POL36150 Feminist Pers. on Social Pol.

Academic Year 2024/2025

Feminist Perspectives on Social Policy is an undergraduate module that aims to introduce students to the field of social policy by presenting the main contributions of feminist theories to the analysis of policymaking and public policies. The course uses the core concepts of gender and politics scholarship to analyse how citizenship, welfare institutions, and social policies are constructed. The readings engage with notions of sex and gender, explore how they have shaped public policies, and how public policies have affected the social, economic, and political dynamics shaping the policy environment.

The first part of the seminar introduces crucial concepts and dichotomies to provide a theoretical understanding of following policy discussions. The second part closely examines the policy fields of political representation, labour, care, migration, violence, and sexual health. The third part focuses on contemporary developments, such as the role of global governance, the mainstreaming of the gender equality agenda, and the rise of anti-gender politics, with their policy reflections.

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Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

Upon successful completion of the module, the students will be equipped to:
- Understand feminist political science theories examining social policies and welfare institutions.
- Evaluate the policy fields of labour market, care, political representation, migration, violence, and sexual health with a critical and intersectional perspective.
- Learn crucial concepts, and new indicators and databases related to these concepts for a gendered analysis of social policies.
- Develop transferable skills, including teamwork, independent research ability, and written communication.

Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

24
Autonomous Student Learning

176
Total

200
Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
Teaching and learning activities will require students to engage with current academic research and to link feminist theories of social policy analysis to specific empirical cases. Each session includes theory lectures, empirical examples, group work, and class discussions. Participants will also be expected to prepare thoroughly for each of the classes, particularly engaging with core readings, and to allocate a substantial amount of time to the completion of assessment work outside the classroom hours. 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 
Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Open Book Exam Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade
Assignment(Including Essay): 1,000 words (-/+ 10%) response paper on one suggested reading n/a Graded No

40
Quizzes/Short Exercises: A 90-minute in-class MCQ test with short questions n/a Graded No

60

Carry forward of passed components
No
 
Resit In Terminal Exam
Autumn No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 
Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

In line with university policy students will be provided with feedback within 20 working days of the deadline for submitting the assignment.