SP32043: Policy analysis for professional practice
[Page last updated: 23 May 2025]
Academic Year: | 2025/26 |
Owning Department/School: | Department of Social & Policy Sciences |
Credits: | 10 [equivalent to 20 CATS credits] |
Notional Study Hours: | 200 |
Level: | Honours (FHEQ level 6) |
Period: |
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Assessment Summary: | CWES 60%, CWPG 40% |
Assessment Detail: |
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Supplementary Assessment: |
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Requisites: | |
Learning Outcomes: |
On successful completion of the unit students will be able to:
* Appraise major approaches and modes of analysing and evaluating policy and governance. * Apply one or more of these analytical techniques in a policy topic. * Apply different methodologies to analyse policy issues and problems and to understand the role of analysis in the policy process as well as the role of analysis in societal governance. * Describe and evaluate the vocational and social role of a policy analyst in a variety of policy environments (public sector, charities and/or national and international non-governmental organizations). |
Synopsis: | Gain a critical overview of the relationship between social research, policy making and governance as well as policy analysis approaches. Develop the knowledge and skills that enable you to understand and apply these approaches to different public policy issues at different levels of analysis, such as national, international, regional (e.g. EU), sub-national and different aspects of policy (discursive, institutional, relational). |
Content: | The aim of this unit is to provide a critical overview of the relationship between social research, policy making and governance as well as training in a large array of policy analysis approaches. It also aims to provide students with knowledge and skills that will enable them to understand and apply these approaches to different public policy issues at different levels of analysis (international, regional (e.g. EU), national, sub-national) and different aspects of policy (discursive, institutional, relational). The unit differentiates between techniques of analysis for policy (including policy evaluation) and analysis of policy (including governance analysis and comparative policy analysis) and explores aspects of working and researching in a policy environment (including negotiating, communicating and advocating policy and the socio-political role of the analyst) in a media dominated world as well as the role of analyst in policy co-production and policy advocacy. |
Course availability: |
SP32043 is Compulsory on the following courses:Department of Social & Policy Sciences
SP32043 is Optional on the following courses:Department of Social & Policy Sciences
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Notes:
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