International Social Welfare and Social Policy MSc

Core modules

• Comparative Social Policy & Social Welfare

  Here, we will look at comparative issues concerning social policy and social welfare in the international context. Areas such as migration, poverty and social exclusion, youth work, street living and community work will be analysed across a variety of countries and regions. Within the context of specific case studies, you will apply the principles of comparative analysis and critically evaluate methodological issues which arise. Further emphasis will be placed on the critical evaluation of theoretical perspectives of international social welfare and social policy in the context of case studies. You will develop your own comparative analysis regarding issues of international social welfare and social policy, and enhance your skills in the theoretical and methodological evaluation of literature regarding comparative analysis.

• Postgraduate Research Methods

  This module will provide you with the research skills and techniques needed both to critically evaluate the literature you will be using in your Masters course, and to put into practice in your own Dissertation. It will explore the methodologies and methods applied in contemporary social science research to enable you to select an appropriate range for your own needs.

• Globalisation, Social Welfare & Social Policy

  This module considers the relationship between globalisation and social welfare and policy at a micro, mezzo and macro level. It considers how globalisation impacts on social welfare provision and policy planning in different countries and societal contexts, from a political, social, economic, technological and educational viewpoint. We will evaluate and critically analyse whether there are universal values and a universal knowledge base which can be relied upon to provide a response towards overcoming global problems, or whether they are, or need to be, culturally and locally specific. This module also looks at how individuals, social networks and organisations deal with providing support for those in greatest need and how this can be translated to work within an international arena from both a statutory and voluntary/non-governmental organisation perspective. Finally, we will consider the role of the social welfare and social policy worker within a globalised world, and critically debate universal standards of practice and transferable skills and adaptation.

• Postgraduate Project

  This 60 credit module will support you in the preparation and submission of your Master's Major project and involves a dissertation of 14,000 words or the equivalent. You will be expected to raise significant and meaningful questions in relation to your specialism. The project will involve the ability to develop solutions to ethical dilemmas likely to arise in your research or professional practice. It aims to help you expand or redefine existing knowledge, to develop new approaches to changing workplace situations and / or to contribute to the development of best practice.

Optional modules

You must complete 30 credits from the following:

• International Relations Theory in Context

  You will examine the theory and key concepts of international relations and the development of the state, ground them in their historical context, and explore their policy implications. You will begin by examining where the boundaries of the discipline might lie, before looking at debates over the role of theory in explaining International Relations. You will receive detailed explanations of the key competing theories within the discipline, and their development and evolution. Key themes you will explore include the development of Classical Realism from its roots in doctrines of war, Liberalism and the dream of global order, through the tussles between Neorealism and neoliberalism throughout the decades of the Cold War. You will also look at Constructivism and the English School, radical Marxist and Neo-Marxist perspectives, through to Feminism, Post-Colonialism, Postmodernism and cosmopolitanism. You will learn to place the theory firmly in the context of 20th century events, exploring the way in which political and academic ideas are shaped by and in turn influence international affairs. You will also explore other directions in which the study of International Relations might travel in the future. Your assessment will comprise a report of 1,000 words, a presentation, a literature search equivalent to 1,000 words and a longer essay of 3,500 words.

• Contemporary Social Theory

  Your focus in this module will be on two key debates in social theory. The first is the structure-agency debate which asks whether social action exists merely as (the often complex) activities of individuals or it exists sui generis, as a product of social structure and an object in its own right. You will look at four different attempts to reconcile the debate: Anthony Giddens's structuration theory; Pierre Bourdieu's genetic structuralism; the critical realisms of Roy Bhaskar and Margaret Archer; and the neopragmatisms of Richard Rorty and Patrick Baert. Your second focus of attention is the debate over the role of modernity and its ideals of progress and reason, starting with the Frankfurt School and looking at post-modern social theory as well as ‘late’ modernity and concepts like Ulrich Beck's risk society thesis; Anthony Giddens's 'reflexive individual'; or Zygmunt Bauman's 'liquid modernity.' Your assessment for this module will be the submission of two 3,500 words essays.

• Policing Transnational Crime

  The globalisation of contemporary societies means that criminal activity that was once a primarily national concern is increasingly becoming transnational in nature. As a result, policing bodies now have to manage risk and security on a much wider and larger scale. On this module, you will critically examine the nature of risk and security in contemporary society, beginning with an exploration of the concept of the risk society. You will evaluate contemporary forms of policing and security in societies that are built on the notion of risk, its avoidance and quantification. You will also consider risk from the perspective of corruption within organisations tasked with managing cross border crime. In the second part of the module, you will focus on responses to transnational crime, exploring the nature of intelligence-led policing and the role of police as data patrollers and information gatherers. You will examine specific examples of cross border agency responses, such as INTERPOL and EUROPOL, as well as charting the growth of the power of transnational policing through mutual assistance and multinational agreements such as Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties and Memoranda of Understanding. You will be assessed through a portfolio, a presentation and a reflective commentary.

• A History of Race, Racism and Resistance in Modern Britain

  On this module you will explore the history of race, racism and the resistances to racism in modern Britain, starting with early definitions of ‘race’ and the rise of ‘scientific racism’ in the late eighteenth century. You will then examine slavery in the British West Indies, the slave resistances and the British abolitionist movement, which is less known than that of the US. This will be followed by a session on the role of the British Empire and its impact on Britain in terms of racialised ideology, while in subsequent sessions you will address race as constructed, contested and lived in Britain: the black and Asian presence pre-world war 1, interwar and 2nd world war, as well as the influence of ideas about race, sexuality eugenics and anti-Semitism; the Windrush generation, black politics and anti-racism of the 1920s to 1980s, including black feminism, rock against racism, and anti-fascism. You will also consider the history of mixed-race relationships in Britain as well as 'mixed-race' as a 21st century identity, finally scrutinising 'whiteness' as a racial and privileged identity. Your coursework will incorporate research methods by giving you opportunities to visit selected art galleries and museums or employ newspapers in order to search for, decode and decipher representations of race. The module will be delivered by weekly taught sessions and assessed by a research essay and a short presentation report.

• Twentieth and Twenty First Century Fiction and Social Change

  This module provides a survey of literature from the 20th and 21st centuries. You will analyse fiction within a framework of social and political change. Centring on a number of key developments – the first and second world wars, gendered and sexual change, migration and multiculturalism, the rise of neo-liberalism and 9/11 – you will explore a range of literary and theoretical texts. Your assessment will include two elements, the first a 1000-word literature review discussing one key area of social change and its relationship to developments in fiction, the second comprises a 5000-word essay on a topic of your choice, devised in consultation with the module team.

• Nationalisms, Diasporas and Identities

  You will explore notions of identity related to belonging, rootedness and mobility, examining key concepts such as nationalism, transnationalism, diaspora and migration. Particular attention will be paid to intersections with gender, class and ethnicity. You will investigate the notion of 'home' at different spatial scales, while concepts of hybridity will also be examined, especially the growing importance of multi-generational diasporic communities. Your key focus of interest will be second-generation identities. You will draw on detailed case studies in order to ground these concepts and identify their specificities. You will be encouraged to develop case studies informed by your own backgrounds and localities. Your analyses of comparative diasporic and transnational experiences will be developed and interdisciplinarity will also be encouraged. Your assessment will have two elements based on an individually-selected case study: a presentation and a 5,500 word report.