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Unit of study_

SCPL2604: Comparative Social Policy

Semester 1, 2021 [Normal day] - Remote

This unit examines how industrialised countries manage social risks and how welfare policies can be meaningfully compared. By exploring theoretical, methodological and practical aspects of social policy, it investigates key principles underpinning social policies in a variety of countries, and how we can best explain differences between them.

Unit details and rules

Unit code SCPL2604
Academic unit
Credit points 6
Prohibitions
? 
SCLG2509 or SCLG2611
Prerequisites
? 
12 credit points at 1000 level in Social Policy or 12 credit points at 1000 level in Sociology
Corequisites
? 
None
Assumed knowledge
? 

None

Available to study abroad and exchange students

Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator Gyu-Jin Hwang, gyu-jin.hwang@sydney.edu.au
Type Description Weight Due Length
Online task Tutorial discussion participation
Students' performance on tutorial discussion.
10% Multiple weeks 1000 words
Outcomes assessed: LO2 LO7 LO5 LO4
Assignment Take-home exercise
Students will write two short essay-type answers.
50% STUVAC
Due date: 13 Jun 2021 at 23:59
2000 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO6
Assignment Essay
Students will be given specific essay questions to answer.
40% Week 09 1500 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO6

Assessment summary

  • Essay: This assignment will require students to critically examine both similarities and differences of two welfare states.
  • Tutorial discussion performance: students will be assessed on their disucssion performance throughout the sememster for their level of engagement, contribution and preparation.
  • Take-home exercise: This exercise will cover all material in the unit from both lectures and tutorial classes. The exercise will require students to write two short essays out of 6-7 questions

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a High distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a Distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name

Mark range

Description

High distinction

85 - 100

Writeen work demonstrates initiative and ingenuity in research and reading, pointed and critical analysis of material, innovative interpretation of evidence, makes an insightful contribution to debate, engages with values, assumptions and contested meanings contained within origianl evidence, develops abstract or theoretical arguments on the strength of detailed research and intepretation. Propertly documented; writing characterised by creativity, style, and precision.

Distinction

75 - 84

Writeen work demonstrates initiative in research and reading, complex understanding and original analysis of subject matter and its context, both empirical and theoretical; makes good attempt to ‘get behind’ the evidence and engage with its underlying assumptions, takes a critical, interrogative stance in relation to argument and interpretation, shows critical understanding of the principles and values underlying the unit. Properly documented; writing characterised by style, clarity, and some crreativity.

High Credit

70 - 74

Evidence of extensive reading and initiative in research, sound grasp of subject matter and appreciation of key issues and context. Engages critically and creatively with the question, and attempts an analytical evaluation of material. Makes a good attempt to critique various interpretations, and offers a pointed and thoughful contribution to an existing debate. Some evidence of ability to think theoretically as well as empirically, and to conceptualise and problematise issues. Well written and documented.
Low Credit 65 – 69 Written work contains evidence of comprehensive reading, offers synthesis and critical evaluation of material on its own terms, takes a position in relation to various interpretations. In addition, it shows some extra spark of insight or analysis. Demonstrates understanding of broad historical significance, good selection of evidence, coherent and sustainable argument, some evidence of independent thought.
High Pass 60 – 64 Written work contains evidence of a braod and reasonably accurate command of the subject matter and some sense of its broader significance, offers synthesis and some evaluation of material, demonstrates an effort to go beyond the essential reading, contains clear focus on the principal issues, understanding of relevant arguments and diverse interpretations and a coherent argument grounded in relevant evidence, though there may be some weaknesses of clarifty or structure. Articulate, properly documented.

Medium Pass

55 - 59

Written work meets basic requirements in terms of reading and research, and demonstrates a reasonable understanding of subject matter. offers a synthesis of relevant material and shows a genuine effort to avoide paraphrasing, has a logical and comprehensible structure and acceptable documentation, and attempts to mount an argument, though there may be weaknesses in partciular areas.
Low Pass 50 – 54 Written work contains evidence of minimal reading and some understanding of subject matter, offers descriptive summary of material relevant to the question, but may have a tendency to paraphrase; makes a reasonable attempt to organise material logically and comprehensibly and to provide scholarly documentation. There may be gaps in any or all of these areas.

Fail

0 - 49

Work may fail for any or all of the following reasons: unacceptable levels of paraphrasing; irrelevance of content; presentation, grammaer or structure so sloppy it cannot be understood; submitted very late without extention. When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see sydney.edu.au/students/guide-to-grades

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

  • Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
  • After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

5% per calendar day applies to essay. 10% per calendar day applies to take-home exercise.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website  provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.  

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

WK Topic Learning activity Learning outcomes
Week 02 Introduction Lecture (2 hr)  
Why compare? Tutorial (1 hr)  
Week 03 Theory 1 Lecture (2 hr)  
Why did welfare states develop? Tutorial (1 hr)  
Week 04 Theory 2 Lecture (2 hr)  
Are welfare states in decline? Tutorial (1 hr)  
Week 06 Typology 1 Lecture (2 hr)  
Is the typology flawed? Tutorial (1 hr)  
Week 07 Typology 2 Lecture (2 hr)  
Is there a fourth world of welfare? Tutorial (1 hr)  
Week 08 Effort Lecture (2 hr)  
Does welfare undermine economic performance? Tutorial (1 hr)  
Week 09 Effect Lecture (2 hr)  
How to measure welfare state outcome? Tutorial (1 hr)  
Week 10 Social security Lecture (2 hr)  
What are the aims and purposes of social security? Tutorial (1 hr)  
Week 11 Healthcare Lecture (2 hr)  
Is socialised medicine most equitable? Tutorial (1 hr)  
Week 12 Old-age pensions Lecture (2 hr)  
What are the different types of old-age pensions and how do they work? Tutorial (1 hr)  
Week 13 Labour market & employment Lecture (2 hr)  
What policy instruments are there to improve the national economy? Tutorial (1 hr)  

Attendance and class requirements

  • Attendance: According to Faculty Board Resolutions, students in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences are expected to attend 90% of their classes. If you attend less than 50% of classes, regardless of the reasons, you may be referred to the Examiner’s Board. The Examiner’s Board will decide whether you should pass or fail the unit of study if your attendance falls below this threshold.

  • Lecture recording: Most lectures will be recorded via Zoom and may be made available to students on Canvas. However, you should not rely on lecture recording to substitute your learning experience. You are highly encouraged to attend weekly synchronous Zoom sessions.

  • Preparation: Students should commit to spend approximately three hours’ preparation time (reading, studying, homework, essays, etc.) for every hour of scheduled instruction.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

All readings for this unit can be accessed through the Library eReserve, available on Canvas

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. distinguish different welfare systems at work around the world
  • LO2. identify the principles that underpin social policies in different countries
  • LO3. understand the theoretical frameworks that inform comparative social policy analysis
  • LO4. familiarise yourself with the key data sets used in comparative welfare state research and an ability to manipulate them in a meaningful way
  • LO5. develop a basic knowledge of the welfare arrangements that exist in a range of countries and the broad ‘types’ of welfare state that exist in economically advanced nations
  • LO6. appreciate the complex interplay of social forces that shapes welfare state development
  • LO7. improve oral communication skills through participation in tutorial discussions and the development of a tutorial presentation.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1 Depth of disciplinary expertise

Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.

GQ2 Critical thinking and problem solving

Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.

GQ3 Oral and written communication

Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.

GQ4 Information and digital literacy

Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.

GQ5 Inventiveness

Generating novel ideas and solutions.

GQ6 Cultural competence

Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.

GQ7 Interdisciplinary effectiveness

Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.

GQ8 Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity

An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.

GQ9 Influence

Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes Graduate qualities
GQ1 GQ2 GQ3 GQ4 GQ5 GQ6 GQ7 GQ8 GQ9

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

Tutorial discussion posts have been replaced with tutorial discussion participation performance, partly to encourage students' participation and partly to ensure prompt feedback is provided.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.