Unit name | Critical Skills for Social Scientists: Social Policy |
---|---|
Unit code | SPOL10026 |
Credit points | 20 |
Level of study | C/4 |
Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
Unit director | Dr. Sweeting |
Open unit status | Not open |
Pre-requisites |
None |
Co-requisites |
None |
School/department | School for Policy Studies |
Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
This unit will introduce students to key study and research skills relevant to their discipline and will provide a foundation to the 2nd year Social Research Methods unit. The first part of the unit will provide students with essential study skills in critical thinking, reading, and writing. It will introduce them to the Harvard referencing system and strategies for plagiarism avoidance. The second part of the unit will introduce students to commonly used research methods in social policy. Set in the context of relevant political and theoretical debates, the unit will explore the uses of data and research in social policy and examine how data shapes understandings of social policy problems. It will also introduce students to different approaches (e.g. quantitative, qualitative), research design and sampling, methods of data collection (e.g. interviews, surveys), methods of analysis (e.g. statistical analyses, thematic analysis), and the particular ethical issues relevant to their discipline. Specifically, the unit will:
Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:
Lectures (15 hours) and Seminars (15 hours) plus 1 reading week and 1 revision week.
In order to meet the intended learning outcomes of the unit, students will undertake the following:
Formative assessment: Group presentation (pass or fail).
Summative assessment: a portfolio (overall pass or fail) based on the following individual components:
1. Teaching Block 1 Study Planning document (10%)
2. Commentary on academic article/chapter (500 words) (10%)
3. On-line referencing quiz/academic integrity quiz (10%)
4. Commentary on non-academic article (500 words) (10%)
5. Reflection on essay preparation (250 words) (10%)
6. Essay (2000 words) (50%).
Cottrell, S. (2013) The Study Skills Handbook, London: Palgrave
Matthew, D. and Sutton, C. (2011, 2nd ed.) Social research: an introduction, London: Sage
Matt. H., Weinstein, M. and Nick Foard (2009, 2nd ed.) A critical introduction to social research, London: Sage
Punch, K. (2014, 3rd ed.) Introduction to social research: quantitative and qualitative approaches, London: Sage