This paper introduces students to the core theories that underpin social policy and examines how these are expressed in the practice of social policy. The paper content is global in scope, but has a focus on Western, industrialised societies. Attention is given to the role of values and choices in social policy and the ways in which these are reflected in a range of political ideologies. The discussions of key theories and concepts are linked to real life circumstances and specific social policy issues.

Starting from week 1, there is a two-hour in-person workshop every week for SOCPY100. There is also an online workshop option for students not able to be on campus, which does not occur at a set time; instead students have to complete a set of questions/tasks on Moodle each week.

The workshops are applied and focus on the completion of questions and activities for which students need to prepare for in advance, including by completing a workshop reading. Attendance at workshops is strongly recommended because they contribute a substantial amount to your internal assessment.

Structure of Topics

The weekly topics discussed in SOCPY100 are a mix of two kinds of topics. Some discuss policy in general (e.g., scope of social policy, the policy cycle, policy processes, statistics & data, policy evaluation), and others investigate and analyse specific social policy areas (e.g., housing, Māori policy, education, health, social security, social services, crime & justice.)

There are some important rules that need to be followed in the University context. You may not submit assignments (or parts of assignments) for this paper that you have submitted for another paper and any information that you use in assignments needs to be referenced. If you breach these rules you can be referred to the disciplinary committee. At university a high standard of writing is expected for all written assessments. Writing does not come easily to everyone, but in order to make your way in the world of academia and the workplace when you leave the University of Waikato, it is important to develop the skills to write clearly and succinctly without spelling or typographical errors. In particular you need to be able to construct sentences and paragraphs effectively. If you struggle to understand grammar, write complete sentences and paragraphs make time to get your assignments checked by student support learning services.

This paper is supported on Moodle. Lecture videos, lecture powerpoints, other videos, readings, assessment guidelines, and other resources are all available on the course website on Moodle.

The lecturer holds zoom office hours weekly, and students are also welcome to email if they have questions about the course. See Moodle for details.

Over the trimester, this paper has 24 hours of face-to-face class contact time during the weekly workshops, plus up to 24 hours of lecture video content. Successful completion of the paper will require a further 6-8 hours of work each week by students, such as completing readings, writing notes and answers in workbooks, preparing for assessment (essay and poster), and completing reading quizzes.

The best way to do well in SOCPY100 is to watch/listen to all lecture materials and to regularly attend weekly workshops.