Unit information: Youth Policy and Social Welfare in 2021/22

Unit name	Youth Policy and Social Welfare
Unit code	SPOL22022
Credit points	20
Level of study	I/5
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12)
Unit director	Dr. Fahmy
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	None
Co-requisites	None
School/department	School for Policy Studies
Faculty	Faculty of Social Sciences and Law

Description including Unit Aims

This unit provides an overview of the complex and changing relationship between young people and society and how this relationship impacts upon young people's prospects and routes to adulthood. This unit reviews key policy developments affecting young people in the UK and internationally today. The unit focuses upon the drivers of policy change by exploring the relationship between policy and wider social changes in the context of youth transitions, and how these relate to wider theoretical debates in the social sciences, for example, around individualisation, risk and postmodernity.

This Unit aims to provide students with:

• A thorough understanding of the key policies affecting young people’s lives and transitions to adulthood
• An appreciation of the dynamic relationship between policy and social changes in young people’s transitions to adulthood in the UK and internationally
• A critical awareness of the links between theory, evidence and youth work practice in shaping contemporary youth policy
• An understanding of the ways in which the experience of youth is differentiated by social inequalities including gender, class and ethnicity

Intended Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this unit students should be able to demonstrate:

• An understanding of the changing nature of youth transitions in recent decades and how this relates to wider theoretical perspectives on the dynamics of social change

• A critical awareness of current policy challenges in relation to the delivery of youth social welfare, youth inclusion and youth justice

• An understanding of the links between policy, theory and practice in understanding youth identity, youth careers and transition trajectories

• An awareness of the applications of a range of different research methods in understanding youth and youth transitions

Teaching Information

Teaching will be delivered through blended learning involving a combination of synchronous and asynchronous sessions, including weekly lectures, practical activities supported by study-group sessions and self-directed exercises. Feedback will be provided for formal assessments, preparation for which will be supported through online activities and in study group sessions with tutors.

Assessment Information

Part 1: Policy briefing (1000 words) (25%)

Part 2: Essay (2000 words) (75%)

Resources

If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.

If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. SPOL22022).

How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks, independent learning and assessment activity.

See the Faculty workload statement relating to this unit for more information.

Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit. The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. If you have self-certificated your absence from an assessment, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (this is usually in the next assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any extenuating circumstances and operates within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.