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SPOL40440

Academic Year 2026/2027

Housing and Social Cohesion (SPOL40440)

Subject:
Social Policy
College:
Social Sciences & Law
School:
Soc Pol, Soc Wrk & Soc Justice
Level:
4 (Masters)
Credits:
10
Module Coordinator:
Professor Michelle Norris
Trimester:
Spring
Mode of Delivery:
On Campus
Internship Module:
No
How will I be graded?
Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

Housing not only provides shelter it has many other important social and economic functions. It impacts on the wellbeing of individuals and families and the cohesion of communities; its provision is costly for governments and households but it is an important asset, source of tax revenue and of employment. Therefore housing also has important implications for social inequality, economic efficiency and community cohesion.

This module examines the development of housing policy in Ireland and explores the implications of these policies for social inequality, community cohesion and economic efficiency. The module is divided into two parts which are assessed separately. The opening lectures examine the history of housing policy between the foundation of the State and and the 1980s. This section of the module is assessed by an individual project. The second half of the modules examines the house price boom which commenced in the early 1990s and ended in a bust of unprecedented scale in 2007. The role which policy played in these developments is examined as are their social and economic implications. This section of the module is assessed by an end of trimester examination.

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

On completion of this module students should be able to:
- interpret and critique the key concepts and theories relevant to housing policy and systems of provision-
- apply these concepts and theories to the analysis of housing policies in Ireland as
- on this basis, assess the implications of housing policy for social inequality, economic efficiency and community cohesion.

Indicative Module Content:

This module will examine the key theories and concepts which are used to analyse systems of housing provision in developed countries. These theories and concepts will then be used to analyse the long term development of the Irish housing system and the way in which this has been shaped by housing policy.

The module will examine the three main housing tenures in Ireland - ie social housing, private rented housing and home owner housing since the start of the 20th Century.

The United Nations identified seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as core to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and UCD contributes in general to SDG 4 Quality Education. Further SDGs explored within this module if relevant are listed below. A scale of 1 - 5 indicates the extent to which the SDG is covered.


 

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Specified Learning Activities

100
Autonomous Student Learning

76
Lectures

22
Tutorial

2
Total

200

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
The following approaches to teaching and learning will be employed:

- small group debates and discussions
- examination and critique of specific policy cases
- use of multi-media resources to illustrate policy debates
- lectures.

Students are not permitted to use generative AI in the production of their assessment work.

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 

Assessment Strategy
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade Component repeat (in-module) Offered
Group Work Assignment: Group presentation on one of the policies examined in the module Week 7 Graded No
25
 No
Individual Project: Individual project on one of the policies examined in the module Week 14 Graded No
75
 Yes

As part of UCD's student support, under the Additional Consideration policy, extensions may be available for the following assessments in the module: Assignment (including essay/poster), Portfolio, Reflective Assignment, Report(s), and Individual Project.


Carry forward of passed components
Yes
 

Resit In Terminal Exam
Summer No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

students will be given written feedback on assignments and the lecturer will be available to take questions on the assignment,

Name Role
Mr Bob Jordan Lecturer / Co-Lecturer

Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
Spring Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Thurs 14:00 - 14:50
Spring Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Tues 14:00 - 14:50
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