe, but let us start the BIG conversation together about leadership. Please join with an open mind and heart.
Related Courses:
- BA (Hons) Business Management
- BA (Hons) Business Management (Human Resource Management)
- BA (Hons) Business Management (Digital Marketing)
- BA (Hons) Business, Accounting and Finance
- BA (Hons) International Business Management
Team Dynamics for Organisational Success
Team dynamics are the unconscious, psychological forces that influence the direction of a team’s behaviour and performance.
As you progress, your toolbox of skills will be ever increasing. In preparation for constant development, you will be implementing the skills you have acquired, in order to achieve success.
You will, or already do, appreciate the need to work effectively with others in order to be successful. This session focuses on exploring team dynamics and its impact on organisational success.
Related Courses:
- BA (Hons) Business Management
- BA (Hons) Business Management (Human Resource Management)
- BA (Hons) Business Management (Digital Marketing)
- BA (Hons) Business, Accounting and Finance
- BA (Hons) International Business Management
School of Justice
An Expert Witness - Police Officer Witness Statements
This masterclass will introduce students to the processes and procedures by which Police Officers gather and provide primary evidence in written statement form.
Whilst this begins with what they see and hear when dealing with an incident, it is the ability to identify criminal activity and offence 'points to prove', recall and record the actions and speech of themselves and others, and bring a heightened level of attention to detail to their reports, which will enable them to produce high quality written 'expert witness' statements.
Accurate and detailed Police Officer witness statements are a crucial factor in securing convictions in a court of law; this session is designed to introduce and inform attendees of the complexity of this process.
Related Courses:
How does Criminology help us Understand Violence Against Women and Girls
The tragic case of Sarah Everard in March has provoked an all-encompassing public conversation about the safety of women and girls in this country.
However, this is not a new conversation. With 1 in 3 women being a victim of domestic abuse and 1 woman killed every 2 to 3 days, criminological research and solutions to tackle this endemic crime have been going on for at least 50 years.
We will explore the underlying perspectives that help to understand the causes of gender-based violence and what has changed because of criminological research and activism, and discuss how the criminal justice system in the UK responds to and deals with these crimes.
Related Courses:
Crime in The Age of Technology
As technology has progressed and developed and more and more areas of our lives become dependent on computers, there is more scope for criminals to use technology to commit crime. From cyber-fraud, attacks, hacking, malware, grooming and phishing scams the scope for abuse and exploitation is endless. This masterclass will explore the main types of crime carried out on the internet and how successful law enforcement agencies are in trying to prevent, investigate, and prosecute offenders.
Related Courses:
Spinning the Wheel - Police Decision Making
This session will look at how Police Officers make a variety of operational decisions by utilising the National Decision Model (NDM). The presentation will show how the Police use information and intelligence, take a variety of circumstances and risks into account, implement points of policy and legislation, and build in contingencies into the option selected to deal with any given situation
The session is also designed to show that, whilst Policing can be difficult, it is an important, exciting and dynamic occupation that puts you in charge of the incidents you are deployed to and have to deal with. In simple terms, the decisions are yours to make.
Related Courses:
Detained in Custody - Making an Arrest
Whether or not to arrest someone is one of the most important and vital decisions a Police Officer has to make. It can be a very dynamic and confrontational process, has a direct impact the effectiveness of an investigation, and may have a profound effect on the arrested person's life. It is a decision that a Police Officer may have to make every time that they are on duty. This session is designed to introduce attendees to the concept and complexities of a lawful arrest, with a 'look forward' to how the process can affect and enhance an investigation.
Related Courses:
Investigating Serious Crime
Criminal investigation regularly features on TV and in films. This masterclass will provide an authentic experience as attendees are taken on a journey through a 'day in the life' of an investigator.
Participants will be left able to take a critical view on the fictionalised portrayals of detectives.
Related Courses:
Combatting Terrorism
Recognising the threat terrorism presents is an important aspect of addressing the global threat.
This sessions will explore the origins of terrorism to understand the threat and the counter terrorism measures we all experience. This masterclass draws from counter terrorism investigations to provide 'real world' examples of best practice.
Related Courses:
Fake News
As we experience information, video and photographic coverage from a war, how can we differentiate between propaganda, disinformation and valid materials. This session will explore disinformation as a tactic and discuss skills which will help you to differentiate between deliberate, mistaken and reliable material.
Related Courses:
Law
The Law of Criminal Examination
This masterclass will look at the role barristers play in the criminal courts. Barristers are responsible for representing their clients in Court. One of the ways they do this is by questioning the witnesses who are involved in the trial. We will be looking at how barristers question different witnesses in order to elicit information which will help their clients.
Related Courses:
Media, Manipulation, and Misrepresentation of the Law
With the increase of "Fake News" over the past few years, and the increase in the population getting their information from Social Media, it can be difficult to know what to believe and how to find out the truth. The representation of the law by the press and media outlets often forms public opinion on the administration and application of the law, but are the public being misled?
This interactive exercise using contemporary reporting will help you make up your own mind and give you some tools to help you debunk and critically analyse all of those articles you see every day.
Related Courses:
Institute of Health
Health and Social Care
Making a Difference to Young People's Mental Health and Wellbeing
Related Courses:
- BSc (Hons) Health and Social Care
- BSc (Hons) Children and Young Peoples' Health and Wellbeing
- BA (Hons) Social Work
Tackling Inequalities in Health and Well-being in our Communities
Students will explore information relating to health and well- being inequalities, for example, increased effect of the pandemic on Black and Brown communities; increased incidents of mental health challenges for LGBTQ+ young people; lower life expectancy in areas of high depravation. We will look at ways in which individuals and services can make a difference and change lives, and consider the links between policy and practice.
What ‘tackling inequalities’ during the masterclass might involve in practice: Working in a creative team to design and pitch a new service aimed at supporting a community you believe would benefit; Researching the health inequality that causes you concern and develop an action plan full of practical ways that individuals, communities, and services can make a difference; Engaging with the online debate around the health inequality you find most concerning and develop responses to arguments that are both for and against taking action.
This masterclass will be beneficial for students as it provides an insight into developing university level critical thinking skills; gives the opportunity to think in-depth about their role in tackling inequalities in society; and allow them to develop an understanding of the wider causes and impacts of health and social factors.
Related Courses:
- BSc (Hons) Health and Social Care
- BSc (Hons) Children and Young Peoples' Health and Wellbeing
- BA (Hons) Social Work
A Week in the Role of a Male Social Worker
In the modern age, it may be surprising that our nation still holds beliefs about gendered stereotypes and professions, but social work charity Frontline’s recent study revealed that is it still very much a problem. Almost half of men aged between 18 and 30 believe in gender stereotypes surrounding certain career paths, and just 14% of children’s Social Workers in England are male (Frontline, 2022; MyLondon, 2022). But where does this preconception come from and how does it impact the male social workers in their day-to-day work?
Social Work is often see as a feminine, caring role, but there are many different values required of these professionals, broaching the typical gender barriers we see every day in the social sector. In particular, it is important that we have plenty of male role models and professionals for young people to look up to. Many of these service users might have had poor relationships with men, or have no significant ‘father figure’ in their life.
With social care in the North-West predicting a 23% increase in its workforce by 2035 (SkillsforCare, 2021), it is critical that services use this opportunity to become more diverse and intersectional, with more male social workers as well as those professionals from other under-represented characteristic groups.
Join us to explore the role of a social worker, how gender can impact situations and resolutions, and where the next steps are for our future workforces. We’ll explore the essential nature of a diverse workforce and how it can impact on those service users most in need.
Useful Links:
- Adult Social Care Sector and Workforce in North West - Skills for Care
- 'A lot of people think being a social worker isn't a career for men - but that couldn't be further from the truth' - MyLondon News
Related Courses:
- BSc (Hons) Health and Social Care
- BSc (Hons) Children and Young Peoples' Health and Wellbeing
- BA (Hons) Social Work
Psychology
Gangs and Violence: From the Peaky Blinders to The Krays and Beyond
This session aims to explore the development of gangs across the UK, considering their rise, growth and impact upon society.
We will also consider violent personas, themes of violence and the effect the media can have upon ideas of gangs and gang violence today.
Related Courses:
In Cold Blood? An Exploration of the Psychology of Violent Behaviour
In this masterclass session, you will explore the psychology of violent behaviour using case studies of serial murder, violence crime, and domestic abuse.
You will discuss and consider how psychological theory and research can help us understand why people commit violent crime, how it impacts on victims of crime, and how we can use research to try and tackle this serious social issue.
Related Courses:
Sports and Rehabilitation
Practical Injury Screening and Prevention Techniques: Learn what it takes to become a Sport Rehabilitator
“OUCH, I’ve just twisted my ankle!!”. “Ahhh, I’ve just pulled a muscle!!”.
Have you ever heard or felt this before, and wondered how to recover from injury, or even how to stop it happening in the first place? If so, then join us for this practical and interactive session about techniques that you could use to screen for injury risk and subsequently how to prevent them occurring. In doing so, learn about what a Sport Rehabilitator is and how you could become one!
This is an interactive and active session, during which students will be putting into practice what they learn with our academics on each others' joints. Students should wear sports or gym kit to ensure range of movement.
Related Courses:
Youth Crime Prevention Through Community Sports
Related Courses:
Institute of Science and Environment
Conservation and Zoology
Every Species Matters: Biodiversity and Ecosystem Resilience
Humans are having an enormous impact on the Earth’s natural systems and the loss of biodiversity will be as catastrophic as climate change. During this masterclass, we will explore biodiversity and ecosystem resilience and the important work of zoologist and conservationists in researching, protecting and preserving it.
This masterclass is for those interested in careers in Zoology, Conservation or who have an interest in our natural world.
Related Courses:
Forensic and Biomedical Sciences
Secrets in the Blood - Diagnosing Disease
Blood tests are an important part of the diagnostic process, with Drs requesting them for a variety of reasons. From GPs making sure a patient is healthy prior to receiving a prescription, to critical care practitioners trying to locate the cause of an acute illness. But why are they so commonly used, what are they looking for and who undertakes this analysis?
In this masterclass we’ll shine a light on one of the roles of a biomedical scientists, a vital but often hidden hero of medicine. They run hundreds of thousands of tests every day across the country, and yet patients that benefit from their expertise rarely know how important their contributions are. This session will look at one of the many essential roles they undertake – blood analysis!
We will look at how biomedical scientists use their knowledge of blood, and the cells in blood, to diagnose an illness. After reviewing some biology and related science, we’ll explore what the biomedical scientists look for when they observe blood cells and what else they can measure. Finally, we’ll try and make some diagnoses!
Related Courses:
- BSc (Hons) Biomedical Science
- BSc (Hons) Forensic Science
Watching the Dead
Crime Scene Investigation and Forensic Science has long been the subject of popular, mainstream fictional media. Shows such as CSI, Silent Witness and Bones place pathologists and forensic scientists at the centre of elaborate plots which often blur the lines between real life and fiction.
This masterclass will explore the limitations of what people are seeing on screen and give more “real-life” applications of the forensic techniques shown. This session will start to bust some myths surrounding Forensic Science and hopefully show you that the real thing is even more fascinating!
Related Courses:
- BSc (Hons) Biomedical Science
- BSc (Hons) Forensic Science