SIW4400 Understanding Citizens' Encounters with the Welfare State: Structures, Institutions and Actors Emneplan

This course provides an overview of useful theoretical perspectives when analyzing citizens' encounters with the welfare state. The course will provide useful analytical concepts and frameworks for your Master's thesis.

The course covers theories on individual agency, social networks, structural and functionalist explanatory models, social reproduction and social change, social construction and interactional processes. The theories will be applied on current issues in welfare society and in social policies.

The course invites active discussions on how to apply select theories to analyze and interpret phenomena within social welfare and health policy research.

Language of instruction is English.

None.

A student who has completed his or her qualification has the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

The student has

• advanced knowledge of social theories of institutions and actors
• insight into how to critically assess these theories and their arguments
• thorough knowledge of how the theories may be applied to research analysis
• knowledge on of how to apply one or more of these theories in a Master's thesis

Skills

The student

• is able to identify and discuss different social theories
• can identify how practical research analysis may be conducted using these theories
• can critically discuss the empirical implications of particular social theories

General Competence

The student

• has achieved general competence for doing independent research
• can contribute to innovative thinking and competence in transferring knowledge and skills to new areas
• can apply social theories in new areas in order to carry out advanced assignments and projects

The course will comprise a mix of lectures and active student involvement. Students will end the course with a paper and a presentation in which they discuss one of the theories covered in the curriculum. There will be a meeting set aside for student presentations.

The following coursework requirement must be completed and approved by the given deadline in order for the student to take the exam.

In order to take the exam students must deliver a written paper (6 pages, calibri, pt.12, 1,5 line spacing) as coursework requirement where they present and discuss one of the theories covered in the curriculum and present it in one of the two final meetings, with a feedback from lecturers and classmates.

If one or more coursework requirements have not been approved, the student will be given the opportunity to submit an improved version one time by the given deadline.

The master’s thesis is an independent, analytical work with a scope of 30 ECTC credits of relevance to the subject areas in the programme. The students must choose a topic to be explored through systematic use of qualitative and/or quantitative methods. The research question can be of a theoretical or an empirical nature. The master’s thesis can be submitted as a monograph or as an article-based thesis (article manuscript and introductory chapter (kappe).

The language of instruction is English.

Students must have passed all courses in the master’s degree programme before they can submit their master’s thesis for assessment.

A student who has completed his or her qualification has the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

The student has advanced knowledge of

• research designs relevant to the investigation of a particular research question
• a particular area of social or health policy of relevance to their degree
• relevant research literature on the subject matter of the master-s thesis
• theories and methodological approaches relevant for the chosen subject matter
• basic conceptual tools needed to understand an critically examine relevant social research

Skills

The student can

• conduct a review of the state of scientific knowledge related to a research question in social policy
• conduct a limited, independent research project under supervision
• choose a methodology that is relevant for a specific welfare research question
• apply research methods in a reflective manner
• critically evaluate relevant quantitative or qualitative methods used in reports, books or articles investigating a particular welfare policy problem

General Competence

The student can

• read and critically assess academic literature
• present specialised knowledge and research findings in the form of academic writing
• apply advanced skills and knowledge in the field of social welfare policy
• evaluate issues related to the academic, professional and research ethics

At the end of the second semester, a two page project description must be submitted and approved before the student gets a supervisor. A master's thesis preparation seminar will help the student to produce the two page project description.

Every student is entitled to approximately 10 hours (45 min) of face-to-face consultation, individually or in groups, or the equivalent if part of the supervision is conducted via email. Two students co-writing will together receive 15 hours (45 min) of face-to-face consulation.

A supervisor will be appointed by the programme director. Supervision is a crucial component in the preparation of the thesis. The supervisor is to assist the student when he or she is acquiring the necessary and relevant knowledge, as well as, when collecting and analysing data. The supervisor must ensure that the student-s research activity comply with accepted ethical standards within social research, including standards defined by the Norwegian Data Protection Official and the National Committees for Research Ethics in the Social Sciences and the Humanities.

An agreement between the student and the supervisor must be signed by both parties to ensure that rights and obligations are understood. The student and the supervisor may request a substitute if either party fails to meet the obligations outlined in the agreement.

The research work (analysis of qualitative and/or quantitative data or a literature review) is conducted during the fourth semester. Students are encouraged to carry out their data collection abroad.

Compulsory activities must be completed and approved by the given deadline in order for the student to take the exam:

• A two page project outline must be submitted and approved. If the project outline is not approved by the supervisor, the student is allowed to submit an improved version once within the specified deadline.
• A signed agreement between the student and the supervisor must be submitted by a set date.