Essentials of Social Policy Studies

SOCI 8003AEF

Course Guide

ESSENTIALS OF SOCIAL POLICY STUDIES

SOCI 8003AEF

Course Guide

ESSENTIALS OF SOCIAL POLICY STUDIES

Course Start Date

Spr 2026

Course Level

Postgraduate

Length in Terms

1 term

Credits

3

Language

English

Fees ($) (including lab fees)

Details

Future Terms

Quota and Schedule

Course Start Date	Course Level	Length in Terms	Credits	Language	Fees ($) (including lab fees)	Future Terms
Spr 2026	Postgraduate	1 term	3	English	Details

Quota and Schedule

Course Coordinator:

Dr Chan Wai Leung, BSSc (Hons), MPhil (CUHK); EdD (Bristol)

Aims

This course aims to be a general introduction to the field of social policy studies, covering the core conceptual tools for social policy analysis. As such, this course explores the issues in the relevance of social problems to social policy, the debates on the values and ideologies in social policy, the model of social policy and the formation and transformation of the welfare state.

Contents

The concepts of social policy and social welfare
Social problems and social policy
The values of social policy
The ideologies of social policy
The model of social policy and the idea of the welfare state

Assessment

The assessment includes:

Presentation and discussion (35%);
Term essay (35%); and
Final examination (30%).

Online requirement

Students are required to submit assignments via the Online Learning Environment (OLE).

Set book(s)

There is no set book for the course. Relevant articles from academic journals and book chapters are to be assigned as course readings.