BA Politics and Social Policy

Year 3

(Award available for year: Bachelor of Arts)

Learning outcomes

On completion of the programme students should have shown evidence of being able:
- to write, present and support arguments in a scholarly way;
- to initiate and undertake an extended project demonstrating conceptual grasp and an ability to make a sustained argument;
AND
1. to demonstrate knowledge of:
- UK welfare institutions: origins and development; the social and demographic contexts in which they have operated; their contemporary activities and organisation, including the provision, financing and regulation of social security, education, health and social care, and housing;
- the UK policy process: framework; operation; finance;
- non-governmental sources of welfare (informal, voluntary and private sectors): impact; operation; interaction within mixed economies of welfare;
- main features of the interrelationship between social policies and differently placed communities, families and individuals;
-the relationship between political systems and theories and social policy in a local, national and international context.
- international and global contexts of political systems and social policy including the role and organisation of the European Union (QAA, Benchmark; 3.2).
AND
2. to demonstrate an understanding of:
- interdisciplinary approaches to social policy topics and issues;
- the strengths and the limits of the main approaches to political analysis and relevant political theories together with the;
- the key concepts and theories of welfare, including human needs and social welfare; inequality, poverty and exclusion; citizenship, social difference and diversity; theories of the state and policy making; theories and methods of comparative analysis;
- how different social groups and individuals experience, respond to and contest social policies (QAA, Benchmark; 3.3).

Transferable (key) skills

Joint Honours BA Politics:
-Conduct independent research work within the discipline; ability to critically evaluate in-depth debates; ability to utilise a range of information sources towards producing appraisal and evaluation; ability to work in independent yet guided way
Joint Honours BA Social Policy:
Students will have had the opportunity to acquire, as defined in the modules specified for the programme: - the transferable/key/generic skills necessary for employment related to the area(s) studied; - the exercise of initiative and personal responsibility; - the deployment of decision making skills in complex and unpredictable situations; - the communication of information, ideas, problems and solutions in a variety of ways to a variety of audiences; - the ability to undertake appropriate further training of a professional or equivalent nature.

Assessment

Joint Honours BA Politics:
Achievement will be assessed by a variety of methods in accordance with the learning outcomes of the modules specified for the year/programme and will include:
- dissertation; essay/exam
These will demonstrate the ability to:
- use the scholarly literature
- analyse and evaluate arguments
- show self-discipline and self-direction
- conduct independent work.
Joint Honours BA Social Policy:
Achievement will be assessed by a variety of methods in accordance with the learning outcomes of the modules specified for the year/programme and will include: - demonstrating the ability to apply a broad range of aspects of the discipline; - work that draws on a wide variety of material; - the ability to evaluate and criticise received opinion; - evidence of an ability to conduct independent, in depth enquiry within the discipline; - work that is typically both evaluative and creative.

Learning context

Joint Honours BA Politics:
The learning context for the year/award will provide students with the ability to work independently, to design a project and to discuss the main contemporary issues in the scholarly work in the discipline.
Joint Honours BA Social Policy:
The learning context for this year/award will include the use of complex and unpredictable situations. The study will be structured within a framework that provides both breadth and depth and opportunities for demonstrating proficiency in the application of concepts and techniques. Opportunities will be provided for students to develop interests and informed opinions and to undertake some autonomous study.