BA (Hons) Social Policy
University of Lincoln
Key Information
Campus location
Lincoln, United Kingdom
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
3 - 4 years
Pace
Full time
Tuition fees
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Application deadline
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Earliest start date
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Introduction
Creating effective social policies is key to tackling the big issues we face in society today such as poverty, health inequality, and unemployment.
This course enables students to explore how social problems arise, how governments react, and the impact this has on citizens and communities.
The BA (Hons) Social Policy degree draws on a range of social science disciplines in addition to its core focus. These include sociology, politics, philosophy, economics, and law. Students can use these approaches to examine welfare, poverty, and inequality, tackling difficult and often controversial topics, including current issues in the news.
"This information was correct at the time of publishing (July 2023)"
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Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
Going to university is a life-changing step and it's important to understand the costs involved and the funding options available before you start. For eligible undergraduate students going to university for the first time, scholarships and bursaries are available to help cover costs. The University of Lincoln offers a variety of merit-based and subject-specific bursaries and scholarships.
Several scholarship options are available. Please check the university website for more information.
Curriculum
How You Study
The first year introduces core concepts that provide a platform from which to scrutinise social policy issues in detail. Students can examine social problems and policies in the UK and internationally, and how to conduct and apply social science research.
In the second and third years, students are able to build on these foundations by choosing from a range of optional modules. These modules, which often reflect staff research expertise, provide insight into topics such as education, law, ethics, work, crime, human rights, race and racism, and the making and implementation of policies.
Modules can include Social Issues and Social Justice; Key Social Science Concepts; Debating Welfare States; Comparative Politics and Policy; Ideology into Practice; and Analysing the Policy Process.
First Year
- Applying Research (Social Sciences) (Core)
- Key Social Science Concepts (Core)
- Social Issues and Social Justice (Core)
- Images of Crime and Criminal Justice (Option)†
- Sociological Imagination (Option)†
- Who Runs Britain? Power, Politics and Beyond (Option)†
Second Year
- Comparative Politics and Policy (Core)
- Debating Welfare States (Core)
- Ideology into Practice (Core)
- Researching in Social Science (Core)
- (Re)Reading the Sociological Canon I (Option)†
- (Re)reading the Sociological Canon II (Option)†
- Challenges of European Politics (Option)†
- Conceptualising Sex Work (Option)†
- Criminology in the Professions (Option)†
- Model United Nations (Option)†
- Nations and Nationalism (Option)†
- Policing Crime and Deviance (Option)†
- Political Parties (Option)†
- Psychology in the Criminal Justice Process (Option)†
- Social Engagement (Option)†
- Sociology of Education (Option)†
- The Vigilant State: intelligence and national security (Option)†
- Thinking Politics (Option)†
- Understanding Domestic Abuse (Option)†
- Understanding the City (Option)†
- Understanding the European Union (Option)†
- Welfare Policy and Work (Option)†
- Work and Society (Option)†
- Youth Justice (Option)†
- Youth, Culture and Resistance (Option)†
Third Year
- Analysing the Policy Process (Core)
- Independent Study (Core)
- Understanding the Policy Process (Core)
- Body Politics (Option)†
- Care or control? Welfare institutions in Britain before the welfare state (Option)†
- Children, Families and the State (Option)†
- Counselling and Guidance Skills (Option)†
- Counter-Terrorism Studies (Option)†
- Crimes of the Powerful (Option)†
- Family Law (Option)†
- Gender and Violence (Option)†
- Global Civil Society (Option)†
- Global Governance (Option)†
- Human Rights (Social Sciences) (Option)†
- International Law (Option)†
- Multiculturalism and Britishness (Option)†
- Parliamentary Studies (Option)†
- Police Studies (Option)†
- Race and Racism (Option)†
- Terrorism and Extremism in the United Kingdom (Option)†
- The Developing World (Option)†
- The Politics of Global Health (Option)†
- The Politics of Masculinity (Option)†
- War Crimes and Genocide (Option)†
- Working With Adults (Option)†
- Working With Children and Families (Option)†
† Some courses may offer optional modules. The availability of optional modules may vary from year to year and will be subject to minimum student numbers being achieved. This means that the availability of specific optional modules cannot be guaranteed. Optional module selection may also be affected by staff availability.
How You Are Assessed
The assessment strategy adopted within the Social Policy programme is designed to test and enhance students' knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as to prepare them for the demands of work.
Assessments aim to test students' attainments of learning outcomes that demonstrate and encourage not only their knowledge base but also the development of transferable skills across the course.
The course aims to develop written communication skills through essays and examinations, oral communication skills through presentations, literature searching and review through essays, examinations and presentations, and computer literacy skills through the use of electronic resources.
The way students are assessed in this course may vary for each module. Examples of assessment methods that may be used include coursework, such as written assignments, reports or dissertations; practical exams, such as presentations, performances or observations; and written exams, such as formal examinations or in-class tests.
The University of Lincoln's policy is to ensure that staff return assessments to students promptly.
Program Outcome
How You Study
The first year introduces core concepts that provide a platform from which to scrutinise social policy issues in detail. Students can examine social problems and policies in the UK and internationally, and how to conduct and apply social science research.
In the second and third years, students are able to build on these foundations by choosing from a range of optional modules. These modules, which often reflect staff research expertise, provide an insight into topics such as education, law, ethics, work, crime, human rights, race and racism, and the making and implementation of policies.
Modules can include Social Issues and Social Justice; Key Social Science Concepts; Debating Welfare States; Comparative Politics and Policy; Ideology into Practice; and Analysing the Policy Process.
Program Tuition Fee
Career Opportunities
A diverse range of careers are open to Social Policy graduates. They may include roles in local government and the public sector, in policy development within parliament, lobbying or research with think tanks, or in the charity and not-for-profit sectors. Some graduates continue on to postgraduate study or professional training.