Unit 2: (Week 03 & Week 04)Sociological Perspective on Social Policy

Kay Jones once referred to social policy as starting at the ‘problem end of sociology’, and many people in the field would still see social policy as dependent on sociological method. Peter Townsend, also commented that he found sociology and social policy ‘difficult to separate’. In many institutions the teaching of social policy has become a microcosm of sociology, concerned with social issues like race, gender, and  culture. This unit ' Sociological Perspective on Social Policy' explores theses common grounds.

Week 3: Lecture 3

  • Sociology within social policy
  • Sociological imagination and social policy
  • Major sociological perspectives

Week 4: Lecture 4

  • Neo-liberalism
  • The conservative tradition
  • Socialist perspctive
  • Feminist perspective

Required Readings:

Lister, R.(2010),Understanding Theories and Concepts in Social Policy. The Polity Press: UK 

Blakemore, K.(2nd ed.)(2003), Social policy: An Introduction. Open University Press: UK 

George, V. and Robert Page (1995). ‘Introduction’ in Modern Thinkers on Welfare. London, Prentice Hall. (p. 1‐ 11) 

 

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