Social Science and the Chocolate City - SPY00029C

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  • Department: Social Policy and Social Work
  • Credit value: 20 credits
  • Credit level: C
  • Academic year of delivery: 2025-26

Module will run

Occurrence Teaching period
A Semester 1 2025-26

Module aims

The module acts as an introduction to university, to the University of York specifically, to the social sciences, and to the City of York - sometimes referred to as the chocolate city. The module will provide a grounding in the basics of social science, including a number of key issues, academic conventions and skills, and core methods. It will also ground students in the ‘York’ approach to studying, making use of opportunities to introduce students to many of the academic support structures of the University as well as the York Strengths programme and team.

The module will use much of the work of the Rowntree family and Foundation as a basis to introduce students to a range of historic and contemporary social issues, as well as the approaches within the social sciences that have been developed to explore and address such issues. The issue of poverty will largely be the lens through which students are exposed to the toolkit of social science, specifically here at York.


Aims
  • To introduce students to a range of key social science issues.
  • To familiarise students with the support and opportunities available to social science students at the University of York.
  • To equip students with the investigative and analytical tools necessary to interrogate the range of research conducted in relation to social issues within and beyond York.
  • To develop core writing, analytical and presentational skills and increase student knowledge/awareness of how social research can highlight social problems and inform policy making.
  • To introduce students to the basic principles of social research and the philosophical underpinnings of different approaches to research.
  • To ensure students are aware of the ethical considerations of social research.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of this module you will be able to:
1) Present data and other forms of evidence relating to an historic or modern social issue. Evaluate competing perspectives on the identification, conceptualisation and resolution of social problems
2) Demonstrate the acquisition of key academic skills, including: locating and deploying academic sources; synthesising and summarising the ideas of others; evaluating competing perspectives and presenting written work in accordance with academic conventions
3) Identify the key opportunities and challenges you are likely to experience as a student of the social sciences, as well as the forms of support that exists to support you in this journey.

Module content

1. What is social science (in the chocolate city)?
2. The Chocolate City – York 125 years ago: Rowntree of York and the ‘social evils’
3. Studying at York – support and introduction to York Strengths
4. Standing on the shoulders of giants – reviewing existing literature and citing it correctly!
5. Asking social science questions: the role of research philosophy and the importance of us as researchers
6. Qualitative and quantitative research – an introduction
7. Using and presenting numbers
8. Capturing and communicating the lived experience
9. Ethics and dilemmas in the social sciences
10. Assessment focus
11. Conclusions and reflections. closing the loop with the York Strengths team

Indicative assessment

Task % of module mark
Essay/coursework 100.0

Special assessment rules

None

Indicative reassessment

Task % of module mark
Essay/coursework 100.0

Module feedback

Feedback will be given in accordance with the University Policy on feedback in the Guide to Assessment as well as in line with the School policy.

Indicative reading