Social Justice and Social Welfare (SOCI90025)
Graduate courseworkPoints: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)
Overview
| Availability | July |
|---|---|
| Fees | Look up fees |
Our human service and welfare systems have evolved to support us through life, from early childhood to old age. Yet the systems originally intended to support us often fail to address our real concerns; placing conditions on who can receive social support or managing our needs rather than enabling us to thrive. But how did these systems become like this, and how might they work differently? What do human service and welfare systems that grow people’s capabilities look like? And how can we begin to shift the structures, power dynamics and mental models that reproduce social injustice? This subject equips students to critically analyse the effectiveness of human service systems and to understand the outcomes of welfare state spending, including unintended consequences, and the impacts on income distribution, inequalities, marginalisation, and different groups in society. Integrating conceptual and programmatic insights, this subject draws on contemporary policy thinkers, and harnesses the insights and expertise of professionals engaged in design, implementation, and evaluation, to provide students with the critical and practical skills necessary to drive systems change in their own work.
Intended learning outcomes
Students who complete this subject should be able to:
- Demonstrate an understanding of the conceptual tools needed to critically assess and engage with current and emerging policy frameworks and challenges
- Demonstrate a broad understanding of key conceptual frameworks regarding social spending as well as the distributional effects of social spending and how such spending affects key social justice outcomes including inequality and poverty
- Demonstrate an understanding of the impact of social policies and programs on socially excluded and marginalised groups and be able to identify policies and programs that have achieved success and those that have not
- Illustrate knowledge of contemporary social policy research and program evaluation, including consideration of ethical issues in applied settings
- Demonstrate an understanding of challenges relating to management, implementation and evaluation of effective social policies from a social justice perspective.
Generic skills
Students who complete this subject should be able to:
- Develop capacity for critical thinking and analysis
- Apply analytical frameworks in a professional practice context
- Demonstrate research skills, based in an understanding of the importance of social, ethical and cultural contexts
- Develop written and oral skills in the presentation of complex ideas in practical ways.
Last updated: 4 March 2025
Eligibility and requirements
Prerequisites
None
Corequisites
None
Non-allowed subjects
SOTH90006 Social Justice: Policy and Practice
Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)
The University of Melbourne is committed to providing students with reasonable adjustments to assessment and participation under the Disability Standards for Education (2005), and the Assessment and Results Policy (MPF1326). Students are expected to meet the core participation requirements for their course. These can be viewed under Entry and Participation Requirements for the course outlines in the Handbook.
Further details on how to seek academic adjustments can be found on the Student Equity and Disability Support website: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/student-equity/home
Last updated: 4 March 2025
Assessment
| Description | Timing | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
Report
| During the teaching period | 20% |
Research essay
| 4 Weeks after the end of teaching | 80% |
| Hurdle requirement: As this is an Intensively-taught subject, Lecture/Seminar attendance is compulsory for all classes and regular class participation is expected. | Throughout the teaching period | N/A |
| Hurdle requirement: Late Penalty and Assessment hurdle requirement: Assessment submitted late without an approved extension will be penalised at five per cent (5%) of the possible marks available for the assessment task per day or part thereof. All pieces of assessment must be submitted to pass the subject. Each submitted assessment must be complete, constitute a genuine attempt to address the requirements of the task and will not be accepted after 20 University business days from the original assessment due date without written approval. | Throughout the teaching period | N/A |
Last updated: 4 March 2025
Dates & times
- July
Principal coordinator Jack Lam Mode of delivery On Campus (Parkville) Contact hours 24 hours: Two 2-hour seminars for six weeks from the teaching start date. Total time commitment 170 hours Teaching period 28 July 2025 to 13 September 2025 Last self-enrol date 6 August 2025 Census date 15 August 2025 Last date to withdraw without fail 12 September 2025 Assessment period ends 11 October 2025 July contact information
Dr Jack Lam jack.lam@unimelb.edu.au
Time commitment details
170 Hours
What do these dates mean
Visit this webpage to find out about these key dates, including how they impact on:
- Your tuition fees, academic transcript and statements.
- And for Commonwealth Supported students, your:
- Student Learning Entitlement. This applies to all students enrolled in a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP).
Subjects withdrawn after the census date (including up to the ‘last day to withdraw without fail’) count toward the Student Learning Entitlement.
Last updated: 4 March 2025
Further information
- Texts
- Related Handbook entries
This subject contributes to the following:
Type Name Course Master of Social Policy Course Master of Public Policy and Management Course Executive Master of Arts - Links to additional information
- Available through the Community Access Program
About the Community Access Program (CAP)
This subject is available through the Community Access Program (also called Single Subject Studies) which allows you to enrol in single subjects offered by the University of Melbourne, without the commitment required to complete a whole degree.
Please note Single Subject Studies via Community Access Program is not available to student visa holders or applicants
Entry requirements including prerequisites may apply. Please refer to the CAP applications page for further information.
Additional information for this subject
Subject coordinator approval required
- Available to Study Abroad and/or Study Exchange Students
Last updated: 4 March 2025