Social Policy

2026/2027

Academic Year

ENG

Instruction in English

5

ECTS credits

Delivered at:

Department of Sociology

Course type:

Elective course

When:

4 year, 1, 2 module

Instructor

Симонова Вероника Витальевна

Course Syllabus

Abstract

The course will examine the concept of the welfare state and its major historical patterns. It will discuss key social issues and deficiencies of modern society, as well as public policy institutional arrangements and instruments shaping this institutional arena, which links governments and public communities together in their common pursuit of sustainable growth and transformation. In the second part of the course, we will examine policy areas associated with the most important segments of the modern welfare state, such as education, health care, family policy, etc. This comparison will be done through a discussion of practical cases borrowed from various economic, demographic, institutional, and political contexts.

Learning Objectives

• To make students know more about the phenomena of "social policy", "welfare state" and their practical realization.

Expected Learning Outcomes

• Able to think critically and interpret the experience
• work with information: find, define and use the information from different sources which required for solving of research and professional problems
• capable of analyzing the political phenomena and political processes by using political science methods and in support of practical decision making process
• able to work in a team

Course Contents

• Class 1. Lecture.
• Class 2. Lecture.
• Class 3. Lecture.
• Class 4. Lecture.
• Class 5. Seminar.
• Class 6. Seminar.
• Class 7. Seminar.
• Class 8. Seminar.

Assessment Elements

• Presentation
  Presentation – each student is expected to deliver 2 presentations (up to 20-25 min). Students are supposed to work in teams and prepare presentations which are to be delivered by all group members.
• Project
  Project – class will be divided into 4 teams to prepare a policy proposal with a special focus on agenda-setting in a certain area of public affairs and social development. A thematical focus of this activity will be discussed and decided upon in the class. When a choice of a social issue to tackle with is settled, groups start working on policy proposals which are to represent major ideological perspectives in social policymaking. We will complete our classes with final discussion to compare various approaches to social policymaking.
• In-class Participation
  In-class activities/participation assess each student’s involvement and his/her input in the class discussions and other in-class activities (e.g., tests, etc.).

Interim Assessment

• 2026/2027 2nd module
  0.3 * In-class Participation + 0.4 * Project + 0.3 * Presentation

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

• Kennett, P. (2004). A Handbook of Comparative Social Policy. Edward Elgar Publishing.

Recommended Additional Bibliography

• Kennett, P., & Lendvai-Bainton, N. (2017). Handbook of European Social Policy. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1577575

Authors

• Goncharov Dmitrii Vladimirovich