Social Policy and Community Action

• • Social Policy: what do they say it is?
  • Change and controversy over time
  • Who, what and when? Policy actors and the policy cycle
  • "Problem making" and causality
  • "Don't think of an elephant": Language and rhetoric in social policy
  • Metaphor and social policy
  • Who is my neighbour? Community and values in social policy
  • Sorting through the evidence
  • Bringing ideas together: Making a start of policy analysis
  • Review of unit

• Study resources

  • Instructional methods

    • Discussion forum/Discussion Board
    • Online assignment submission
    • Standard Media

  • Online materials

    • Printable format materials
    • Audio-Video streaming
    • Resources and Links

Equivalent subjects

You cannot enrol in this subject if you have successfully completed any of the following subject(s) because they are considered academically equivalent:

• MUR-COD355A
• MUR-COD355

Others

Students must have completed 18 credit points (6 OUA subjects) at Level 1 before enrolling in this subject. This subject is also equivalent to COD355 Commsubjecty and Social Policy.

Special requirements

No special requirements

This subject was previously known as COD355A Community and Social Policy.

This subject aims to equip students with an understanding of social policy. It will assist students to grasp the policy context that shapes social and community work. The subject focuses on the intersection between social policy and community engagement in a bid to explore how social issues make it onto the policy agenda. Students will be encouraged to consider concepts such as social justice, equity, reciprocity and welfare and how these are interpreted at a social policy level.

Students are asked to prepare written assignments that examine particular fields of interest in the social policy field, the influence of language in social policy and to explore how theory and practice intersect. The assessments are designed to build student skills in research, social policy analysis and community-based policy development.

• Closed book invigilated exam (30%)
• Policy Case Study (30%)
• Briefing Paper (30%)
• Online discussion participation (10%)