SV-437 Welfare and family policies in the Nordic countries

The course is connected to the following study programs

• Child Welfare, 5 year Master's Programme
• Master's Programme in Social Work
• Master's Programme in Sociology

Course contents

The course will investigate political measures among the Nordic welfare states regarding:

• income security and services supporting various types of families,
• how demographic and economic factors (e.g., population ageing, female employment) affect these policies,
• how these policies may affect the distribution of income, opportunities, and behaviour, including gender relations,
• advantages and limitations of different methods for comparing welfare and family policies.

Learning outcomes

After completing this course, students are expected to

• be familiar with the developments of welfare and family policies in the Nordic and other European/OECD countries over previous decades,
• be ready to discuss driving forces behind these policies,
• be able to discuss likely consequences of various types of welfare and family policies,
• be ready to discuss areas in which welfare and family policies show strong variation or change.

Teaching methods

Lectures. Expected workload is about 135 hours.

Evaluation

As a 5-credit course, we will only have a final evaluation using a standard questionnaire.

Offered as Single Standing Module

Yes. Subject to availability / capacity, admission requirements as for master's programs in sociology and social work

Admission Requirement if given as Single Standing Module

Admission requirements as for master's programs in sociology and master's program in social work

Assessment methods and criteria

3 hours individual school exam. Graded on a scale, A-F.