Academic Catalog

SPL501 SOCIAL POLICY AND DEVELOPMENT

Course Code: 8390501
METU Credit (Theoretical-Laboratory hours/week): 3(3-0)
ECTS Credit: 8.0
Department: Social Policy
Language of Instruction: English
Level of Study: Masters
Course Coordinator:
Offered Semester: Fall or Spring Semesters.

Course Content

The course aims to familiarize students with current debates relating to the human development paradigm and the capabilities approach as proposed by Amartya Sen, and to examine their value as sociological tools for enhanced social policy. Conceptual issues on social policy in a development context will be examined. The perspective of human development and the capabilities expansion will be applied to analyze Turkey´s experience in people-centred development. Current thinkers of Human Development Paradigm and the Capabilities Approach will be examined on the basis of readings from the Journals of Human Development, published by Taylor and Francis Group of the Routledge Press. The course will address multiple issues relating to the interrelationship between social policy and development. Ongoing sociological debates on the concepts of inequality, equality of opportunities, poverty, capabilities expansion, redistribution, the role of the state, market and the civil society will be re-examined from the perspective of the human development paradigm/capabilities approach.