BASS Sociology and Philosophy

What does it mean to make feminist policy? On this unit students will act as policy analysts who explore the way in which feminism informs policy issues of global and national importance on the one hand, and how feminism informs the development of new policy as areas of global concern. How do issues get framed as policy problems and end up on the political agenda? Which factors shape policy formulation? Can policymakers and policy analysts design successful policies? To answer these questions this introduces students to the art and acts of policy analysis. Drawing heavily on feminists Carol Bacchi’s What is the Problem Represented (WPR), the unit exposes students to theoretically informed ways of engaging policymaking. Students will learn how to frame issues as policy problems, how to systematically evaluate alternative policies to tackle a policy problem, and how to persuasively communicate policy recommendations. The final assessment, a policy brief allows students to contribute recommendations to real-life policy challenges thus informing global and national policy practice. 

Overall, the unit functions as a feminist policymaking space with weekly meetings constitutive of 2-hour workshops with approximately 30 students in each workshop, which includes mini-lectures; discussion and small group work for students to collectively identify the policy challenges around a particular feminist concern; identify key actors and networks of interest; sources of evidence; and begin to reimagine policy options through feminist lens as well as the challenges that come with taking up those options. 

The unit aims to:

- Introduce students to theories and processes of policymaking informed by feminism 
- Explore the emergence of applying feminist principles within global governance
- Allow students explore various options as policy responses to pressing global challenges
- help student identify policy networks and stakeholders around certain policy issues
- Allow students to interrogate existing policies at various levels of governance

The unit will explore the emergence policymaking in global governance that incorporates feminist principles. Structured around some of the challenges identified by the Generation Equality Forum in 2021, the unit will explore what policy is; how policy problems emerge; how it is made at various levels and especially at the global level with a view to understand the variety of institutions implicated in policy making. The unit will further focus on the broad roles of feminist policy networks, how feminists influence policy, power, and ideas as well as the events that influence feminist openings in global politics.

The learning outcomes will enhance student outcomes in the following ways:

Knowledge and understanding of the actors and influences that shape global policy making explored in this unit (KU1) and situate these within the broader literature (KU2; IS2) and apply them to the contemporary policy challenges so as to identify policy options as recommendations and assess their implications (IS1). This will equip those students progressing into academic research with a grasp of cutting-edge developments in feminist global politics and policymaking. This, together with the ability to critically interpret and evaluate challenging texts and complex arguments (IS1-3) will enhance students’ capacity to undertake the cognitively demanding tasks characteristic of advanced undergraduate work effectively and efficiently.  

For students progressing into employment, the ability to critically evaluate authors’ arguments and ideas explored (KU2, IS1), and to apply them to the contemporary policy making (IS3), and to critically interpret and evaluate complex arguments drawing on the relevant literature (IS2) will equip students with highly transferable skills in critical interpretation and analytic comparison, which will enhance their ability to effectively perform demanding tasks in information-rich workplace environments, enhancing their prospects of success in applications for employment opportunities. 

The presentation element of the recommendations presentation will allow students with the opportunity not only to develop their skills in digitally mediated oral communication (TS1) while both the presentation and policy brief allow students to collaborate (PS2, TS2) for a specific end – the policy brief – and engender creativity in the process by bringing together different strengths and working through weaknesses together. Working together will help students develop and improve their work, which are essential practical and transferable skills for working in team-based and collaborative academic and/or professional environments.  
 

Below are the themes intended for coverage in the unit

Part 1
1. Context, Institutions & Actors
2. Theoretical basis of (feminist) policy work & introduction to policy themes
3. Tools, Techniques & Evaluation

Part 2 – what is the problem represented to be?
4. Tackling Violence – exploring gendered violence in global politics
5. Climate Action – climate justice as a feminist issue
6. Foreign Policy – limits of feminist integration in FP practice 
7. Facilitating Peace – policy options for gender just peace
8. From gender blind to gender sensitive – interrogating the global trade regime

Part 3
9. Presentation for Policy Audiences
10. Influencing for Policy Action
 

The course will comprise of ten two-hour workshop sessions (with approximately 30 students) and ten one-hour seminar sessions (with the whole class). Workshops will be interactive and hands-on allow students to directly apply theory derived from readings with short mini lectures to evidencing policymaking. Each one-hour seminar would usually include an introduction with key concepts and is delivered as an interactive lecture inclusive of all students. This hour sessions which include the whole class will also be an opportunity to interact with practitioners – both policy makers and advocates. Both the workshops and seminars will include opportunities for Q & A.

The workshop activities will facilitate students to better understand the key concepts and arguments put forward in the readings, how to analyse them critically, and how they can be applied to specific empirical examples. The workshops will also provide students with an opportunity to develop their own perspectives and ideas on the readings and topics and to give each other feedback, as well as receiving it from the course convenor. Students will be expected to have read the core readings and prepared some comments/notes ahead of each workshop.

The unit will be formally assessed via a reflection essay and a policy brief. The policy brief is intended to provide policy options for policymakers within a specific area from the options discussed in the unit. The direction of each policy brief will be negotiated with the convener once a thematic area has been identified by Week 4. A reflection piece will focus on a key policy concept elaborated through a real-world example. 

Students should/will be able to:  

Identify the actors and influences that shape global policy making  
Evaluate texts, ideas, and authors’ arguments in relation to each other 
 

Synthesise information, evaluation of competing explanations
Research drawing on primary and secondary literature
Apply theory to policy, formulation of one’s own reasoned arguments

Research Skills
Capacity to carry out independent and teamwork
Time management skill with capacity to meet deadlines 

Communicate policy recommendations that draw on key facts and concepts from research on policy analysis in writing (policy briefs) and orally (in policy presentations).
Problem solving  
Capacity to analyse critically in writing
 

Individual Reflection: Students will reflect on their own learning from the first three weeks by writing a short exploration on a policy concept with the aim of understanding key texts; authors and approaches.

1400 words 35%

Joint Policy Brief: topic to be chosen from one of the week’s policy themes and discussed with convener ahead of time. The Joint policy brief will be undertaken in pairs. Work towards the policy brief will be undertaken during the workshop period each week from Week 4.

There will be three points of peer review for each student to assess policy brief partner’s contributions in developing the brief. This helps to avoid free rider problems; inform my interventions through the unit in the group exercise and may inform grade differentiation. Peer review templates will be provided to students.

Students will be provided with guidelines on developing and writing policy briefs.

2600 words 65%

15 working days from submission students will receive written qualitative feedback and a numerical grade

Bacchi, Carol. (1999). Women, policy and politics: The construction of policy problems. (London: SAGE)

Bacchi, Carol. (2009). Analysing policy: What’s the problem represented to be? Sidney: Pearson Australia.

Boche, Hugh and Duncan, Sue (2007) Making policy in theory and practice (Bristol University Press)

Goodin, Robert, Michael Moran, and Martin Rein (eds) (2009) The Oxford Handbook of Public Policy (Oxford University Press)

Mazur, Amy (2002)

Mintrom, M. 2012. Contemporary Policy Analysis. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Oxfam GB. (2020) Feminist Principles (Oxfam)

Safier, Chloe; Wakefield, Shawna; Harvey, Rowan; Rewald, Rebecca (2019) Oxfam’s Guide to Feminist Influencing (Oxfam)

Stone, Diane. (2012) Policy Paradox; the art of political decision-making. New York: WW Norton.