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2010/1 Module Catalogue
 Module Code: POL2011 Module Title: SOCIAL POLICY ANALYSIS
Module Provider: Politics Short Name: POL213
Level: HE2 Module Co-ordinator: BEE C Dr (Politics)
Number of credits: 20 Number of ECTS credits: 10
 
Module Availability
Year Long
Assessment Pattern
Unit(s) of Assessment
Weighting Towards Module Mark( %)
Essay (4000 words)
55%
Formal exam (2 hrs)
40%
Attendance
5%
Qualifying Condition(s) 

 50% attendance at tutorials/seminars is required to take the final exam
Module Overview
Although the primary focus of the module will be on contemporary social policies, the module will also introduce an historical perspective, exploring how provision of welfare has changed over time.
Prerequisites/Co-requisites
None
Module Aims

This module aims to:

  • Develop students’ understanding of some of the main concepts and key debates associated with the analysis of social policy (drawing on material covered in some of the Level 1 modules – for example Social Problems & Social Policy and Introduction to Social & Political Theory).
  • Introduce students to some of the main institutions of the British welfare state.
  • Consolidate students’ ability to apply theoretical models to real-life examples, through analysing developments in specific areas of social policy.
Learning Outcomes

Subject Specific Learning Outcomes

On completion of this module, students should be able to:

  • Discuss some of the main concepts and key debates associated with the analysis of social policy.
  • Assess the main arguments for and against state welfare provision.
  • Identify some of the main models involved in the making and delivery of British social policy.
  • Analyse policy developments in specific policy areas, using at least one of the concepts covered in the module.

Generic Learning Outcomes and Skills

  • On completion of this module, students should be able to:
  • Gather, organise and deploy evidence, data and information from a variety of secondary and some primary sources.
  • Construct reasoned argument, synthesise relevant information and exercise critical judgement.
  • Reflect on their own learning and seek and make use of constructive feedback.
  • Engage in interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary debates.
  • Apply theoretical frameworks to policy analysis.

Transferable skills

On completion of this module, students should be able to:

  • Communicate effectively and fluently in speech and writing.
  • Use communication and information technology for the retrieval and presentation of information, including, where appropriate, statistical or numerical information.
  • Work independently, demonstrating initiative, self-organization and time-management.

Practical skills

  • On completion of this module, students should be able to:
  • Make appropriate use of information and communications technology.
  • Employ relevant research skills to investigate a policy-related area.
  • Access relevant policy-related datasets and be able to retrieve data from them.
  • Manage their own time effectively.
Module Content

The first part of this module introduces students to some of the main debates and key concepts associated with the analysis of social policy. These are likely to include:

  • Individual liberty, social equality and the provision of welfare.
  • The idea of a ‘meritocracy’.
  • Social exclusion.
  • Citizenship, rights and responsibilities in relation to welfare.
  • Markets and welfare.
  • ‘Social need’.
  • Universalism and selectivism in welfare services.

The second part of the module will then explore how these concepts can be used to analyse some of the main institutions of the British welfare state. These are likely to include:

  • The National Health Service.
  • The education system.
  • Social security.
  • Housing.
Methods of Teaching/Learning
Lectures, seminars, small group discussion, student presentations, prescribed reading.
Selected Texts/Journals
Alcock, P. (2003) Social Policy in Britain, 2nd ed. Basingstoke: Macmillan.

Alcock, P., Erskine, A. & May, M. (eds.) (2003) The Student’s Companion to Social Policy, 2nd ed. Oxford: Blackwell.

Baldock, J., Manning, N., Miller, S., & Vickerstaff, S. (1999) Social Policy. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Deacon, A. (2002) Perspectives on Welfare. Buckingham: Open University Press.

Ellison, N. & Pierson, C. (eds.) (2003) Developments in British Social Policy 2. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Fitzpatrick, T. (2001) Welfare Theory. An Introduction. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

George, V. & Wilding, P. (1994) Welfare and Ideology. Hemel Hempstead: Harvester Wheatsheaf.

Page, R. & Silburn, R. (1999) British Social Welfare in the Twentieth Century. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Plant, R. (1991) Modern Political Thought. Oxford: Blackwell.
Last Updated

May 2006