SPSW4020
Social Policy Studies in Welfare Hons II
20 Units
Available in 2013
| Callaghan Campus | Semester 1, Semester 2 |
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| Ourimbah | Semester 1, Semester 2 |
Previously offered in 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004
In SPSW4020 students extend prior knowledge concerning key debates and perspectives on theory and methods in Social policy and Administration. Topics such as the philosophical underpinnings of social research, the links between theory and method, ethical issues, justification of methodology and specific methods are explored. Students attend seminars and complete assessments related to their thesis topic, including literature reviews, a research proposal and an ethics application (where relevant). Students also attend a series of professional development workshops to enhance their scholarly abilities. These courses articulate with the topic-specific readings students do in consultation with their supervisors, and provide the foundation upon which students construct, conduct and write-up their research in the form of a thesis.
| Objectives | By the end of this course students will have demonstrated through their Honours thesis, mastery of the: 1.Field of Social policy as a domain of social science theory, practice and inquiry. 2.Key intellectual issues, debates and problematics in social policy studies. 3.Techniques of evaluating, analysing and synthesising complex academic and social phenomena. 4.Skills necessary to posit, interrogate and answer a significant research question through the sophisticated use of appropriate theory and method. 5.Skills required to produce and present an insightful and critically reflective thesis in Social Policy Studies after devising and executing a program of study and research to the required Honours standard. 6.Core competencies in the writing of an extensive and sophisticated text deriving from the developed capacity to apply, systemically and rigorously, the principles of critical scholarship within a broad social policy framework. |
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| Content | SPSW4020 addresses topics such as the philosophical underpinnings of social research, the links between theory and method, ethical issues, justification of methodology and specific methods are explored. Students attend seminars and complete assessments related to their thesis topic, including literature reviews, a research proposal and an ethics application (where relevant). The coursework provides students with an in-depth coverage of theoretical and methodological study. The theory and research methods framework draws on: historical analysis of the social context and the way societies respond to issues; sociological analysis and critique of wider social structures; processes and ideological debates; post-structuralist critiques; and explores various quantitative, qualitative and combined approaches to contemporary policy research. |
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| Replacing Course(s) | NA | ||
| Transition | The Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Social Science Honours programs underwent an external program review in 2008. As part of this review some changes were implemented for all Honours courses: - Your thesis will be 15,000 to 20,000 words. - Your assessment will consist of coursework components (50%, comprising the course codes SPSW4010 and SPSW4020) and thesis (50%, comprising the course codes SPSW4030 and SPSW4040). - You will be given opportunity to give an oral presentation of your work, but this is not mandatory. |
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| Industrial Experience | 0 | ||
| Assumed Knowledge | SPSW4010 | ||
| Modes of Delivery | Internal Mode | ||
| Teaching Methods | Self Directed Learning
Seminar |
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| Contact Hours | Seminar: for 2 hour(s) per Week for Full Term Self Directed Learning: for 18 hour(s) per Week for Full Term |
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| Timetables | 2013 Course Timetables for SPSW4020 |