Dr Tania Burchardt 32L 3.30

This course is compulsory on the MPhil/PhD in Social Policy and MSc in International Social and Public Policy (Research). This course is available on the MSc in International Social and Public Policy, MSc in International Social and Public Policy (Development), MSc in International Social and Public Policy (LSE and Fudan), MSc in International Social and Public Policy (Migration) and MSc in International Social and Public Policy (Non-Governmental Organisations). This course is available with permission as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit.

All Social Policy Courses are ‘Controlled Access’. Please see the link below for further details on the allocation process.

https://info.lse.ac.uk/current-students/services/course-choice/controlled-access-courses  

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The course equips you with transferable quantitative and qualitative research design skills, including the design of policy evaluations, and an in-depth understanding of the role of different types of research in the policy-making process. It is an advanced course and students are expected to already have a grasp of basic research design principles and their application to social and public policy, for example as covered in MY400 Fundamentals of Research Design or SP401 Understanding Policy Research, both of which run in the MT, although these courses are not a formal pre-requisite. Lectures are given by leading academics engaged in research using the methods under consideration, some of which has achieved substantial policy impact. Students are encouraged to critically assess applications of complex research methods to contemporary national and international social and public policy questions. Topics may include uses of: mixed methods policy evaluation; participatory research; researching organisations (including organisational anthropology); longitudinal and life history analysis; micro-simulation techniques; systematic reviews, meta-analysis and meta-ethnographies; and small area, geographical and internationally comparative research. The relationship between research and policymaking is a theme that runs throughout the course.

Courses in Social Policy will follow the Teaching Model which has been adopted by the Department of Social Policy during the period of the pandemic. This is outlined HERE: https://www.lse.ac.uk/social-policy/Current-Students/teaching-in-the-department-of-social-policy



This course will be taught through a combination of either a recorded lecture plus a follow-up Q and A session or a ‘live’ on-line lecture; and classes/seminars of 1-1.5 hours (with size and length of classes/seminars depending on social distancing requirements).



Further information will be provided by the Course Convenor in the first lecture of the course.

Each lecture will be given by a member of staff or external expert in that particular method or topic and will be followed by a seminar providing opportunities for students to work collaboratively in small groups to examine research exemplifying the approach and the issues raised. There will also be help sessions with the seminar leader to discuss feedback on essays and progress on the course.

The course will be delivered in Lent term.

There will be one compulsory formative coursework essay, which will follow from a seminar task. This formative assignment is designed to prepare students for the summative coursework. Written and/or verbal feedback will be provided.

• A Bryman (2016), Social Research Methods, 5th edn
• Robson and McCartan (2016), Real World Research, 4th edn
• C Phillips and R Earle (2010), 'Reading difference differently?: Identity, Epistemology and Prison Ethnography', The British Journal of Criminology, 50 (2), 360-378
• J Parkhurst (2017), The Politics of Evidence
• D Green (2016) How Change Happens

Additional references will be supplied at the start of the course and in lectures.

Essay (100%) in the ST.

The summative assessment focuses on assessing students' abilities to devise and justify a research design to address a specified social policy research question. It will consistent of one essay of 2000 words. Students will be given a choice of questions.

Some departments have produced short videos to introduce their courses. Please refer to the course selection videos index page for further information.