SOCI3421: SOCIAL POLICY:PRINCIPLES AND CURRENT ISSUES

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• To provide students with an understanding of:
• The major theories, concepts and principles that inform the study of social policy.
• The nature of comparative analysis in social policy, particularly as this relates to understandings of welfare regime types.
• Key themes in politics and political economy of particular relevance to social policy analysis.
• Core issues relating to the nature of policy-making and implementation in the context of the changing shape and nature of social policies.
• The "experience" of welfare as this relates to the impact of social policies on a range of social groups.

• Term 1:
• Introduction, module overview and module approach
• Present and discuss some of the key theories and concepts associated with social policy. These may include, for example: ideological perspectives on the welfare state and critical perspectives of social policy assumptions; and concepts such as social control, social constructionism, needs and citizenship.
• Term 2:
• Applying theories and concepts to contemporary issues. Through a series of themed lectures and seminars students will interrogate a range of critical perspectives and specific policy areas.

Subject-specific Knowledge:

• By the end of this module students will:
• Be able to understand key concepts in the context of the provision of welfare and health services by the state, the market and the occupational, voluntary and informal sectors.
• Be able to understand explanatory frameworks in social and health policy and practice.
• Be able to understand the causes and experiences of social and health problems.
• Be able to understand the role of institutions and institutional mechanisms in the delivery of policy and practice.
• Be able to understand relationships between social trends and policy and practice.
• Be aware of relationships between economic, social and health policies.
• Be able to understand the impact of politics on policy and practice.
• Be able to understand the origins and impacts of discrimination and oppression.

Subject-specific Skills:

• Be able to apply key concepts and contribute to key conceptual and practice debates in social policy.
• Be aware of and able to apply cross-national and comparative perspectives as well as national perspectives.
• Be able to apply knowledge in the subject to specific research contexts, including investigating concepts and issues in depth.

Key Skills:

• Be able to evaluate critically evidence and ideas.
• Be able to deal with complex issues and communicate conclusions to specialist and non-specialist audiences.
• Demonstrate self-direction and originality in tackling and solving problems.
• Work autonomously in planning and implementing tasks, exercising initiative and personal responsibility.
• Be able to continue to advance their knowledge and understanding.

• During periods of online teaching, for asynchronous lectures in particular, planned lecture hours may include activities that would normally have taken place within the lecture itself had it been taught face-to-face in a lecture room, and/or those necessary to adapt the teaching and learning materials effectively to online learning.
• Weekly lectures will be used to communicate subject knowledge and its interpretation.
• Fortnightly seminars will focus on subject and key skills, and provide the opportunity to discuss topics and problems, work through examples of problems and questions in a collaborative way, and make formative presentations.
• Learning outcomes are tested by a summative essay and a 'take-home' examination.

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