SPOL38280 Social Policy Capstone Essay

Academic Year 2023/2024

This is intended as a ‘capstone’ module, the purpose of which is to top off your undergraduate learning in social policy and form a bridge to the world of work or of further learning that you will enter after you graduate. The requirement of the module is that you write a 5,000 word assignment in which you will draw on all the knowledge and skills that you have learned as an undergraduate in order to analyse a social policy topic. The topic you write on will be of your own choosing and preferably will be one that is likely to have continuing significance for you in the future. For example, you might aim to work or undertake further study in a field connected to this topic, and you might refer to this assignment as evidence of your interests and what you learned in your degree when you are interviewed for jobs or for entry to postgraduate programmes in the years ahead.

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Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

The requirement of the module is that you write a 5,000 word assignment in which you will draw on all the knowledge and skills that you have learned as an undergraduate in order to analyse a social policy topic.

Indicative Module Content:

See content in Approaches to Teaching and Learning.

Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

6
Small Group

2
Autonomous Student Learning

192
Total

200
Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
Your work on this module is largely self-directed, with only a limited input in the form of lectures and tutorials. The module will begin with three weeks of standard lectures where the purpose and expectations of the module will be outlined and general indications given on how to select your topic. You will have a tutorial in week 5 where you will expected to outline the topic you have picked and how you intend to deal with it. You will have a second tutorial in week 9 where you will outline your progress, in preparation for submission in the final teaching week of the semester. During office hours (see above) our offices are also open for one-to-one supervision. Otherwise, most of the work for this module will be in your own time and at your own initiative.

The lectures and tutorials are intended as resources to help you do the assignment. In many cases they will contain little material prepared in advance but will give some illustrations of the types of assignment that would be suitable. They will work best if they are interactive and that will happen if you use them as opportunities to ask for comments on ideas you might have, or if you raise questions or set out problems that you are encountering with the assignment. Listening to what others have to say about their projects will also help.
 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 
Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Open Book Exam Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade
Essay: 5,000 word Social Policy capstone essay on a topic of your choice. Week 12 n/a Graded No

100

Carry forward of passed components
No
 
Resit In Terminal Exam
Autumn No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 
Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, on an activity or draft prior to summative assessment
• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Feedback will be provided to students on their draft essay idea as part of the tutorials in week 5. Feedback will be provided to students on their essay progress as part of the tutorials in week 9. Feedback, and the grade of the final essay, is available upon request from the undergraduate office of the School of Social Policy, Social Work and Social Justice. This will be available after the final course grades have been published.

Name Role
Professor Karen Anderson Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Professor Bryan Fanning Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Professor Michelle Norris Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
 
Spring
      
Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22 Thurs 10:00 - 10:50
Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22 Tues 10:00 - 10:50
Tutorial Offering 1 Week(s) - 24, 31 Tues 09:00 - 09:50
Tutorial Offering 2 Week(s) - 24, 31 Tues 11:00 - 11:50
Tutorial Offering 3 Week(s) - 24, 31 Tues 10:00 - 10:50
Tutorial Offering 5 Week(s) - 24, 31 Wed 15:00 - 15:50
Tutorial Offering 6 Week(s) - 24, 31 Wed 15:00 - 15:50
Tutorial Offering 8 Week(s) - 24, 31 Thurs 10:00 - 10:50
Spring