Congratulations on securing a place with us. My name is Geetanjali Gangoli and I am the programme director for the Social Policy programmes. We are looking forward to welcoming you to the course and hope that you are excited about the prospect of studying with us.

Preparatory readings

At our first meeting in Welcome Week we will give you a copy of Hartley Dean (2019) Social Policy (3e). Cambridge: Polity [TBC]. We think this is an excellent introduction to thinking about Social Policy as an academic discipline. Meanwhile, if you would like to start reading, we recommend Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett (2010) The Spirit Level: Why Equality is Better for Everyone Penguin and Daniel Dorling (2011) Injustice: Why Social Inequality Persists Policy Press.

Academic year and units

The university teaching year is divided into two main teaching blocks. Teaching block 1 runs from October to December and Teaching block 2 runs from January to May. In each teaching block you will normally take three units of study (at some universities these are called modules). Learning is assessed by unit and each unit is usually made up of one or two weekly lectures, along with a smaller follow-up discussion group (seminar). Mandatory units are required for a particular degree and will automatically be added to your timetable. Some degrees allow you choose some optional units and if this applies to you, we need you to indicate your choices of units now.

Programme structure and unit catalogue

Information about each programme and unit of study is available through the online catalogue.

Clicking on a particular degree programme name will show you which units of study are associated with study in that degree in each year of study. The programme catalogue also indicates which units are mandatory and which units are optional.

Clicking on a unit name will take you to a page that describes each unit; what you will know when you have successfully completed it (learning outcomes), teaching and assessment details and a further list of recommended reading and references.

If you are taking BSc Social Policy with Criminology or BSc Social Policy with Management or BSc Social Policy with Quantitative Research Methods,  you are not required to choose any optional units.

Optional units

If you are taking BSc Social Policy, BSc Social Policy with Study Abroad, BSc Social Policy and Politics, or BSc Social Policy and Sociology, consult the year 1 Programme structure for your degree using the links above and select your optional units. 

YOU MUST COMPLETE THE OPTIONAL UNIT SELECTION FORM BY 12:00 NOON ON WEDNESDAY 11 SEPTEMBER.