Being asked to write about the teaching of Gerontology at Birkbeck inspired me to dig deep in the archives to trace the development of our programmes since the beginning of time (almost). The gerontology programmes at Birkbeck were among the first to be launched in this country.

It all started as Extra-Mural studies. Birkbeck, which specialises in part-time provision for mature students, is one of the colleges of the University of London. Historically there was one central London University Centre for Extra-Mural Studies. In the 1980’s, this centre later became incorporated into Birkbeck, forming its own faculty. Since then, the faculty has provided a range of London University Extra-Mural Certificates and Diplomas, managed by Birkbeck, but with its own London University regulations and quality assurance. This is now set to change, as from October 2008, all our programmes are fully Birkbeck based, and Extra-Mural Certificates are being converted to Certificates of higher Education, in line with the National Qualifications Framework. In tune with the changing times and fashions, the faculty changed its name from ‘Extra-Mural Studies’ to ‘Continuing Education’ in the late 1990’s, and in 2007 it became the Faculty of Lifelong Learning.

Gerontology and later life

The first Extra-Mural London University Gerontology programme I have been able to trace occurred as early as 1954. The timing of this reflects the concerns and research activities in the UK at that time. During the 1940’s, a certain amount of panic about the ageing of the population had begun to emerge. This was based largely on myths and assumptions, and gave rise to a series of research initiatives. The Nuffield Foundation, established in 1943, funded a number of studies of older people, from social, economic and psychological perspectives. The Extra-Mural lecture series in 1954 would appear to build very much on the findings of these studies. It was led by people from the Foundation and included as contributor Le Gros Clark, who had done seminal research into the abilities of older workers (See Thane 2002). Other contributors included Kathleen Slack, the LSE social scientists, and Dr Majorie Warren, Consultant at the West Middlesex Hospital, and credited with being the founder of modern geriatrics in Britain (Thane 2002). The programme consisted of a course of twelve ‘lectures and discussions’ held every Thursday in the Autumn Term. The fee was 5 Shillings (equivalent to around £5 at today’s prices). The title and programme were as follows:

‘Problems of old age to-day’

• How the problems have arisen
• The social problems to-day and in the future
• The economic problems to-day and in the future
• Health and illness in old age
• The work of the geriatric unit
• Psychological aspects of old age
• Old people in their own homes
• The care of old people: the domiciliary services
• Employment problems of the older person
• The contribution of the voluntary societies
• Research into the biology of ageing

What strikes me about this programme is how ‘modern’ it is in many ways. True, the stress is on ‘the problems’, something we would all be at pains to avoid in our programmes today. However, one suspects that the ‘message’ throughout the series was not entirely problem oriented, but, in line with the findings of the Nuffield research, critiquing the notion of ageing as a problem. Replacing ‘problems’ with ‘perspectives’, the topics covered are very similar to those included in today’s programmes. Indeed, it is interesting to note that domiciliary services are highlighted. The idea of caring for older people in their own homes was not invented in the 1990’s, as some still seem to suggest.

I do not know whether this lecture series was a one-off event. But it could well have been so, since, as Thane argues, many of the ideas of the 1950’s were ‘soon forgotten, only to be reinvented when fears of population ageing revived in the 1980s’ (Thane 2002, 351).

Fast forward to the 1980’s, and we find the development of the London University Extra-Mural Certificate and Diploma in Gerontology, launched in 1984 from Birkbeck, by my predecessor Andrew Blaikie. This multidisciplinary programme consisted of:

• A Foundation course, called ‘The Processes and Dynamics of Ageing’, introducing students to the biological, medical, psychological and social aspects of ageing
• A series of options, of which students took two: Biological aspects of ageing; Psychological Aspects of Ageing; Social Policy and Ageing; and Medical & Caring Aspects of Ageing
• A dissertation project added to the above would give students an Extra-Mural Diploma.

The programme was developed in close collaboration with medical practitioners and academic experts from around London, including Tony Warnes and Anthea Tinker, both at King’s College, and Peter Millard, Consultant Geriatrician at St Georges Hospital. All contributed to the teaching on the programme for many years. When King’s established its Institute of Gerontology and developed its own Postgraduate programme in 1987 under the leadership of Anthea Tinker, close ties developed between the two institutions, and many Diploma finalists went on to study for the King’s MSc in Gerontology.

Over the years, the structure of our Certificate/Diploma has been adapted, modified and updated, but in principle, the multidisciplinary perspectives have remained, with a balance between medical/care issues and a ‘normal ageing’ approach, critically examining negative stereotypes of older people. More flexibility has been introduced, with students being able to take options in health management, anthropology and psychology, obtaining a Certificate in Health & Ageing. The number of nurses coming on the course has reduced, and the groups are now more a mix of social care workers, health workers and individuals studying for purely personal interest. As mentioned, from 2008 the certificate will no longer be an ‘Extra-Mural’ one, but a Higher Education Certificate. The details of this change would only be of interest to those fascinated by National Qualifications Framework and Quality Assurance issues.

The challenges facing us in teaching gerontology are, I think, applicable in many parts of the UK. Paradoxically, as the population ages, the pool of individuals wishing to study ageing seems to have reduced. Many gerontology programmes have survived by offering their modules to students on other degrees, such as medicine, sociology and social policy. ‘Pure’ gerontology students seem to have become rare. Could it be that we have managed to get gerontology ‘mainstreamed’, and that ‘ageing’ is now part and parcel of general sociology, psychology and social policy programmes? It would be interesting to re-visit the debates and exchanges about gerontology teaching we had at the annual BSG conferences in the 1990s.

Mid Life and Life Course Studies

Gerontology is strictly speaking about more than the last stages of life. It is about the process of ageing, and, as many of us have argued over the years, the life course perspective is an essential ingredient in the study of ageing. Furthermore, the whole of adulthood ‘post-maturity’, from ‘mid-life’ onwards, was for a long time under-researched – and under-taught. In recent years research has grown, and the availability of data from longitudinal studies has given further impetus to life course studies, including a focus on mid life. Again, taking a historical perspective -i.e. digging into the archives from the London University Centre for Extra-Mural Studies - it is interesting to note that as early as 1970, a course was offered entitled ‘Advancing to Maturity’. This one term course, the fee for which had then gone up to the sum of 22Shillings (about £12 at today’s prices), was again multi-disciplinary, and all sessions were around ‘middle age’, including for example ‘New Life in Middle Age’; ‘Physical Health in Middle Age’; ‘Middle Age and Society’, and concluding with a session entitled ‘Years of Achievement: Towards Activity’.

The theme of mid life has been strong in the Birkbeck programme since the late 1980’s. Thus alongside the Gerontology programme, a Diploma in Mid and Later Life Planning was launched in 1988. This was soon developed further into the MSc in Life Course Development, which was launched in 1990 and has been running ever since. Recently the programme has been re-structured, and from 2008, it will be known as the MSc in Life Transitions. The key features of this programme are its focus on the dynamics of adulthood, the changes and transitions experienced by individuals in their journey through time (i.e. as they age); the impact of social change on this journey and the social construction of life course stages. It applies psychological, social and policy perspectives. The course units include: ‘Changing societies – changing lives’; ‘Adult Lives in Transition’; ‘Health and quality of life’; ‘Gender and the Balance of Life’; ‘Longitudinal Research’; and ‘Doing Life History Research’.

Contributions by colleagues from around the UK.

A distinguishing feature of all our programmes has been the reliance on advisors, sessional lecturers and guest speakers from outside Birkbeck. Their participation has enabled us to provide a programme of the highest standard. Indeed, without their support, the programme would not exist. The list of ‘friends of Birkbeck’ is very long, and includes a great many BSG members. I would like to take this opportunity to thank them all, and to express my hope that they will continue their involvement with Birkbeck, ensuring the continuation of an important and highly reputed programme.

Reference

Thane, P. (2002), Old Age in English History. Oxford: Oxford University Press.