This module provides an introduction to the study of social policy. The study of social policy focuses on social problems such as poverty, homelessness, domestic violence and unemployment and on the operation of publicly provided welfare services. We will examine how social problems are defined and policies formulated in response to them.  We consider the relative position of social classes, generations, ethnicities, and men and women in respect to poverty, inequality and welfare. We explore the changing boundaries between the roles of the state, the market, the family and the voluntary sector in the mixed economy of welfare.

This module aims to provide students with an understanding of:

·         The key issues and perspectives relevant to the study of social policy

·         The role and nature of the central welfare institutions in society

·         Comparative and historical patterns in social policy

Students on the module will able to:

·         Recognise the factors which shape experiences of poverty in the UK

·         Critically evaluate the role played by welfare institutions in providing for citizens social need

·         Consider how approaches to social need have changed over time and why

·         The development of the state’s role in social welfare

·         Contemporary social policy including: education; health; housing; criminal justice; social services; and, pensions

·         Themes in social policy including the role of social class, gender and ethnicity

·         11 x 2 hour sessions, each integrating lecture material with interactive discussions and exercises

Alcock, P. et al. (1998) The Student’s Companion to Social Policy, Blackwell

Baldock, J. et al. (2007) Social Policy, Oxford University Press

Jones, K. (2000) The Making of Social Policy in Britain. Athlone Press