USING RESEARCH FOR POLICY, PRACTICE AND IMPACT - 2023/4

Module Overview

This module will introduce students to the relationship between social scientific research and the policies, practices and impacts that are developed from it. Students will be encouraged to select research which claims to have such an impact and to assess this.

Module provider

Sociology

Module Leader

TIMMS Jill (Sociology)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 5

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Semester 1

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

None

Module content

Indicative content includes:

• The impact agenda and its context

• Action research and its usefulness

• Evaluation research

• The relationship between research, policy, practice and evaluation

• Developing and using case studies

• Report writing

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

N/A

Assessment Strategy

The summative assessment for this module consists of:

• A policy brief (30%)


• A written report (70%)

• Students receive formative verbal feedback each week during workshops, following up on activities they have undertaken such as answering questions on the set reading and other pedagogic activities related to the topic.


• Students will receive written individual and group feedback following their first summative assessment, which will help them develop their work for the second assignment. 


• Regular workshops in class will also provide advice and feedback on any questions the students have regarding the summative assignment;

Module aims

• To broaden and deepen students understanding of the usefulness of social scientific research
• To introduce students to ideas about research impact
• To explore methods of assessing social scientific research
• To critically examine how policies, developed from research are put into practice

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to:

Convey key information to students through the use of interactive lectures, classroom discussions based on preparatory reading and film/TV/internet clips which acts as the focus for activities and discussion. Workshop sessions can include periods of independent activity e.g. collecting data. Verbal formative feedback is given throughout.

The learning and teaching methods include:

• 11 x 2 hour sessions consisting of small group exercises, introduction of new material in ‘lecture’ format, discussion of independent activities such as relevant ‘data’ collection.

• Independent learning consisting of reading preparation and other activities as directed and regular engagement with relevant current news and events.

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: SOC2076

Programmes this module appears in

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2023/4 academic year.