| Unit name | Social Policy in East Asia |
|---|---|
| Unit code | SPOL30049 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Professor. Izuhara |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | School for Policy Studies |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
Why is this unit important?
Building on Year 1 mandatory units, this unit develops your understanding of the analysis of social policy in comparative and international perspectives, focusing particularly on East Asia. Significant socio-economic changes over the last few decades have brought policy issues to prominence in many East Asian societies including Japan, South Korea, and China. Globalisation and global financial crises challenge the sustainability of the existing ‘residual’ welfare provision. Such external forces combined with the internal pressure of compressed demographic changes such as super-societal ageing, ultra-low fertility and changing families require urgent policy responses and shift the directions of policy reforms in the region. It is in this context we will analyse some shared and differentiated policy responses in East Asia. We will examine new patterns of social policy developments, while locate contemporary policy debates in the wider comparative context.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study
This is an optional unit offered in the final year student, who is interested in the international aspects of social policy from a different global region. This unit builds on the first-year mandatory units and offers the study of social policy from the international and comparative perspectives.
An overview of content
This unit has two components: The introductory set of sessions (Part 1) will provide students with a solid regional context including socio-demographic change and the contemporary political economy of East Asia. It will discuss and theorise the social and institutional systems relevant to social policy development in East Asia. Much of the literature has concentrated on Japan and the four ‘Tiger Economies’ of South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan, including the cultural influence of Confucianism and the relationship between economic growth and the ‘residual’ welfare systems. The opening up of China and subsequent reforms have now added a further and substantial new element to the regional social policy analysis. Such discussion is then linked to the second part of the unit (Part 2), which explores selected policy themes more in depth such as employment and labour market, family and social care, social security, and housing, drawing on some country-specific case studies.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
This unit will challenge your assumptions on the conditions and resources underpinning social policy development, by engaging global issues. As a result of studying the East Asian contexts, students will develop both academic skills (to think in and beyond their discipline) and research skills (to think critically and evaluate the existing research in the areas such as variegated social policy approaches and the roles played by different sectors). Through seminar sessions and assessments, students will learn how to work well independently and as part of a team. Students will also be able to express their ideas regarding different ways in which social policy can be developed and implemented.
Intended Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
Teaching will be delivered through face-to-face lectures and seminars. Student learning is supported via the online learning platform, Blackboard, where lecture materials and asynchronous tasks are listed weekly. Students will be asked to undertake a specific task or reading in preparation for the seminar sessions. There is also an emphasis on self-directed study and reading (the long online list of reading will be available).
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
Group tasks will be undertaken and shared with feedback offered by peers and seminar lead/s during class time. The tasks will help students develop their critical engagement skills regarding selected topic areas and leading the seminar discussion in the field of social policy in East Asia.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
Essay (3000 word maximum, 100%)
This assessment covers all intended learning outcomes
When assessment does not go to plan
Subject to the university regulations for taught programmes, unsuccessful students may be offered an opportunity for reassessment. This will comprise a task of the same format as the original assessment.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. SPOL30049).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
