Undergraduate Course: Domestic Violence: Concepts, Research and Policy (SCPL10046)
Course Outline
| School | School of Social and Political Science |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course will provide students with the tools needed to understand how domestic violence and abuse was and is now understood in public debate and what the key theoretical underpinnings are to understand domestic violence from a social science lens. We will explore how legislation within different jurisdictions has evolved to reflect new research evidence and changes in public debate, and will critically reflect on what the social policy response to domestic violence is and has been in different settings. The course focuses primarily on the UK context with potential for exploring other countries as case studies. |
| Course description |
The last years have seen a growing public debate and policy focus on domestic abuse, largely thanks to the work of activist organisations in the field. Public debate and social theory around what domestic abuse is understood to be, and what types of behaviours constitute abuse, has evolved and expanded to include a range of non-physical forms of psychological abuse and coercive and controlling behaviours. These changes have been mirrored in the legislation around domestic abuse across the four UK nations, and other jurisdictions, in similar but not identical ways. At the same time, policy and service responses to domestic abuse have also evolved, taking different approaches in different settings. This course invites students to learn about and critically reflect on how social theory, legislation and policy in relation to domestic abuse have evolved and continue to change.
This course is conceptually divided into two Parts. Part A will guide students over key concepts and definitions in domestic abuse and how these have changed. It will go over key theories of relevance in the field, and will also engage with the similarities and differences in the legislative changes within the four UK nations in relation to domestic violence and abuse. A critical reflection of key policy responses to domestic abuse will conclude Part A. Part B will introduce students to a number of research case studies from the UK and international contexts. Examples of research topics include: prevalence and social inequalities in domestic abuse experiences; impacts of domestic abuse for children and violence against children; children's rights and participatory research; sexual and gender-based violence; intimate partner homicide; the service response to domestic abuse.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2024/25, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 30 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 10,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 10,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
176 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Short essay - 25% - max 1000 words
End of term final essay - 75% - max 3000 words |
| Feedback |
Feedback on all assessed work shall normally be returned within three weeks of submission. Where this is not possible, students shall be given clear expectations regarding the timing and methods of feedback. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- be able to critically engage with domestic violence debates and discourse.
- be familiar with key concepts and theories used in understanding domestic violence.
- be familiar with how the research and public debate around domestic violence has evolved over time, and how this is reflected in legislative changes in different jurisdictions.
- Students will have learned about recent research on a variety of related topics with the broad domestic violence umbrella.
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Reading List
Devaney, J., Bradbury-Jones, C., Macy, R. J., Øverlien, C., & Holt, S. (Eds.). (2021). The Routledge international handbook of domestic violence and abuse. Routledge.
Stark, E., & Hester, M. (2019). Coercive Control: Update and Review. Violence Against Women, 25(1), 81-104.
Aldridge, J. (2021). 'Not an Either/or Situation': The Minimization of Violence Against Women In United Kingdom 'Domestic Abuse' Policy. Violence Against Women, 27(11), 1823-1839.
Robinson, A.L. (2017). Domestic Violence and Abuse in the UK. In: Buzawa, E., Buzawa, C. (eds) Global Responses to Domestic Violence. Springer, Cham. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
The Course Organiser expects the course to contribute to the following skills that enable and empower students' actions:
- Analysis, Evaluation and critical thinking
- Writing skills in relation to sensitive topics
- Communication skills for discussing and debating difficult topics. |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Valeria Skafida
Tel: (0131 6)51 3215
Email: Valeria.Skafida@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | |
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