Module Information For Visiting and Erasmus Students
2014/15
Department*
School of Social Work and Social Policy
Notes
Visiting/Erasmus
Module Info on
Department
Website
Module Code* SS1765
Module Name*
ECTS Weighting*
Social Policy Concepts / the Irish Welfare State
10 ECTS
Section One - Social Policy Concepts will run in Michaelmas term
Semester/term
Section Two - The Irish Welfare State will run in Hilary term
taught*
Module Ms. Judy O’Shea
Personnel
At the end of Section One students will:
Learning
Outcomes

Understand the meaning of social policy and the interdisciplinary approaches used
in the study of social policy;

Be familiar with the key ideas and concepts of social policy;

Have a knowledge and understanding of the main theories used to explain the
history and development of social policy and the welfare state;

Have a knowledge of the objectives of social policy;

Have a knowledge and understanding of the key historical, political, economic and
social influences on the development of Irish social policy;

Understand the issues which affect the provision and funding of social services.
At the end of Section Two students:

should have a knowledge and understanding of the historical development of the
Irish welfare state

be able to identify and explain the influence of key groups/ institutions on this
development

be aware of the key sources of information about Irish social policy

should understand how Irish social services are funded and provided

should be familiar with the key contemporary debates in Irish social policy.
Section One - Social Policy Concepts
Module Content/ This section provides an introduction to social policy. It will introduce students to the
Description* study of social policy and provide them with a critical knowledge and understanding
of the history, concepts, theories and principles underpinning social policy.
Section Two - The Irish Welfare State
This section introduces students to the history, development, ideology and
institutional structure of the Irish welfare state. The focus will be on the influences
that have shaped the development of Irish social policy. Topics will include the
influence of:
• The UK
• Ideology / political parties
• Religion
• Agrarianism
Baldock, John, Manning, Nick and Vickerstaff, Sarah (2007) Social Policy. Oxford:
Recommended
Oxford University Press.
Reading List
Considine, Mairead and Dukelow, Fiona(2009) Irish Social Policy: A critical
Introduction Dublin: Gill and Macmillan
Fanning, Bryan and McNamara, Tony (2003) Ireland Develops: Administration and
Social Policy 1953-2003
Assessment
1 essay / assignment - 50% of overall grade
Details*
End -of -year exam - 50% of overall grade
Module Code*
Module Name*
ECTS Weighting*
SS2770
Housing Policy
5 ECTS
Semester/term This module, which will run in Michaelmas term
taught*
Module
Mr Simon Brooke
Personnel
On completion of this module students will:
Learning
Outcomes

have a clear understanding of why and in what fashion governments intervene in
the housing market, and to what effect;

be equipped to assess the impact of housing policy initiatives;

have a comprehensive understanding of a number of topical issues in housing
policy
Module Content/

have a thorough understanding of the causes, nature and extent of homelessness

be able to assess the likelihood of government objectives being achieved.
This module will provide a comprehensive introduction to housing and homelessness policy
Description* in Ireland.
Module content will include the following:

What is housing policy?

Why do governments intervene in the housing market?

What is housing tenure and why does it matter?

What theoretical approaches are there to housing policy?

Why did house prices rise so quickly, only to fall again?

Why is there a surplus of housing in some parts of the country?; What are ghost
estates, and what should be done with them?; What will be the impact of the Local
Property Tax?; What can be done about mortgage arrears?; What is Nama?

What is the housing experience of minority ethnic households in Ireland?

Have government housing policy objectives been achieved?

What theoretical explanations are there for the nature and extent of homelessness?

How have homeless services changed during the last 20 years?

What are the key current homelessness policy issues?
Recommended Key recommended texts will be given in class.
Reading List
Assessment 1 essay / project = 100% of overall grade
Details*
Module Code*
Module Name*
ECTS Weighting*
SS2760
Health Policy
5 ECTS
Semester/term
This module, will run in Hilary term
taught*
Module Health Policy – Hilary Term – Ms Judy O’Shea
Personnel
Learning
On completion of the module students will:
Outcomes

understand the relationship between socio-economic status and health status

have a knowledge and understanding of the history, structure and politics
underpinning contemporary Irish health policy

be aware of the different approaches to health service provision and funding and
regulation

be able to discuss and debate contemporary issues about health policy and health
policy reform in the Irish health system
Module Content/
This module introduces students to the history, politics, values, funding and structure of
Description*
contemporary Irish health policy. It includes the following topics:

the social determinants of health

socio-economic status and health status

the historical development of Irish health policy

the structure and funding of the Irish health service

the Irish health care system in a comparative context

inequalities in Irish health care

the public/private mix of health care provision and funding in Ireland

reforming the Irish health system
Recommended Key recommended texts will be given in class.
Reading List
Assessment Annual Examination = 100% of overall grade
Details*
Module Code*
Module Name*
ECTS Weighting*
SS2780
Crime and Irish Society
5 ECTS
Semester/term
This module will run in Michaelmas term by Ms Gillian Smith.
taught*
On completion of this module students will be able to:
Learning
Outcomes

Understand the issues in relation to the definition and measurement of crime and
crime trends.

Identify the main trends in crime and punishment in Ireland over the past century.

Describe the historical development of criminal justice policies in Ireland.

Be familiar with the use of custodial and non-custodial sanction in juvenile and adult
criminal justice.

Critique policy approaches to drugs, white collar crime, youth justice and penal
policy broadly.

Appreciate the role of politics and culture in penal policy in Ireland.

Be able to source statistics on crime, prison and probation trends, and search
parliamentary debates on crime and punishment.
This module examines crime and punishment in Ireland under the lens of social policy. It
Module Content/
gives a historical overview of the approaches of the state to criminal justice, and explores
Description*
trends, systems and policies in crime and punishment in Ireland.
Module Content
•
Defining, classifying and measuring crime.
•
Trends in crime in Ireland.
•
Prison and coercive confinement in Ireland.
•
The use of non-custodial sanctions.
•
Role of politics and culture in criminal justice in Ireland.
•
Drugs policy in Ireland.
•
Youth criminal justice in Ireland.
•
White collar crime in Ireland.
•
Researching crime.
Recommended
Recommended Reading - Crime and Irish Society (Michaelmas Term)
Reading List
Detailed weekly reading lists will be provided in class and on Blackboard.
Kilcommins, et al (2004) Crime, Punishment and the Search for Order in Ireland. Dublin:
IPA.
Kilkelly, U. (2006) Youth Justice in Ireland: Tough Lives, Rough Justice. Dublin: Irish
Academic Press.
Kilkelly, U. (2008) Youth Courts and Children’s Rights: The Irish Experience. Youth Justice,
8(1): 39-56.
O’Donnell, I. (2007) ‘Crime and its Consequences’ in Fahey, T., Russel, H. and Whelan, C.T.
(eds) Best of Times? The Social Impact of the Celitc Tiger. Dublin: IPA.
O’Donnell, I., Teljeur, C., Hughes, N., Baumer, E. and Kelly, A. (2007) When Prisoners go
Home: Punishment, Social Deprivation and the Geography of Reintegration. Irish
Criminal Law Journal, 17, 4, 3-9.
O’Donnell, I. (2008) ‘Stagnation and Change in Irish Penal Policy’ The Howard Journal of
Criminal Justice 47(2): 121-133.
O’Donnell, I. and O’Sullivan, E. (2001) Crime Control in Ireland: The Politics of Intolerance.
Cork: Cork University Press.
O’Sullivan, E. and O’Donnell, I. (2007) Coercive Confinement in the Republic of Ireland: The
Waning of a Culture of Control. Punishment and Society, 9 (1): 27-48.
Assessment
Details* This module will be assessed by one 3000 word essay = 100% of overall grade
Students are expected to attend and actively participate in all tutorials.
Module Code*
Module Name*
ECTS Weighting*
SS2781
Children and Society
5 ECTS
Semester/term This module will run in Hilary term by Dr Michelle Share
taught*
Learning
On completion of this module students will:
Outcomes

Identify and discuss theoretical perspectives on childhood from a range of
disciplinary perspectives

Identify and analyse key issues in childhood studies

Recognise and contrast key international and national policy documents on children

Be familiar with key research on children in Ireland and internationally

Discuss developments in child-related policy in Ireland and internationally

Discuss and critique contemporaneous debates on children’s cultural worlds
This module examines aspects of children and society from multi-disiplinary perspective. It
Module Content/
provides an overview of the concepts and ideas that underpin social constructions of
Description*
childhood in contemporary society and in a wider historical and international context. It
introduces policy and provision as it relates to children in key areas of education, early years
and childcare; children’s rights and participation. Contemporary issues and debates on
children’s cultural worlds will also be examined.
Module Content
•
The invention of childhood?
•
key perspectives from sociology on childhood
•
key perspectives from psychology on childhood
•
key perspectives from history on childhood
•
researching children
•
Children, rights and social policy
•
education
•
childcare
•
participation
Children’s cultural worlds
•
play
•
food
•
technology
Recommended
Essential Reading Children and Society (Hilary Term)
Reading List
Aries, P. (1965) Centuries of Childhood: A Social History of Family Life. New York: Random
House
Bragg, S. & M. Kehily (2013) Children and Young People’s Cultural Worlds. Bristol: Policy
Press/Open University Press
Buckingham, D. (2011) The Material Child: Growing up in Consumer Culture. Oxford: Polity
Press.
Corsaro, W. (2006) The Sociology of Childhood. Thousand Oaks [CA]: Pine Forge.
Cunningham, H. Children and Childhood in Western Society Since 1500. London:
Routledge.
Kehily, M. (2013) Understanding Childhood: A Cross-disciplinary Approach. Bristol: Policy
Press.
O’Connor, P. (2009) Irish Children and Teenagers in a Changing World. Manchester:
Manchester University Press
Prout, A. (2005) The Future of Childhood. London: Routledge.
Smith, C. & S. Greene (2014) Key Thinkers in Childhood Studies. Bristol: Policy Press.
UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Assessment
Details* Section Two will be assessed by essay = 50% of overall grade
Group Project = 50% of overall grade
Students are expected to attend and actively participate in all tutorials.
Module Code*
Module Name*
ECTS Weighting*
SS2139
Introduction to Family Law
5 ECTS
Semester/term
taught* This module will run in Michaelmas term with a weekly 2 hour lecture.
Module
Personnel
Ms Natalie McDonnell
On completion of this module students will be able to:
Learning
Outcomes

Explain the structure of the Irish legal system

Identify the sources of law that operate within the Irish legal system

Understand the laws that govern social issues such as marriage, civil partnership,
cohabitation and the family as well as Child Protection law, adoption law and other
aspects of child and family law.
The module explores key aspects of family law:
Module Content/
Description*
Introduction.

Irish legal system.

Structure of the court system.

Sources of law.
Introduction to the Family in Ireland.

Influence of the Irish Constitution.

Effect of international obligations.

Structure of courts in child and family cases.
Marriage, Civil Partnership and the Law.

Contracting a valid marriage and Civil Parnership

Legal significance of marriage and Civil Partnership

Nullity of marriage and Civil Partnership

Divorce; Judicial separation, legal responses to marital or Civil Partnership
breakdown

Maintenance of family dependants.

Legal status of the family home.

Family succession and inheritance.
Children and Families.

Guardianship, child custody & access of children

Child Protection law

Adoption Law
The Family Outside Marriage.

Legal status of non-married family units.

Cohabitation and the Law

Protecting rights of members of non-married families.

The legal position of unmarried fathers.
Recommended Reading list will be given in class.
Reading List
Assessment
1 essay = 100% of overall grade
Details*
Module Code* SS3380
Module Name* Comparative Welfare States
ECTS Weighting* 10 ECTS
This module comprises two sections:
Semester/term
Section One - Comparative Welfare States will run in Michaelmas term
taught*
Section Two - Comparative Welfare States – Change, Retrenchment and Restructuring will
run in Hilary term
Contact Hours*
Section One of the module will consist of one two-hour lecture / seminar per week.
Section two of the module will consist of two hours of lectures and a one hour tutorial per
week.
On completion of section one students will have:
Learning
Outcomes

Appreciation of the challenges and benefits of comparative analysis of welfare
states

Good grasp of the reasons for development and expansion of welfare states

Understanding that ‘worlds of welfare’ differ significantly

Awareness of how welfare structures shape attitudes towards social policy and
redistribution

Understanding of the debates about welfare states in response to shared
challenges (especially the rise in women’s labour market participation, labour
market inclusion, population ageing and integration of immigrants)
On completion of section two students will:

Have a knowledge and understanding of the comparative approach to welfare
states

Be familiar with the theories of welfare state change, retrenchment and
restructuring

Be familiar with the approach to social policy in different policy sectors – e.g. health
policy:

Be familiar with the debates about the future direction for social policy / welfare
states.
Section One – Comparative Welfare States
Module Content/
Michaelmas Term 2014
Description*
Professor Virpi Timonen
This section of the module introduces students to the diversity of modern welfare states, and
the challenges and benefits of comparing welfare state institutions, policies, provisions and
outcomes. The module adopts a comparative perspective and draws on examples from a
variety of welfare states and different policy sectors. Particular attention will be given to the
ongoing ‘crisis’ of the welfare state and the various options proposed and implemented to
reform welfare states.
Section Two – Comparative Welfare States – Change, Retrenchment and Restructuring
Hilary Term 2015
Assistant Professor Judy O’Shea
The main focus of this section of the module will introduce students to the key debates about
welfare state change, retrenchment and restructuring. It will adopt a theoretical / comparative
perspective
Some of the topics covered in this section of the module include:

Comparing welfare states – The comparative context

Comparing welfare states
The regime approach
Welfare state convergence / divergence

Comparing levels of social expenditure

Welfare state crisis

Welfare state retrenchment

Theories of welfare state retrenchment and restructuring

Globalisation and the welfare state

The politics of the welfare state

The middle class and the welfare state

Comparing policy sectors

The welfare state of the future
Recommended Full reading list will be given in class.
Reading List
Assessment
Assessment for section one
Details*
Essay = 37.5% of overall module grade
Presentation = 7.5% of overall module grade
Attendance = 5% of overall module grade
Assessment for section two
Annual Examination = 50% of overall grade
Module Code* SS338B
Module Name* Comparative Welfare States - MT
ECTS Weighting* 5 ECTS
Semester/term
Comparative Welfare States will run in Michaelmas term
taught*
Contact Hours*
This module will consist of one two-hour lecture / seminar per week.
On completion of this module students will have:
Learning
Outcomes

Appreciation of the challenges and benefits of comparative analysis of welfare
states

Good grasp of the reasons for development and expansion of welfare states

Understanding that ‘worlds of welfare’ differ significantly

Awareness of how welfare structures shape attitudes towards social policy and
redistribution

Understanding of the debates about welfare states in response to shared
challenges (especially the rise in women’s labour market participation, labour
market inclusion, population ageing and integration of immigrants)
Comparative Welfare States
Module Content/
Michaelmas Term 2014
Description*
Professor Virpi Timonen
This module introduces students to the diversity of modern welfare states, and the
challenges and benefits of comparing welfare state institutions, policies, provisions and
outcomes. The module adopts a comparative perspective and draws on examples from a
variety of welfare states and different policy sectors. Particular attention will be given to the
ongoing ‘crisis’ of the welfare state and the various options proposed and implemented to
reform welfare states.
Recommended Full reading list will be given in class.
Reading List
Assessment
Assessment for section one
Details*
Essay = 75% of overall module grade
Presentation = 15% of overall module grade
Attendance = 10% of overall module grade
Module Code* SS338C
Module Name* Comparative Welfare States– Change, Retrenchment and Restructuring
ECTS Weighting* 5 ECTS
Semester/term
Comparative Welfare States – Change, Retrenchment and Restructuring will run in Hilary
taught*
term
Contact Hours*
The module will consist of two hours of lectures and a one hour tutorial per week.
On completion of this module students will:
Learning
Outcomes

Have a knowledge and understanding of the comparative approach to welfare
states

Be familiar with the theories of welfare state change, retrenchment and
restructuring

Be familiar with the approach to social policy in different policy sectors – e.g. health
policy:

Be familiar with the debates about the future direction for social policy / welfare
states.
Section Two – Comparative Welfare States – Change, Retrenchment and Restructuring
Module Content/
Hilary Term 2015
Description*
Assistant Professor Judy O’Shea
The main focus of this section of the module will introduce students to the key debates about
welfare state change, retrenchment and restructuring. It will adopt a theoretical / comparative
perspective
Some of the topics covered in this section of the module include:

Comparing welfare states – The comparative context

Comparing welfare states
The regime approach
Welfare state convergence / divergence

Comparing levels of social expenditure

Welfare state crisis

Welfare state retrenchment

Theories of welfare state retrenchment and restructuring

Globalisation and the welfare state

The politics of the welfare state

The middle class and the welfare state

Comparing policy sectors

The welfare state of the future
Recommended Full reading list will be given in class.
Reading List
Assessment
Annual Examination = 100% of overall grade
Details*
Module Code*
Module Name*
ECTS Weighting*
SS3331
The Rise of Anti Social Behaviour
5 ECTS
Semester/term Hilary Term
taught*
Module Eoin O’Sullivan
Personnel
At the end of the module students should:
Learning
Outcomes

be familiar with the emergence of the concept of ‘anti-social behaviour’;

understand theoretical and methodological underpinnings of the concept and the
implications for public policy

understand how such policies are implemented across a range of jurisdictions

develop a critical awareness of the blurring of civil and criminal law.
The module will explore the rise of new forms of urban policing and the regulation of
Module Content/
‘incivilities’, with a particular focus on the construction of ‘disorderly’, ‘disreputable’ and ‘antiDescription*
social behaviour’.
Recommended
Reading List
Beckett, K. and Herbert, S. (2010) Banished: The New Social Control in Urban
America.(Oxford: Oxford University Press)/
Innes, M. (2014) Signal Crimes: Social Reactions to Crime, Disorder, and Control (Oxford:
Oxford University Press).
Sampson, S.J. (2012) Great American City: Chicago and the Enduring Neighbourhood Effect
(Harvard: Harvard University Press).
Zimring, F.E. (2012) The City that Became Safe: New York’s Lessons for Urban Crime and
its Control (New York: Oxford University Press).
Assessment Annual Examination
Details*
Module Code*
Module Name*
ECTS Weighting*
SS3401
Families, Youth and Society: Contemporary Issues
10 ECTS
Semester/term
This year long course will comprise two modules, one in each semester. The first module,
taught*
delivered by Dr Catherine Conlon, will focus on contemporary issues in the family and
society. The second module, delivered by Dr Paula Mayock, will focus on youth and society.
Learning Section One (Michaelmas Term)- Students participating in this course will on completion:
Outcomes

Have knowledge of changing patterns and forms of family living.

Understand contemporary sociological approaches to explaining modern family and
personal life.

Be able to critically assess policy relating to the family in Ireland.

Be competent to critically assess contemporary social research and popular
debates relating to the family and private life.
Michaelmas Term
Module Content/
Dr Catherine Conlon
Description*
Course Content
The course will consider how ‘family’ as a norm, institution and practice has evolved in Irish
society in recent decades. We will explore how the family as a social construct has been
theorised and relate the changes observed in Irish family structure and life to these theories.
The dynamic between changing wider social phenomena (including gender, religiosity,
sexualities and ethnic diversity) and changes within families will be considered. We will
assess the family as institution by examining how Irish social policy frames family and
personal life. We will draw on social research portraying recent trends in family formation
and the practices of family life throughout the course to critically assess the dynamics
between the normative, institutional and practiced families we live by. Dr Conlon’s own
research will be drawn on through a research led teaching approach.
Aims of this course are:

To provide students with an understanding of theoretical developments and
debates in the field of the family and personal life.

To debate how changes in personal relationships across gender, generation and
sexualities are transforming family.

To develop an understanding of the diversities of families we live by in
contemporary Irish society.

To consider how Irish social policy relates to the changing formations and practices
in family and personal life.
Hilary Term
Dr Paula Mayock
Course Content:
This multi-disciplinary course will draw upon research linked to Youth Studies, Sociology,
Criminology, Psychology and Social Policy. The core aim is to provide students with an indepth, research-based understanding of youth, adolescence, and emerging adulthood. The
course will focus on key theoretical approaches to understanding youth in society and will
consider a range of substantive issues and areas within contemporary research on both
‘mainstream’ and ‘marginalised’ youth. Varying appraoches to the study of youth will be
reviewed and we will explore how culture, the media, and other social forces have influenced
societal understanding of young people.
Aims of this Course are:

To enable students to identify the theoretical constructs that have been used to
conceptualise and understand ‘youth’ across time.

To critcally analyse the impact of social context, social diversity and inequality on
the lives and experiences of young people.

To highlight challenges faced by young people due to structural inequalities within
contemporary society, particularly during the transition from ‘child’ to ‘adult’.

To consider how governments, and Irish social policy in particular, have
conceptualised and responded to the lived experience and needs of both
mainstream and marginalised young people.
Recommended Texts (Michaelmas Term)
Recommended
Reading List Morgan, David (2013) Rethinking Family Practices, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan
Shelfmark: PL-574-243
Ribbens McCarthy, Jane and Rosalind Edwards (2011) Key Concepts in Family Studies, Los
Angeles: Sage
Shelfmark 301.427 R11
Smart, Carol (2007) Personal Life, Polity.
Shelfmark: PL-458-375
Recommended Texts (Hilary Term)
Furlong, A. (2013) Youth Studies: An Introduction. Abingdon: Routledge.
Shelfmark: PL-571-883
France, A. (2007) Understanding Youth in Late Modernity. Basingstoke: Palgrave.
Shelfmark: 301.43 P793
Cieslik, M. & Simpson, D. (2013) Key Concepts in Youth Studies. London: Sage.
Shelfmark: HL-359-258 (Berkeley Basement); PB-251-813 (Stantry Stacks)
Lalor, K., deRoiste, A. & Devlin, M. (2007) Young People in Contemporary Ireland. Dublin:
Gill and Macmillan.
Shelfmark: LEN 301.43P72
Assessment Michaelmas Term - Assessment by 3,000 word essay (45%) and Continuous
Details*
Assessment/attendance (5%)
Hilary Term – Assessment tbc.
Module Code*
Module Name*
ECTS Weighting*
SS3351
Youth and Society: Contemporary Issues
5 ECTS
Semester/term
This one semester module delivered by Dr Paula Mayock, will focus on youth and society.
taught*
Hilary Term
Module Content/
Dr Paula Mayock
Description*
Course Content:
This multi-disciplinary course will draw upon research linked to Youth Studies, Sociology,
Criminology, Psychology and Social Policy. The core aim is to provide students with an indepth, research-based understanding of youth, adolescence, and emerging adulthood. The
course will focus on key theoretical approaches to understanding youth in society and will
consider a range of substantive issues and areas within contemporary research on both
‘mainstream’ and ‘marginalised’ youth. Varying appraoches to the study of youth will be
reviewed and we will explore how culture, the media, and other social forces have influenced
societal understanding of young people.
Aims of this Course are:

To enable students to identify the theoretical constructs that have been used to
conceptualise and understand ‘youth’ across time.

To critcally analyse the impact of social context, social diversity and inequality on
the lives and experiences of young people.

To highlight challenges faced by young people due to structural inequalities within
contemporary society, particularly during the transition from ‘child’ to ‘adult’.

To consider how governments, and Irish social policy in particular, have
conceptualised and responded to the lived experience and needs of both
mainstream and marginalised young people.
Recommended Texts (Hilary Term)
Recommended
Furlong, A. (2013) Youth Studies: An Introduction. Abingdon: Routledge.
Reading List
Shelfmark: PL-571-883
France, A. (2007) Understanding Youth in Late Modernity. Basingstoke: Palgrave.
Shelfmark: 301.43 P793
Cieslik, M. & Simpson, D. (2013) Key Concepts in Youth Studies. London: Sage.
Shelfmark: HL-359-258 (Berkeley Basement); PB-251-813 (Stantry Stacks)
Lalor, K., deRoiste, A. & Devlin, M. (2007) Young People in Contemporary Ireland. Dublin:
Gill and Macmillan.
Shelfmark: LEN 301.43P72
Assessment
Hilary Term – Assessment tbc.
Details*
SS4830
Module Code*
Module Name*
ECTS Weighting*
Ageing Societies
15 ECTS
Semester/term
taught* This module will run in both Michaelmas and Hilary term.
Module
Personnel
Prof Virpi Timonen and Dr Catherine Conlon
Learning Students will be able to:
Outcomes

Differentiate between and critically discuss theories of ageing

Outline how ageing and old age are socially constructed

Outline the contributions of older people to families, societies and economies

Demonstrate an awareness of diversity among older people, and of the main
causes of this diversity

Critically examine prevailing views on population ageing and the implications they
have for both social policy design and older people themselves

Apply theoretical and conceptual debates on ageing to the analysis of social policy
documents and texts which relate to social policy and ageing

Demonstrate their written and verbal ability to communicate concise and
theoretically grounded arguments as they relate to social policy and ageing
The purpose of the Ageing Societies module is to explore the field of social policy and
Module Content/
ageing/social gerontology with students. The module will provide students with an
Description*
opportunity to discuss a range of substantive topics that are relevant to both individual and
population ageing. In order to help students acquire a critical understanding of both the
opportunities and challenges that demographic ageing presents, the module will introduce
students to issues relating to the social construction of ageing, long-term care systems, intergenerational relationships, interest representation and forms of ‘active ageing’.
Recommended Reading list will be provided in class.
Reading List
Assessment
Assignment 1 = (10%)
Details*
Assignment 2 = (40%)
End of Year Examination = (50%)
Penalties will be applied where assignments are not submitted on time. If you need an
extension, a note from your College Tutor must be received in advance of the deadline.
Module Code*
SS4722
Poverty, Inequality and Redistribution
Module Name*
ECTS Weighting*
Semester/term
taught*
Module
Personnel
15 ECTS
This module will run for two hours per week in both Michaelmas and Hilary term.
Assistant Professor, Anthony McCashin
The core learning objective of the course is to impart a critical knowledge of income
Learning
distribution processes (very broadly defined) and related policy arguments and research
Outcomes
methods. Specifically, students will learn how to:

analyze and critique quantitative poverty and income distribution and social
expenditure data;

critically compare the strengths and weaknesses of alternative concepts of poverty;

understand the variety of methodologies- survey, quantitative, ethnographic- in
poverty research and the interplay between concepts and methodology;

integrate concepts and evidence from different social science disciplines;

formulate policy proposals and critiques that reflect the interplay between conflicting
policy goals.
In pursuing these learning objectives a number of learning styles will be applied, as follows:

Exposition of basic concepts and illustrative evidence through lectures;

Exploring and discussing key texts in student-led discussion;

Self-directed learning through choice of reading and essay topics;

One-to-one supervision and discussion of student’s reading and essay supervision.
This module will run for two hours per week in both Michaelmas and Hilary term.
Module Content/
The course will examine concepts of poverty and inequality, measurements of income
Description*
inequality and changes in inequality over time. It will critically analyse different ways of
defining and measuring poverty, paying particular attention to research findings on poverty in
Ireland.
The role of the tax and welfare systems, and of other social spending, in redistributing
income, resources and life chances will also be examined. Alternative tax-benefit systems
such as Basic Income will be critically reviewed, and specific aspects of social security,
taxation, and welfare state policy will also be considered. The tension between "equality"
and "efficiency" type objectives will also be outlined, along with recent policy ideas and
initiatives to simultaneously pursue equity and efficiency objectives using ‘quasi-markets’,
so-called.
Recommended Will be provided in class.
Reading List
Assessment
Details* Essay 1 = (20%)
Essay 2 = (30%)
End of Year Examination = (50%)
Penalties will be applied where assignments are not submitted on time. If you need an
extension, a note from your College Tutor must be received in advance of the deadline.