Hong Kong Baptist University

Department of Social Work

SOPY 3065 Culture and Social Policy

Prerequisite : Nil
Number of Units : 3
Course Instructor : CHAN Ka-Ki (Tel: 3411 3096/7109/ email: kaki01@hkbu.edu.hk)

Course Description:
This course aims to enhance students’ overall understanding of culture and social policy,
including sociology of culture, the western domination of social policy discourse,
culturalism, diversity and change. The format of the course is a mixture of lectures,
group project and cultural sensitivity workshops. Students will be provided with not only
a good access to a solid knowledge base in cultural theory, but also a platform to learn by
doing social policy with cultural sensitivity. By the end of the course, students should be
able to identify the basic principles, and learn ethical implication of culture and social
policy, as well as master basic skills of re-evaluating policy content as part of anti-
oppressive strategies.

Aims and Objectives:

The aims of this course are to:
1. Facilitates students’ understanding of the basic principles and limits of culture
theories and their relation to social policy.
2. Develop basic knowledge of skills of re-evaluating social policy content as part of
anti-oppressive practice.
3. Enhance students’ critical thinking in evaluating their own and others’ social policy
discipline.

Course Intended Learning Outcomes for this course (CILOs):

Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:

1. Recognize the marginalization of culture in the discipline of social policy.

2. Appraise different perspectives of culture and their classifications
3. Demonstrate the analysis and strategy of struggling against culture blind and
cultural hegemony of social policy;
4. Internalize critical and reflective attitude in evaluating public impact of social
policies in Hong Kong and other societies.

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Alignment of Teaching and Learning Activities (TLAs) with the Course Intended
Learning Outcomes (CILOs): (Please  the boxes)

CILO No. TLA1 TLA2 TLA3

CILO 1  
CILO 2   
CILO 3  
CILO 4  

TLA1: Lectures
Lecturers explain cultural theories and social policy concepts.

TLA2: Group project

Students are to form small groups. Every group will be expected to critically examine one
social topic and do their presentation on conceptualization of a particular social policy.

TLA3: Cultural Sensitivity workshops

Hand-on exercises are provided to help students familiarize with culture sensitivity
and its implication on social policy.

Alignment of Assessment Methods (AMs) with the Course Intended Learning

Outcomes (CILOs): (Please  the boxes)

CILO No. AM1 (20 %) AM2 (30%) AM3 (50 %)

CILO 1 
CILO 2   
CILO 3   
CILO 4  

AM1: Individual paper (20%)

Enhance the understanding of a broad range of cultural theories and skills.

AM2: Group presentation (30%)

Present a re-assessment of a particular social policy in term of culture

AM3: Examination (50%)

Evaluate student’s basic knowledge and skills of re-evaluating social policy, including a
sociology of culture, western domination of social policy discourse, and cultural diversity
through a series of essay type questions.

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Essential Readings:
Clarke, J. (2004). Changing welfare, changing states: new directions in social policy.
London: SAGE.
Effinfer, B. P. (2005). Culture and welfare state policies: Reflections on complex
interrelation in Journal of Social Policy, 34(1), 3-20.
doi:10.1017/S0047279404008232
Oorschor, W. V. (2007). Culture and social policy: a developing field of study.
International journal of social welfare, 16, 129-139. doi: 10.1111/j.1468-
2397.2006.00451.x

References:
Beasley, C., Brook, H., & Holmes, M. (2012) Heterosexuality in theory and practice.
New York: Routledge. Clarke, J. (1999). Coming to term with culture. In H. Dean
and R. Woods (Eds.), Social policy review II. Luton: Social policy Association.
Ferguson, S. J. (Ed.) (2016). Race, gender, sexuality, and social class: dimensions of
inequality and identity. Thousand Oaks: SAGE.
Hudson, J., Jo, N. K., & Keung, A. (2015). Culture and the Politics of Welfare:
Exploring Societal Values and Social Choices. UK: Palgrave Macmillan.
Joseph, J. (2014). Straights: heterosexuality in post-closeted culture. New York: NYU
Press
Keskinen, S., Norocel, O., & Jorgensen, M.B. (2016). The politics and policis of welfare
chauvinism under the economic crisis. Critical Social Policy, 36(3), 326-329. DOI:
10.1177/0261018315624168
Murji, K. & Solomos, J. (Eds) (2015). Theories of race and ethnicity: contemporary
debates and perspectives. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Pascall, G. (2012). Gender equality in the welfare state?. Bristol: Policy.
Pierson, C., Castles, F., & Naumann, I.K. (Eds.). (2014). The Welfare State Reader. (3rd
ed.). Cambridge: Polity Press.
Richardson, D. & Robinson, V. (2015). Introducing gender and women’s studies. (4th
ed.).UK:Palgrave Macmillan.
Spicker, P. (2013). Reclaiming Individualism: Perspectives on Public Policy. Bristol: The
Polity Press.

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 Teaching Schedule

Every Wednesdays 10:30-13:30p.m.

Week Date Topic Remark

Theoretical, conceptual and empirical framework

1 23/1 Introduction : Cultural Sensitivity I
2 30/1 Cultural Sensitivity II
Cultural Critiques of Social Policy
3 13/2 Sexuality and Heterosexuality
4 20/2 Race and Ethnicity
5 27/2 Presentation I & II: Sexuality and
Heterosexuality
6 6/3 Presentation III & IV: Race &
Ethnicity
7 13/3 Gender & Patriarchy Guest speaker (1hr)
8 20/3 Class and Underclass Guest speaker (1hr)
9 27/3 Presentation V & VI: Gender and
Patriarchy
10 3/4 Presentation VII & VIII: Class &
Underclass
11 10/4 Individualism and Social Policy
12 17/4 Conclusion and Revision Submission of Term
Essay (late submission
would not be accepted)