ASOC 25A17 - Global Social Policy

All countries and regions increasingly share social problems and challenges. The actions and policies of one country not only affect the well-being of its own citizens but that of other countries, either directly or indirectly. Students will gain knowledge about these global social problems and policies and develop competencies to respond to human needs emerging from interdependence between countries and societies. The course aims to make students knowledgeable about the broad field of global social policy by analyzing theory, social policy change, and social policy outcomes.

At the end of the course, students will be able to understand the most important issues surrounding social protection from a global perspective and also get a sense of more practical issues, i.e. how much do countries diverge in protecting individuals from social risks? How much do countries diverge in supporting families and gender equality through cash benefits and service provisions? How much do countries diverge in the allocation of spending for different policies? How do different welfare states impact on people’s real lives? How do welfare states enact redistribution?

The course is stuctured mainly around frontal classes, with general discussion.

The first assessment (mid-term exam) is a multiple-choice test to be completed in 30 minutes during lecture 6. The test will include ten questions. Each question counts for two points (30% of the total grade)

The second is a commentary of text (final exam).

Students will be able to retrieve the text from Moodle. The size should not exceed 800 words. The text will refer to aspects of global social policy discussed during the course. The commentary must be submitted on Moodle (70% of the total grade). Each day of delay will carry one point of penalty.