Introductory description

The module introduces students to the major historical developments in social welfare, reviews the major competing analytical ‘perspectives’ on the post Second World War British welfare state, and considers a variety of contemporary social welfare issues, focusing particularly on poverty and health policy.

Module aims

Outline syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

Unit 1: Introducing social policy - This unit will ask; what is a welfare state, what is social policy and why should we study it? It will test student perceptions of welfare, and ask them to investigate a contemporary welfare issue.
Unit 2: Understanding poverty and inequality - As the foundation of understanding government provision and intervention, this unit will explore poverty theory and discourse, and map out inequality in both a British and international context. It will begin to address questions around the relationship between personal problems and social issues, and debate the role of the state in providing for its citizens.
Unit 3: The History of British Welfare - This unit will provide students with a solid understanding of the history of British welfare from the Industrial Revolution to the current “Age of Austerity”. It will encourage students to recognise the historically and politically bound nature of our current welfare system, and ask them to identify and justify the most significant moment in the history of British welfare.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

• Understand the history and development of welfare provision in Britain from the 19th century to the present day.
• Identify the main ideological perspective which have influenced these developments and analyse state welfare using critical perspectives.
• Apply the historical and analytical understanding gained to the detailed investigation of a range of contemporary social welfare issues.
• Have further developed transferable skills such as analytical thinking, self-management, study skills, interpersonal skills and written and oral communication skills.

Indicative reading list

Béland, D. and Mahon, R. (2018) Advanced introduction to social policy. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing Bochel, H. and Daly, G. (2014) Social Policy, London: Prentice Hall
Brown, D. et al. (2018) The Oxford handbook of modern British Political History, Oxford: Oxford University Press Fraser, D. (2017) The Evolution of the British Welfare State, London: Macmillan: 5th edition.
Gingrich, L. G. G. and Kongeter, S. (2017) Transnational social policy: social welfare in a world on the move. London: Routledge
Greener, I. (2018) Social policy after the financial crisis: a progressive response. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing.
Hudson, J., Needham, C. and Heins, E. (Eds.) (2017) Social policy review. 29, Analysis and debate in social policy, London: Routledge
Needham, C., Heins, and Rees, J. (Eds.) (2018) Social policy review 30: analysis and debate in social policy.
Reisch, M. (Ed.) (2017) Social policy and social justice. Los Angeles: SAGE Publications

Subject specific skills

Understand the history and development of welfare provision in Britain from the 19th century to the present day.
Identify the main ideological perspectives which have influenced these developments and analyse state welfare using critical perspectives.
Apply the historical and analytical understanding gained to the detailed investigation of a range of contemporary social welfare issues.

Transferable skills

Analytical thinking, self-management, study skills, interpersonal skills and written and oral communication skills. Evaluate theoretical arguments and evidence.