Head of Program: Macid Ayhan Melekoğlu (Educational Sciences)

Executive Committee: Biray Kolluoğlu (Sociology), Ünal Zenginobuz (Economics), Serra Müderrisoğlu (Psychology), Z. Hande Sart (Educational Sciences), Tuna Kuyucu (Sociology)

Professors : Ayşe Buğra† ((Atatürk Institute), Biray Kolluoğlu (Sociology), Serra Müderrisoğlu (Psychology), Ünal Zenginobuz (Economics)

Associate Professor : Tuna Kuyucu (Sociology), Z. Hande Sart (Educational Sciences), 

Assistant Professors :

Instructors : 

*Part-time

† Professor Emeritus

Social policy, as an interdisciplinary social scientific field bringing together theory and practice, investigates root causes of poverty and inequalities, manifestations of these in the areas including but not limited to employment, labor relations, health care, education, social services, care and income and their social implications. In an increasingly unequal world, the questions of social policy have become one of the key interest areas in the studies of social sciences.

The Master of Arts in Social Policy aims at introducing the students to the study of social and economic dynamics that engenders poverty and inequalities and the content and impact of social policies introduced to tackle these problems in a historically grounded and comparative perspective.

The main objective of the Master of Arts in Social Policy is to introduce students to the theories, empirical research and policy experiences in the area of social policy that lies at the intersection of different disciplines including economics, sociology, politics, psychology, anthropology, history, philosophy and law.

All candidates for the Master of Arts degree in Social Policy are required to write a thesis and defend it.

The Master of Arts in Social Policy aims to encourage students for further study towards a Ph.D. degree and a subsequent career in the academia as well as equip them with necessary skills to pursue a career in public services, international organizations and non-governmental organizations.

The Master of Arts in Social Policy at Boğaziçi University draws its strength from the legacy of excellence in social policy teaching and research. Social Policy Forum (SPF), which built this legacy over the years, was founded in January 2004 as a research and policy center with the objective of generating critical knowledge pertaining to the main issues of social policy. Since then, Social Policy Forum conducts and supports interdisciplinary social policy research with the aim to instigate and contribute to the debate on welfare models based on citizenship rights and social inclusion. Supported by scientific research, SPF brings evidence based policy approaches to welfare reform discussions and plays a critical role in advocating for Turkey’s place in Social Europe in the EU accession process. Thus, in collaboration with other research institutes in EU countries, SPF aims to conduct comparative studies that look into Turkey in the context of social Europe. The importance of SPF as a research and policy center lies in its exceptional position in bringing together researchers from different disciplines and focusing on social policy as an independent and interdisciplinary area of research in its social, political and economic dimensions. SPF is widely recognized for its scientific quality, extensive experience in field surveys and intellectual depth. SPF conducts qualitative and quantitative field surveys in Turkey, which is also of great interest to researchers working with comparable data in Europe. Affiliated researchers from different disciplines collaborating under the auspices of SPF are senior social scientists who are well known for their distinctive work in social sciences and promising young scientists.  

M.A. PROGRAM in SOCIAL POLICY

**An elective course from the departments of Economics, History, Philosophy, Political Science and International Relations, Psychology, Sociology as well as from Atatürk Institute for Contemporary Turkish History (ATA) and other related departments, with the approval of the advisor

Total Credits: 24 Credits
Total ECTS: 126 Credits

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

Compulsory Courses

SPL 501 Theories of Social Policy (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 8
(Sosyal Politika Kuramları)
Introduction to philosophical foundations and political economy assumptions upon which various social policy conceptions and theories of citizenship are grounded.

SPL 502 Comparative Social Policy (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 8
(Karşılaştırmalı Sosyal Politika)
Historical development of different social policy institutions in developed and developing countries. Critical analysis of different welfare regime typologies. Study of how social policies address the problems of women and vulnerable groups such as children, youth, elderly, ethnic minorities, homeless.

SPL 503 Research Methods for Social Policy Researchers (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 8
(Sosyal Politika Araştırmacıları için Araştırma Yöntemleri)
Quantitative and qualitative methods used in social policy research.

SPL 579 Graduate Seminar (0+1+0) 0 Pass/ Fail ECTS 2
(Lisansüstü Seminer)
The widening of students' perceptive and awareness of topic of interest to social policy through seminars offered by faculty, guest speakers and graduate students.

Area Electives

SPL 505 Varieties of Solidarity (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 8
(Dayanışma Türleri)
Investigation of the varieties of solidarity. Competing conceptions and institutions of solidarity in different types of societies.

SPL 506 European Social Policy (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 8
(Avrupa Sosyal Politikası)
Continuity and change in European welfare regimes. The impact of the EU on social policy making and transformation.

SPL 507 Globalization and Social Policy (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 8
(Küreselleşme ve Sosyal Politika)
Impact of globalization and neoliberalization processes on the existing social policies and policy-making in different country contexts.

SPL 508 Impact of National and Supra-national NGOs on Social Policies (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 8
(Uluslararası Örgütler ve Sivil Toplum Örgütlerinin Sosyal Politikalara Etkileri)
Critical analysis of the impact of local, national and international non-governmental organizations (such as the IMF, the World Bank, the EU) on social policy environments, processes and outcomes.

SPL 509 Health Care Policies (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 8
(Sağlık Politikaları)
Introduction to health policy and politics. The main tenets of health systems in different countries and the fundamentals of health finance, health care delivery, pharmaceuticals, regulation of the health sector.

SPL 510 Care Policies (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 8
(Bakım Politikaları)
Introduction to politics of care and care policy. The course will deal with the care policies targeting, elderly, children and disabled.  The course will look at different care regimes around the world. Similarities and differences of care regimes will be explored from a gender perspective.

SPL 511 Child Well-Being (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 8
(Çocuğun İyi Olma Hali)
Exploration of the concept of child well-being as a comprehensive conceptual framework that focuses on theories and concepts of childhood and child development with special emphasis on the capabilities approach. Developing objective and subjective indicator sets to assess the well-being of children within the context of their society

SPL 512 Gender and Social Policy (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 8
(Toplumsal Cinsiyet ve Sosyal Politika)
Different social policy approaches towards gender. Role of gender in explaining the development and the structure of social policy. The use of gender perspective in the analysis of inequalities that arise in access to social services and the outcomes of social policies.

SPL 513 Basic Economics for Social Policy (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 8
(Sosyal Politika için İktisat)
Basic concepts of economics for social policy. Principles of microeconomics and macroeconomics. Behavior of consumers and producers; price determination in markets; perfect competition and monopoly; welfare analysis. Overall working of the economy; national product; inflation; employment; economic growth. Impact of government interventions and regulations on inequality and poverty.

SPL 514 Dimensions of Poverty and Inequality (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 8
(Yoksulluğun ve Eşitsizliğin Boyutları)
Introduction to the study of poverty and social exclusion as multidimensional phenomena. Definitions and measurement of poverty and income inequality. Different experiences of poverty and social exclusion; intergenerational impact of poverty.

SPL 579 Graduate Seminar (0+1+0) 0 ECTS 3 
(Lisansüstü Seminer)
The widening of students' perspectives and awareness of topics of interest to psychologists through seminars offered by faculty, guest speakers and graduate students.

SPL 580 – SP 599 Special Topics in Social Policy (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 8
(Sosyal Politika Alanında Özel Konular)
Courses on different approaches and issues in the area of social policy.

SPL 690 Master’s Thesis ECTS 60
(Yüksek Lisans Tezi)