Checking date: 04/05/2020


Course: 2019/2020

The Welfare State in Comparative Perspective
(16932)
Bachelor in International Studies (2018 Study Plan) (Plan: 408 - Estudio: 305)


Coordinating teacher: SANCHEZ VITORES, IRENE

Department assigned to the subject: Social Sciences Department

Type: Electives
ECTS Credits: 6.0 ECTS

Course:
Semester:




BASIC COMPETENCES CB1- Be able to show that they possess and comprehend facts and contents in an area of study which, based on a previous general secondary school level, have been extended to those included in advanced textbooks and in some aspects proceed from the most advanced studies in this area. CB2- Be able to show that they have learned how to apply their knowledge professionally to their future jobs or tasks and that they possess the competences needed to develop and defend arguments and solve problems in that area of study. CB3- Be able to show that they are capable of collecting and interpreting the relevant data (normally within their area of study) needed for formulating judgments which require critical thought on social, scientific and ethical topics of relevance. CB4- Be able to show that they are able to transmit information, ideas, problems and solutions both to specialized and non-specialized publics. CB5- Be able to show that they have developed the learning skills required to perform further studies with a high degree of self-dependence. GENERAL COMPETENCES CG1- Understand social, political, legal and economic realities from a comparative perspective. CG2-Be able to approximate and analyze the intrinsic values contained in equal opportunities, multi-cultural society, political ideological and cultural pluralism, human rights, and the international community. CG3- Know quantitative and qualitative research techniques and possess the ability to choose which is most adequate to apply in the field of Social Sciences. CG4- Be able to manage information: identify, organize and analyze relevant information critically and systematically within the context of international relations. CG6- Be able to apply scientific method to the economic, social and political questions of a global society; be able to formulate problems in this context, identify a possible explication or solution, and a method to contrast them by sensibly interpreting the data. OVERLAPPING COMPETENCES CT1 -Acquire the capacity to communicate knowledge in oral and written form, both to specialized and to non-specialized publics. CT2- Acquire the capacity to establish good interpersonal communication and to work both in interdisciplinary and international teams. CT3- Acquire the capacity to organize and plan workloads, taking correct decisions based on the available information, collecting and interpreting relevant data in order to provide assessments in that area of study. CT4-Develop the motivation and capacity to perform independent continuous learning for life, with an endowment to adapt to change and new situations. SPECIFIC COMPETENCES CE1- Be familiar with the principal political and social theories. Be capable of analyzing and comparing contemporary policies. CE2- Be familiar with and understand the processes of political, social, economic and cultural change in society and contemporary policy. CE6- Understand the socio-political impact of empires, religions and cultures in historical perspective. CE7- Understand the main dynamics which generate inequality and its consequences, and comprehend the principles on which equal opportunity policies are based. CE9- Be familiar with and comprehend the relevance of technological change for economic and social development. CE10- Be able to discern the differentiating elements in international problems in accordance to the development stages of a country. CE11- Be able to critically relate present and past events and processes. CE12- Be able to formulate and solve basic economic, social, political problems in an international context. CE16- Be able to carry out case studies and apply comparative method to analyze institutions, processes and policies in different countries. LEARNING OUTCOMES · Knowledge of the different theories about the origins, the social, redistributive and social effects of different types of welfare state. · Understanding of the main challenges that the different types of welfare state in a globalized world and the debates about its sustainability face. · Knowledge of the relationship between social inequality and health, the most widely used to analyze this relationship, indicators and the role of health systems in reducing health inequalities.
Description of contents: programme
The welfare state: origins, evolution and current characteristics. Citizenship and the welfare state. Types of welfare state. Social and cultural foundations of the welfare state. Distribution of risks, opportunities and economic efficiency in contemporary societies. Patterns of inequality: State, market and family. The third sector. Social movements: recognition and redistribution. The current problems of the welfare state. Welfare state, regionalization and globalization. Economic crisis and the welfare state. Attitudes toward redistribution and welfare state in comparative perspective.
Assessment System
  • % end-of-term-examination 40
  • % of continuous assessment (assigments, laboratory, practicals...) 60

Basic Bibliography
  • Castles, F. G., Leibfried, S., Lewis, J., Obinger, H., & Pierson, C. (Eds.). . The Oxford Handbook of the Welfare State. OUP Oxford. 2010
  • Taylor-Gooby, P. . New risks, new welfare: the transformation of the European welfare state. Oxford University Press.. 2004

The course syllabus may change due academic events or other reasons.