Course Catalogue

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This course provides an opportunity to examine current youth policy debates and how they have been framed and organised in different cultures, particularly in East Asian and Western contexts. Students will focus on various social problems and challenges experienced by young people, compare welfare systems and how they are shaped by different cultural values, and discuss policy measures and welfare organisation in a range of topical youth issues, including housing, poverty and inequality, work and education, and social connections in the "digital age".

Two hour weekly seminar

Entry to Honours Social & Public Policy normally requires a grade point average of 12 (grade C3) over Social & Public Policy 2A and 2B (formerly Public Policy 2A and 2B) as a first attempt.

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- Group Presentations (20%)

The students will engage in a group presentation that will approach a case study of designing policy concerning youth related-issues

- Policy Brief/ Blog Post (30%)

1000-1200-word blog post aimed at a general audience. This is an individual assignment which will involve providing a policy briefing response for a senior decision-maker affecting youth. This task will succinctly summarise the issue, recommendations and rationale for the action the decision-maker should take.

- Portfolio or Shorter Essay (40%)

 This individual written piece will require students to reflect on their independent learning about the policy-making process (ILO4), making clear connection between existing literature on PBL and their experiences as learners of policy making process. Alternatively, students with a stronger academic focus may opt to write a 1500-word essay from a choice of four questions, exploring topics covered in the formative elements of the course. This assessment will constitute 30% of the final grade.

- Participation in Problem-Based Learning (PBL) Tutorials (10%)

The remaining 10% of the final grade will be based on active participation in PBL tutorials, graded as Pass (A1) or Fail (E1), assessed through: (1) Attendance (excluding approved absences); (2) Individual contribution to PBL work, including policy recommendations, policy briefs, and group work.

Reassessments are normally available for all courses, except those which contribute to the Honours classification. For non-Honours courses, students are offered reassessment in all or any of the components of assessment if the satisfactory (threshold) grade for the overall course is not achieved at the first attempt. This is normally grade D3 for undergraduate students and grade C3 for postgraduate students. Exceptionally it may not be possible to offer reassessment of some coursework items, in which case the mark achieved at the first attempt will be counted towards the final course grade. Any such exceptions for this course are described below. 

The aims of the course are to:

■ Develop understandings of how policies and welfare for young people are organised and debated in East Asian and Western contexts, using Hong Kong, Scotland and the UK as illustrative examples.

■ Explore a range of contentious and prominent issues in contemporary youth, and highlight the increasing challenges and diversity of experiences of young people.

■ Examine how systems and delivery of welfare are shaped by different cultural values and traditions, particularly regarding the role of the state and family as welfare institutions for young people.

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ Understand local and globalised influences that affect the experiences of the younger generation in contemporary societies.

■ Describe different approaches in policy and welfare provisions for young people, and evaluate how the delivery of welfare can be influenced by different norms and values in East Asian and Western cultures.

■ Evaluate similarities and differences of welfare organisation, policy agendas, and conceptions of youth in different cultural settings.

■ Reflect on how to use research, evidence, and conceptual and theoretical resources to facilitate independent learning.

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.