Undergraduate Course: Governing The Social (SCPL10023)
Course Outline
| School | School of Social and Political Science |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Course type | Standard |
Availability | Available to all students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate) |
Credits | 20 |
| Home subject area | Social Policy |
Other subject area | Politics |
| Course website |
None |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
| Course description | This course introduces students to a series of critical approaches to social policy and governance such as post-structuralist, feminist, critical political economy, anti-racist, or advocacy-oriented perspectives. It aims at developing students' capacity to provide a holistic analysis of the politics and policies surrounding social issues in modern societies in the light of global socio-economic changes, highlighting potential contradictions in how state intervention empowers as well as coerces citizens, creates opportunities as well as situations of exploitation, enhances social cohesion as well as deepens social cleavages, and how in turn citizens, social movements and organisations shape, subvert or resist social policies. The goal of the course is to enhance students' ability for critical and independent thinking about contemporary policy concerns. |
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus? | No |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course the student should have:
- an understanding of a series of critical theoretical approaches to the study of social policy and governance in modern societies.
- the ability to apply certain theoretical perspectives to a variety of policy issues
- enhanced ability to critically assess current policy issues with respect to political processes and social outcomes
- developed their skills in a range of cross-cutting and transferable skills' areas, including: critically analysing evidence and using this to develop and support a line of argument; presenting information visually and orally; engaging in group discussion; cooperating in team work and team assessment; commenting on public debates; communicating with different audiences; searching for academic literature and writing an extended essay. |
Assessment Information
final assessment (essay) 60%
course work 40%
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Special Arrangements
| None |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
Not entered |
| Syllabus |
1. Social policy, social order and the 'good society'
2. Social welfare and the welfare state: freedom and coercion
3. Power, empowerment and political mobilisation in mature welfare states
4. Social policy and the global economy: opportunity or exploitation?
5. Social agendas for the future - dominant and alternative global players (WTO, OECD, EU, Attack, Social Forum etc.)
6. Governing the Social: social investment, social control and subversive citizens |
| Transferable skills |
Not entered |
| Reading list |
Not entered |
| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
Not entered |
| Keywords | critical perspectives, social policy, governance |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Ingela Naumann
Tel: (0131 6)51 3869
Email: |
Course secretary | Mrs Louise Angus
Tel: (0131 6)50 3923
Email: |
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