Course Catalogue

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This course introduces students to the role of policy leadership in driving meaningful change and policy action. Drawing on diverse disciplinary perspectives students will explore major policy challenges such as poverty and inequality, mapping the complex factors that shape them. Through practical tools such as policy mapping, negotiation exercises and project design, students will learn how to identify, design and justify credible and disruptive policy interventions.

Weeks (1-5) and (7-11) 2-hour workshops will be delivered each week, expect week 6 (reading week).

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Assessment 1: Online Tasks (20%) 

Students will complete four short, structured online tasks designed to assess and support their learning and engagement with, and application of, key concepts in policy and practice. Each task will be delivered through the virtual learning environment, Moodle, creating an opportunity for continuous engagement and assessment. Formats will vary and may include a short online multiple choice quiz (covering key policy concepts, definitions, terms - testing knowledge, allowing students to identify gaps in their knowledge and understanding), observing/listening to a parliamentary debate (students will on a specific policy area and provide a critical summary of the debate - 800 words), commenting on a podcast, documentary or film (built in guided listening and assessment, for example, students will be asked to identify key arguments and positions within a parliamentary debate, recognise policy instruments and underlying policy goals, analyse the role of political actors and stakeholders - 800 words)  

Assessment 2: Group Project: Leading Policy Change (Group work 60%) 

Students will work in groups of 4-5, ensuring disciplinary diversity within each group, to develop and pitch a policy idea that can drive change. In this pilot year, our focus will be on reducing poverty. Groups will be encouraged to be disruptive, creative and ambitious in their change proposition.

Groups will be tasked with producing a poster, a 10-minute presentation pitch, including an embedded 1-minute video capturing the key idea, followed by a 5- minute Q&A. We anticipate policy partners being present to hear and respond to the pitch. Groups will be given dedicated time in class but will be expected to meet as a group outside of class time. Each group will be assigned a mentor, with two online meetings near the beginning and end of the project. This equates to round 30 notional learning hours (including formal contact with mentor).

All students will be supported to participate in group work. In exceptional circumstances where this is not possible, students will be offered an alternative assessment that demonstrates that they have met the learning outcomes of the course.

Assessment 3: Individual Reflective Blog: Collaboration for Action (20%)   

This assessment requires students to submit an 800-word individual reflective blog analysing their learning from participating in a structured group project. The focus of this assessment is on the group work process, rather than the final project output. Students will critically evaluate the group's approach to the project and their role within the group. Students will reflect on how they applied skills acquired in the course, including in applied research, negotiation, communication and partnership working. 

This course aims to equip students with the knowledge, skills, and practical experience needed to understand and influence policy to deal with complex societal problems such as poverty. Students will explore why policies succeed or fail, analyse the complexity shaping social issues such as poverty, and experiment with creative and disruptive policy solutions.

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

1. Understand how public policy works and how leadership can drive change.

2. Use interdisciplinary perspectives to rethink big policy problems and map their complex drivers.

3. Apply policy mapping, negotiation, and project design to identify, design and justify feasible interventions that drive solutions to big policy problems.

4. Collaborate to create and communicate innovative, ethical policy solutions for real-world challenges.

5. Develop leadership, empathy and a commitment to contributing to fairer and more sustainable societies.