166-525 Contemporary Social Problems

Completion of first year of Masters of Social Policy, or admission to honours in Sociology or Political Science

This subject examines changing forms of contemporary social problems and the extent and ways that contemporary social policy responds to such problems. The subject explores classical social problems such as poverty, inequality, injury or disability, the ways these were understood in terms of themes such as justice and security, and engages with their contemporary transformation. It examines new forms of social problems evident in new forms of risk associated with the life course, health, spatial inequalities, mental illness, drug use or changing forms of family life. It also considers changing understandings of justice, injustice and security in the light of such transformations. The subject considers the way social policy plays a role in both constructing the way we understand and experience social problems, and in responding to them. It considers to what extent contemporary social problems exhibit common characteristics, in particular through engaging with contemporary theories of risk, and looks at the place of ethical models in the construction of and response to social problems.

• research, through engagement with studies, theoretical work and contemporary social data;

• critical thinking and analysis;

• written communication, through essays and research papers;

• attention to detail;

• public speaking through seminar presentations;

• thinking in theoretical terms, in particular in relation to ways of constructing evidence;

• communicating knowledge intelligibly and economically;

• understanding of social, ethical and cultural context, in particular relating to the impact of social policy in the lives of vulnerable people, with a particular attention to understandings of justice and injustice present in the construction of social problems;

• thinking creatively.

A 1500 word essay, 35% (due mid-semester), and a 2500 word case study, 65% (to be submitted during the examination period).