SPP455 Social, Political and Welfare Values

Faculty of Social Studies
Autumn 2008
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 8 credit(s). Type of Completion: z (credit).
Teacher(s)
prof. Steven Saxonberg, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Kateřina Vráblíková, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
prof. PhDr. Libor Musil, CSc.
Department of Social Policy and Social Work – Faculty of Social Studies
Timetable
Mon 29. 9. 12:00–13:30 Aula, Wed 8. 10. 14:00–15:40 P21, Mon 13. 10. 12:00–13:30 Aula, Mon 10. 11. 12:00–13:30 Aula, Mon 24. 11. 12:00–13:30 Aula, Mon 8. 12. 12:00–13:30 Aula
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
By the end of the courses, students should be able to - To understand the basic manner in which survey data is used in the social sciences to analyze attitudes - To learn some of the most current trends in the analysis of attitudes - To understand the value of using statistics even if one does not have a background in statistics and to lose one’s possible fear of using statistics - To encourage students to participate in the spring workshop on using databases (which will not require any background in statistics)
Syllabus
  • Lecture: Introduction lecture, Understanding statistics
  • Lecture: Postmodern Values
  • Lecture on Welfare Attitudes
  • Lecture on Gender Attitudes and Changing Gender Attitudes
  • Lecture on Racism
Literature
  • Edlund, Jonas (1999) “Trust in Government and Welfare Regimes: Attitudes to Redistribution and Financial Cheating in the USA and Norway,” European Journal of Political Research, vol. 35, pp. 341-370.
  • Clark, John A. & Legge, Jr., Jerome S. “Economics, Racism, and Attitudes toward Immigration in the New Germany,” Political Research Quarterly, Vol. 50, No. 4, (Dec., 1997), pp. 901-917.
  • Saxonberg, Steven “Attitudes Toward Welfare Policy in Sweden Revisited” in Statsvetenskapliga tidskrift, vol 106, no. 1, 2003-4.
  • Krzemiński, I., “Polish-Jewish Relations, Anti-Semitism and National Identity,” Polish Sociological Review, 2002, vol, 137, no. 1, pp. 25-51.
  • Inglehart, Ronald (1997) Modernization and Postmodernization : Cultural, Economic, and Political Change in 43 Societies (Princeton: Princeton University Press)
  • Saxonberg, Steven & Sirovátka, Tomas (2006) “Failing Family Policy in Post-Communist Central Europe,” Comparative Policy Analysis, vol. 8, no. 2, 2006.
  • Inglehart, Ronald & Norris, Pippa (2003) Rising Tide: Gender Equality and Cultural Change Around the World (Cambridge: Cambridge Univesrity Press)
  • Wilcox, Clyde (1991) “The causes and consequences of feminist consciousness among western European women,” Comparative Political Studies, 23 (4), 519-3.
  • Svallfors, Stefan (1997) “Worlds of Welfare and Attitudes to Redistribution: A Comparison of Eight Western Nations” European Sociological Review, Vol. 13, No. 3, pp. 283-304.
  • Hakim, Catherine (1996) “The Sexual Division of Labour and Women's Heterogeneity,” The British Journal of Sociology, Vol. 47, No. 1., pp. 178-188.
  • Oliver, J. Eric & Mendelberg, Tali (2000) “Reconsidering the Environmental Determinants of White Racial Attitudes” American Journal of Political Science, Vol. 44, No. 3, pp. 574-589.
Assessment methods
At the end of the course the students will write a short paper where they reflect on the course literature and consider what the information on attitudes implies for policymaking. If they were leaders of a country what policies would they suggest given the attitudes that exist. Students should discuss at least one article or chapter from each theme if they write alone If they write in a group of 2 or 3 then they must include at least 2 articles or chapters from each theme. The paper should be 4-5 A-4 pages, which means about 2000-2500 words.
Language of instruction
English
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2009, Autumn 2010, Autumn 2011, Autumn 2012, Autumn 2013.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2008, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/fss/autumn2008/SPP455