Entry requirements

90 credits in political science (A+B+C) or the equivalent and 30 credits in social sciences, or 90 credits in social and political studies (A+B+C) and 60 credits in political science. Proficiency in Swedish equivalent to the general entry requirements for first-cycle (Bachelor's level) studies and proficiency in English equivalent to the Swedish upper secondary course English 6. Students within the Master's Programme in Politics and International Studies, the Master's Programme in Development Studies or the Master's Programme in Political science are required to have obtained at least 15 credits within the programme.

Learning outcomes

The main objective of the course is to provide students with an understanding of the workings and underlying issues of welfare politics and social protection in advanced capitalist countries as well as developing countries with emerging welfare states, one of the most contested issues of today. "The welfare state" here refers both to our modern Western type of state, i.e. a large, activist state that seeks to regulate both civil society and the market and to emerging welfare states and social protection schemes in other parts of the world. A common objective of these programs is to distribute economic resources more evenly and to ensure that all citizens enjoy a basic measure of economic security. Welfare policies include family policy with direct effects on gender equality, as well as attempts to regulate labour markets in order to promote employment. Here the tension created by globalization between job creation and social protection in the West as well as in a developing setting highlights the importance of understanding the interrelation between social protection schemes, production regimes and growth models. The interrelation of different institutions also has consequences for migration flows as well as for the resources and opportunities of migrants, making migration into an important sub-topic of welfare politics. The welfare state is a central topic of study in the political science sub-discipline known as political economy, which studies the interaction between states and markets. Upon completing the course, students will have developed a basic ability to read, interpret and formulate ideas in relation to advanced texts in the areas of political economy and welfare politics. Students will also have developed good skills in communicating these ideas in oral and written scientific form.

Content

The course will cover major areas within contemporary research on the welfare state from a global perspective, including the different types of welfare states found among advanced industrialised nations, the complex interaction between states and markets that is at the core of all re-distributive politics, the changing dynamics of industrial relations and labour markets in current times of economic transformation, gender aspects of welfare politics and, finally, the new challenges to welfare states posed by globalisation, international migration and regional integration.

Instruction

The teaching in the course will take two main forms; lectures and seminars. During the lectures, the teacher will present the course material to students in order to guide and facilitate their reading of it. Weekly seminars will allow students the opportunity to discuss the readings with the teacher and their peers, thereby facilitating an active and self-initiated learning process. The seminars will be prepared by the students through short reading reports (about 5 pages). Language of instruction will be English but it is possible to submit reading reports and the final essay in Swedish.

Assessment

Course examination will be conducted in three different ways: 1) active participation in seminars, 2) submission of reading reports, and 3) a final paper. The course grade will be based on a combination of the three examination forms, where the final paper will account for 50% of the final grade, reading reports of 40% and class participation of 10%. If there are special reasons for doing so, an examiner may make an exception from the method of assessment indicated and allow a student to be assessed by another method. An example of special reasons might be a certificate regarding special pedagogical support from the University's disability coordinator.

Grading system

Grades awarded Fail (U) - Pass (G) - Pass with Distinction (VG).

Other regulations

A detailed study outline will be presented when the course starts.