Formative assessment

 

Students’ comprehension of reading will be assessed on a weekly basis within seminars.

 

Students will undertake more structured forms of formative assessment through:

 

1. Submitting one page plans outlining the direction of their literature reviews and protocols (week 5; feedback week 6)

 

2. Delivering an oral presentation to seminar groups: this will outline students’ initial responses to topic chosen from a small range of options (see below). Students will present a brief overview (5 minutes) on the background to their chosen topic, explain why the topic is of social policy relevance, and discuss initial ideas on how they will conduct and structure a literature review on the topic. (week 8)

 

 

 

Summative assessment

 

The summative assessment is made up of two components that allow students to develop their ideas on a particular topic. Regardless of topic, students should demonstrate an understanding and introduce literature from across different weeks.

 

Topics/questions are below:

 

 

 

1. Should adult children be legally compelled to care for their ageing parents?

 

1. How do the opportunities for extending working lives differ among black and minority ethnic groups compare to white people in the UK?

 

iii.           Should every country have a Ministry of Ageing?

 

1. What new health challenges could future cohorts/baby boomers face in older age?

 

1. Should social isolation and loneliness be treated as distinct concepts among older people when creating policy and designing interventions (and if so, how)?

 

1. How useful are some of the social gerontological theories discussed on the course in supporting our understanding of ageing in China?

 

vii.          Do the opportunities for accessing appropriate social care differ among older LGBTQ+ people compared to older cisgender heterosexual people?

 

viii.        What kinds of research design are appropriate for understanding the predictors, outcomes or experiences of ageism?

 

1. Is the way that older people were treated during the COVID-19 pandemic emblematic of a society that values older people?

 

1. Should societies aspire to the notion of ‘successful ageing’?

 

 

 

If students want to tackle a different topic, they should email the module leader and speak with their seminar leader.

 

 

 

1. Literature Review (70%): Students will conduct a literature review (2500 words) on a set topic. Students will be asked to choose a topic from a list provided and construct a critical argument in response, drawing on the module content. The literature review should clearly identify where evidence gaps lie in the literature based on, for example, the focus of research/evidence, the type of evidence available (e.g. study design/approach), the theoretical standpoint taken, the representativeness of the literature across underrepresented groups, the geographic representativeness of the evidence, and/or other factors.

 

 

 

2. Study protocol (30%): Students will be tasked with outlining the design of a research study to investigate one or more of the evidence gaps identified in their literature review (1000 words). They will be asked to provide the outline for a research study that describes in detail the overall approach that they would take, their conceptual framework, the type of data that they would collect or use, how they would analyse the data, the potential challenges they might face in collecting and/or analysing the data, and how the results could address some of the evidence gaps identified in their literature review.

 

Submissions will be marked according to the quality of:

 

• Argument, analysis and understanding of the topic under study;

 

• Sources and evidence used;

 

• Written communication and logical construction of argument; and

 

• Presentation and academic referencing.

 

 

 

The deadline for submitting the literature review is April 3rd 2023 (5pm).

 

The deadline for submitting the research protocol is April 13th 2023 (5pm).

 

Marks are posted within a month

 

Do try to upload your submission before this point if you can.

 

Please note – as there is a gap between the end of the course and the submission of the assignment we will hold a refresher session in March to discuss assignment progress.