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DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2018/2019

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Social and Political Science : Social Policy

Undergraduate Course: Social Inequality and the Life Course (SCPL10020)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Social and Political Science CollegeCollege of Humanities and Social Science
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) AvailabilityAvailable to all students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryHow can we conceptualise the inequalities of social class, generation, race, disability and gender? How are such inequalities bought about through processes across the life course, from cradle to grave? This course aims to make the student familiar with the social structure and the institutional contexts across life courses and the corresponding social and public policies and other forms of social protection. The course focuses on policies and other forms of protection that are used to support human development and family formation, childhood and educational trajectories, vocational training, labour market entry, occupational careers and income trajectories, retirement and ageing. The course takes the UK as its focus, although students are also encouraged to take a comparative perspective.
Course description This course involves one two-hour session a week for the whole class. Most weeks will involve a mixture of a lecture and some discussion and group work. In addition to reading in preparation for the sessions, attendance and participation in the lectures and discussion are essential for developing an understanding of the topics.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesVisiting students should have at least 3 Social Policy or closely related courses at grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this). We will only consider University/College level courses.
High Demand Course? Yes
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2018/19, Available to all students (SV1) Quota:  30
Course Start Semester 1
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 200 ( Lecture Hours 11, Seminar/Tutorial Hours 11, Summative Assessment Hours 2, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 172 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) 1 group project worth 20% of the final mark presented to the class in week 5 or 6 (groups of 3-4, a group mark awarded equally to all individuals within the group for the written group project), and a final individual essay worth 80% of the final mark.
Feedback Written feedback will be provided for the group project and for the final individual essay. Peer feedback and academic feedback will be given following the presentations in week 5 or 6. Students have the possibility to meet with academics during their feedback hours throughout the course.
No Exam Information
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Work with the terms used in debates around inequalities of social class, generation, gender, race and disability.
  2. Articulate the use of various social policies as applied across the life course
  3. Understand the value of a longitudinal approach to empirical research in this area
  4. Discuss the implications of social policies for the distribution and quality of social and economic security as achieved by different groups in society over the life course
  5. Critique issues of measurement and how these impact on policy formulation and evaluation
Reading List
None
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills See learning outcomes above.
KeywordsInequality,poverty,life course,social class,social mobility,gender,race,disability,social policy
Contacts
Course organiserDr Alison Koslowski
Tel: (0131 6)51 1147
Email: alison.koslowski@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMr Euan Morse
Tel: 0131 (6)51 1137
Email: emorse@ed.ac.uk
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