LOUGHBOROUGH UNIVERSITY

Programme Specification

B.Sc. SOCIAL POLICY AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Please note: This specification provides a concise summary of the main features of the programme and the learning outcomes that a typical student might reasonably be expected to achieve and demonstrate if full advantage is taken of the learning opportunities that are provided. More detailed information on the learning outcomes, content and teaching, learning and assessment methods of each module can be found in Module Specifications and other programme documentation and online at

The accuracy of the information in this document is reviewed by the University and may be checked by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education.

Awarding body/institution: / Loughborough University
Teaching institution (if different):
Details of accreditation by a professional/statutory body:
Name of the final award: / B.Sc. (Honours)
Programme title: / Social Policy and Social Issues
UCAS code: / L400
Subject Benchmark Statement: / Social Policy and Administration
Date at which the programme specification was written or revised: / May 2004

1.Aims of the programme:

  • To provide students with an intellectually stimulating environment in which they can develop the necessary critical and practical skills for the analysis of social policy and social issues
  • To provide students with the opportunity to study social policy and social issues in a multidisciplinary context where the value of interdisciplinary analysis is explored
  • To enable students to gain a broad knowledge and understanding of the theoretical and empirical bases of social policy and social issues
  • To enable students to gain a deeper knowledge and understanding of particular aspects of social policy and social issues
  • To provide students with an understanding of how public concerns become issues of social policy and appear on the social agenda, and how policies are formulated and implemented
  • To familiarise students with British organisational and institutional arrangements for addressing social policy and social issues
  • To provide students with a knowledge and understanding of the historical origins and development of British social policy and social issues and associated welfare agencies
  • To develop students’ awareness of and knowledge about the role of comparative analysis in the understanding of social policy and social issues
  • To develop the ability of students to conduct independent enquiry in the field of social policy and social issues, using appropriate methodologies
  • To provide a high quality honours programme in social policy and social issues, which enhances students’ career and employment opportunities on graduating

2.Relevant subject benchmark statements and other external and internal reference points used to inform programme outcomes:

  • The Benchmark Statement for Social Policy and Administration
  • The National Qualifications Framework
  • University Learning and Teaching Strategy
  • Departmental teaching and learning policies
  • A formal review of the programme’s aims and objectives undertaken in 1994 by the Programme Team, and subsequently extensively updated in 2000
  • Recent reports of the programme’s External Programme Assessors
  • The research interests and specialisms of the teaching staff and their professional involvement in the discipline.

3.Intended Learning Outcomes

Knowledge and Understanding:

On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding in the following areas:

  • An awareness of the breadth of the social policy field and the range and variety of social issues
  • An understanding of the economic, political and social context of contemporary British social policy
  • A broad overview of contemporary British social policy in a comparative and historical context
  • A detailed knowledge of a number of key issues in social policy
  • An understanding of the policy process, and the agencies and agents through which social policies are developed and delivered
  • An understanding of the different elements of a ‘mixed economy of welfare’, including the informal family sector, and how they interact in the promotion of specific social policies
  • An understanding of the main theoretical approaches and ideologies associated with welfare provision and of their relevance in any analysis of specific areas of social policy or particular social issues
  • An understanding of comparative perspectives, both cross-national and historical, in social policy and social issues

Teaching, learning and assessment strategies to enable outcomes to be achieved and demonstrated:

Detailed Module outlines, reading lists and study guides for each module provide students with clear information concerning the nature and scope of various modules, and also offer guidance on methods of study and learning. The programme is delivered via a mixture of lectures (including visual aids, audio and audio-visual materials), interactive lectures, presentations from welfare practitioners in the Year 1 module ‘Welfare in Action’, tutor and student led seminars (linked to lecture topics and based on shared readings and exercises), group projects, one-to-one tutorials (for advice on assignments and supervision of final year projects) and guided independent study and research.

Assessment is by a combination of unseen written examinations, essays, report writing, executive summaries, evaluations of government reports, book reviews, analytical exercises involving the application of social policy theory and concepts to government policy, sentencing exercises and a Final Year dissertation.

Skills and other attributes:

(a)Subject-specific cognitive skills:

On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to:

  • Apply critical insight to social policy texts and issues
  • Marshall evidence in support of arguments and analysis
  • Assess the merits of competing explanations of social issues, using appropriate conceptual and theoretical perspectives and evidence
  • Produce reasoned and well-structured arguments, drawing on appropriate analysis and supporting evidence
  • Question and test their own assumptions and be able to distinguish between matters of value judgement and matters that can be subjected to empirical investigation

Teaching, learning and assessment strategies to enable outcomes to be achieved and demonstrated:

Detailed Module outlines, reading lists and study guides for each module, lectures including interactive exercises, tutor and student led seminars, group projects, and guided independent study and research are all intended to provide opportunities for students to develop their intellectual skills. Discussion and debate are encouraged, especially during seminars, and advice is given to students on structuring and substantiating arguments in written assignments. Students are also required to use academic conventions of citation and referencing in their written work.

Assessment of intellectual skills focuses on the quality of students' critical reasoning as well as on the depth of their knowledge and understanding. Typical assessment strategies are unseen written examinations, essays, report writing, executive summaries, evaluations of government reports, book reviews, analytical exercises involving the application of social policy theory and concepts to government policy, sentencing exercises, and the Final Year dissertation.

(b)Subject-specific practical skills:

On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to:

  • Analyse social policies and social issues within a framework of a theoretical understanding, and of the wider economic, political and social context
  • Apply an equal opportunities framework to the analysis and practice of social policy
  • Evaluate critically social scientific research by drawing on their knowledge of research methods
  • Select and use appropriate research methodologies to investigate social policies and social issues

Teaching, learning and assessment strategies to enable outcomes to be achieved and demonstrated:

Detailed Module outlines, reading lists and study guides for each module, lectures, tutor and student led seminars, group projects, and guided independent study and research all contribute to the students' understanding of discipline specific skills. In addition, specific modules focus explicitly on some of the above skills, such as modules on research methods, equal opportunities, and so on.

Typical assessment methods include unseen written examinations, essays, report writing, executive summaries, evaluations of government reports, book reviews, analytical exercises involving the application of social policy theory and concepts to government policy, sentencing exercises, the Final Year dissertation (including assessment of the methodological elements), mini-projects as part of the Year 2 module ‘Research Methods’.

(c)Key/transferable skills:

On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to:

  • Apply word-processing and writing skills to be able to produce a variety of competent written work
  • Communicate ideas and arguments in a well-organised and competent manner
  • Identify and select a range of sources of material in the presentation of their arguments
  • Present work of a scholarly standard using a variety of formats
  • Apply time-management skills, including the planning of work, so as to produce work to a high standard by specified deadlines
  • Deploy personal and interpersonal skills, including self-motivation, the ability to consider and evaluate their own work in a reflexive manner, and an awareness and respect for the views of others, which will enable them to work effectively both individually and in teams and organisations
  • Use information technology, such as the Web and Internet, databases, and word processing packages

Teaching, learning and assessment strategies to enable outcomes to be achieved and demonstrated:

Detailed Module outlines, reading lists and study guides for each module, lectures, tutor and student led seminars, group projects, guided independent study and research, and a Year 1 student-led learning diary outlining strengths and weaknesses of the student’s own skills and knowledge base all contribute to such skill acquisition. There is an especial focus on such skills during the first year of the programme so that students are well-prepared for their undergraduate career.

Typical assessment methods include unseen written examinations, essays, report writing, executive summaries, evaluations of government reports, a learning diary kept by first year students which critically evaluates their own progress against their own learning goals, book reviews, analytical exercises involving the application of social policy theory and concepts to government policy, sentencing exercises and the Final Year dissertation. The Department operates a transparent coursework deadline policy in line with University requirements.

4.Programme structures and requirements, levels, modules, credits and awards:

In the table overleaf, credit weightings of modules are shown in brackets. Students are required to take modules amounting to 120 credits in each of the three years of the programme.

SEMESTER ONE / SEMESTER TWO
YEAR ONE / Social Policy and Social Issues A (10) / Social Policy and Social Issues B (10)
History of Social Policy (10) / British Government (10)
Crime and Social Welfare: Case Studies of Policy in Practice (10) / Introduction to Quantitative Data Analysis (10)
Introduction to Sociology A (10) / Introduction to Sociology B (10)
Option (10) / Option (10)
Option (10) / Option (10)
YEAR TWO / Research Methods: Data Collection (20) / Equal Opportunities (20)
Social Policy Option (20) / Social Policy Option (20)
Social Policy Option (20)
(or in Semester Two) / Free Option (20)
(or in Semester One)
YEAR THREE / Social Policy Project (40)
Theory and Concepts in Social Policy (20) / Social Policy Option (20)
Social Policy Option (20)
(or in Semester Two) / Free Option (20)
(or in Semester One)

Year 1 Options Available:

British Politics (10 credits in Semester One)

Deviance and Social Control (10 credits in Semester Two)

Social Psychology, Communication & Media Studies, Economic History, Languages

(10 credits in each subject per Semester)

Years 2 & 3 Social Policy Options Available:

Community Care Policy and Mental Health

The Criminal Justice System in England and Wales

Drug Policy: International and Comparative Perspectives

Contemporary Issues in Criminology

Operational Policing Issues

Policy Issues in Education

The Politics of Poverty and Social Security

Racism, Ethnicity and Citizenship

Social Welfare and Social Care in the Community

Women, Welfare and Citizenship

Years 2 & 3 Free Options Available:

(A 20 credit Free Option can be two 10 credit modules offered by other Departments)

A further Social Policy Option or Modules offered at the time in Social Psychology, Sociology, Communication and Media Studies, Politics, other subjects approved by the Department.

Centre for Research in Social Policy (CRSP) Research Scholarship

Centre for Child and Family Research (CCFR) Research Scholarship

CRSP has an international reputation for high quality, independent policy evaluation and research. It is an autonomous unit located within the Department of Social Sciences and engages in a wide variety of research projects in the area of social policy.

CCFR maintains and develops programmes of research that will inform, influence and support policy and practice for children and families. It includes the work of the internationally renowned Young Carers Research Group.

The Scholarships are offered each year to a second year student, and provide financial support for a year of research experience, working on a current research project under the supervision of CRSP or CCFR research staff as appropriate, between Year 2 and Year 3.

5.Criteria for admission to the programme:

A typical offer would be:

A Level qualifications: 240 points from two subjects at A level plus either a third subject at A level or two subjects at AS level. General Studies is accepted as an A level subject.

Vocational Certificate of Education (VCE) qualifications: 240 points from a minimum of 18 units (any combination of VCE units/AS level units/A level units).

Mature applicants without formal qualifications are welcome to apply. Mature students bring to their studies a valuable range of experience which can be of benefit to all Social Policy students.

6.Information about assessment regulations:

Most modules are assessed by a mixture of written examination and coursework, although there are exceptions in Year 1 where some modules are assessed entirely by coursework and others entirely by examination. First year assessment is for progression to the second year. Second year and third year results are weighted in the proportions 40% : 60% in calculating final degree classifications.

Students follow modules weighted at 120 credits each year. In order to progress to the next year of the programme, or to be awarded the degree at the end of Year 3, students must, each year, accumulate at least 100 credits and obtain a minimum of 30% in remaining modules.

Any student who fails to meet these requirements has the automatic right of reassessment on one occasion only in any module which is causing them to fail the year. Students who have achieved a minimum of 60 credits for the year can opt for reassessment in either the September following the end of the academic year or during the course of the following academic year. Students with less than 60 credits must wait until the following academic year to be reassessed.

Full details of these arrangements are contained in the official Programme Regulations (attached as an appendix).

7.Indicators of quality:

The programme is the responsibility of the Department of Social Sciences, which received a near-perfect score of 23 out of 24 in the national Teaching Quality Assessment of all its programmes in 1995-96.

8.Particular support for learning:

Library:

The University Library provides advanced support for student learning in a purpose-built building and electronically via the web. It is open for upwards of 80 hours per week during semester and holds a stock of more than half a million volumes and an extensive serials collection. Numerous PC workstations (100+), networked printing facilities and self-service photocopiers are also available. The Library is designated EDC (European Documentation Centre). The Library catalogue is available on-line, as are electronic versions of reading lists. Over 180 subject-specific electronic databases can be accessed by users both on campus and elsewhere. The Library organises induction sessions for first year students and librarians can provide flexible training for students and researchers throughout their time at Loughborough. User support is also available from the Library information desks, via printed and online guides and through a series of ‘Lunchtime in the Library’ and other training sessions. There are a variety of study environments in the Library, including individual and group study desks, private carrels and group study rooms.

Social Policy staff regularly order new material for the Library, including both books and journals. Students receive a detailed reading list for each module, and popular texts are placed in the Short Loan collection to ensure ready access. Some Social Policy modules have developed specialist reading packs which are held by the Library for student use.

Computing Services:

Computing Services provides the University IT facilities and infrastructure. General purpose computer resources across campus are open 24 hours and more specialist computer laboratories are provided in partnership with departments. Students in halls of residence are supported in connecting their computers to the high speed network. The University’s virtual learning environment “LEARN” provides on and off campus access to web-based teaching materials provided by lecturing staff.

The Social Sciences Department has three technicians who provide IT support for both staff and students. The Department has an open-access IT laboratory for student use, and several others which can be booked when not in use for teaching purposes.

Social Sciences and Humanities Faculty Computer Assisted Learning Centre:

The Social Sciences Department supports the Faculty’s CAL Centre. Students can make use of the laboratory for accessing the Learn server, and user help and support is available.

Professional Development:

Professional Development (PD) provides continuing professional development and support in teaching and a wide range of other areas. New lecturers attend a personalised programme of PD courses and, in the final year of probation, Quality Enhancement assesses their teaching through direct observation and a portfolio. Accreditation for this process has been awarded by the Institute for Learning and Teaching (ILT). PD works directly with staff who wish to develop more effective teaching and learning methods - including the area of learning technologies - and provides resources to support the learning skills development of students. Other development opportunities are provided in institutional strategic priority areas and in response to discussions with departments in the context of their needs.