Midwifery theory: knowledge, profession and practice

Childbirth is a biopsychosocial process - a physiological process, but one which is always socially and culturally shaped and managed, and which forms a major social and emotional event in the lives of individual women, families and communities.

From this perspective, we examine changes in midwifery that have occurred historically and in recent years in response to social and cultural influences and changes, in the UK and internationally. These include policy directions, the evidence to practice gap, the formal or professional status of midwifery and the social and cultural contexts in which midwives work to support women in pregnancy, birth and the transition to parenthood.

Who is it for?

This course is suitable for midwives with practice experience from a range of nationalities and cultures – and may also be of interest to non-midwives with an interest in midwifery or childbirth and maternity care, from a historical, anthropological or sociological perspective.

Timetable

The total learning hours for this course are 150, which includes 20 hours of synchronous scheduled sessions, ten hours of asynchronous group discussion, two hours of tutorial time and 118 hours of independent study. The course uses a ‘flipped classroom’ approach where you will study pre-recorded lectures and course materials in advance of the class, which is focused on interactive discussion of the topic.

Please see course timetable for more details.

Term  (Online)

September: 30 Sep 2026

October: 7, 14, 21 and 28  Oct 2026

November: 4, 11, 18 and 25 Nov 2026

December: 2 and 9 Dec  2026

Benefits

By participating in this course, you will hone your skills in critical analysis and discussion of your own experience of midwifery and maternity care, as well as wider issues relating to policy, practice and the status of the midwifery profession.

This course is worth 15 academic credits at QAA Level 7.

This short course module is designed to be flexible in allowing you to study and reach your goals at your own pace. Our health CPD courses are credit-bearing modules that contribute to a University degree or award.

Transfer course credits towards postgraduate taught degree

Once you've completed this course you could offset  credits as part of a postgraduate programme, continuing your study with further modules to make up a Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert) 60 credits, Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) 120 credits or Master of Science (MSc) 180 credits qualification (all credits must be awarded within five years of study commencing).

In this course, you will:

• Learn about concepts and theories relevant to midwifery knowledge and practice.
• Explore the basis of contemporary midwifery theory and practice through historical and sociological perspectives, as well as through the clinical evidence for midwifery care.
• Discuss past and current challenges and opportunities in the organisation and delivery of midwifery care, in the UK and internationally.
• Look at the clinical evidence for the value of midwifery practice and at theoretical concepts and perspectives which are useful tools for the critical analysis of midwifery and maternity care, past, present and future.

By the end of the course, you will be able to reflect critically on midwifery as a profession, on the range of influences on how midwifery care is provided and discuss implications for the future of the profession.

Teaching

The course delivery is highly flexible. Although there are weekly timetabled sessions, the learning resources can be accessed in your own time and for each topic.

Students are encouraged to participate actively in discussion and log into the course Moodle site regularly - but with flexible timing - to read and respond to the contributions of their peers as well as the course materials and key readings.

The learning in this course makes varied use of online resources including lead lectures in video format, topic workbooks, and links to wider reading and other resources.

There is a weekly timetabled slot for seminar or class discussion, as well as asynchronous discussion forums for each key topic area. In some weeks, individual tutorials will be arranged to enable you to discuss your assignment plans and progress.

Assessment

There are two assessment components:

• An online individual presentation on a topic of your choice that addresses the course learning objectives, to the tutor and peers. This component carries 20% of the marks of the course.
• One 3,000-word essay on the same topic, carrying 80% of the marks for the course.

This course is provided by the School of Health & Medical Sciences.

Credits

This course is worth 15 credits toward eligible programmes.

Applicants may be midwives registered in any country; other backgrounds which may be appropriate may include anthropology or sociology, development or policy work. You are welcome to contact the module leader to discuss suitability

English requirements

An online reading list provided in Moodle sets out core and recommended reading and enables easy access to reading materials. Additional and optional reading is also listed in the course workbooks and may be added to Moodle during the course in response to students’ discussions and interests. Core reading is also listed in the course specification.