Social Policy and Sociology (MA)LL43

This popular joint degree programme provides a grounding in both social policy and sociology, two subjects which complement and enrich each other. Social policy at the University of Edinburgh will enable you to engage with confidence in many of the political debates of our time. We cover a wide range of policy areas, for example: healthwelfarelabour marketseducationfamily and childhood We discuss how policies affect our civic culture through studying political engagement and citizen participation. Our programme will equip you to understand how policies affect society and the economy. It will also enable you to critically assess how policies are made, and what actors and processes influence the policy-making process. Sociology examines how individual choices are affected by wider social forces and how they can be understood by placing them in their social context. You will study: the relationship between individuals and groupsissues of belonging and identitythe social causes of cooperation and conflictthe way societies and social institutions are formed and change over time You will also learn to compare different national contexts and understand contemporary social issues from a global perspective. You will be taught by staff members who are passionate about conducting research that has strong applications to the world outside of academia. We work closely with: governmentsnon-governmental organisations (NGOs)third sector and interest representation groupsinternational organisationsother external actors International comparative analyses are one of our main strengths. We place a strong emphasis on providing you with empirical research skills, so that you can become a critical researcher yourself. We will challenge you to re-evaluate how you look at politics, society and the economy with the ability to improve others’ understanding as well.