module specification

In this module, you will look at one of the most pressing social issues in the UK today – that of the cost and shortage of housing and of affordable housing in particular. Living in a safe, comfortable and secure home is a human right, essential to our wellbeing. However, it is widely agreed that we have a housing crisis in the UK. This crisis is perhaps especially acute in London but it is a crisis which affects much of the country. Over the past ten years, the cost of housing, including rents in the private rented sector have spiralled while the number of social rented homes has continued to fall and the numbers of people who are homeless or living in temporary accommodation has risen.

In this module, you will look at the scale and at the underlying causes of the housing crisis in the UK. In particular, the module gives an overview of housing policy in the UK and of the underlying power relations which shape housing policy. You will examine why we have a shortage of affordable housing, a growing and costly private rented sector and a collapse of social rented housing. You will also look at how access to housing and the housing market reflects wider social divisions in terms of class, ethnicity and gender. The module places housing and housing policy at the core of our understanding of society, social divisions and social policy.

The module focuses on housing policy and on social housing, looking at the history of social housing in the UK and at changes in housing policy since the 1980s. The module also looks at the growth of homelessness and at the underlying causes of the growing level of homelessness. You will look at homelessness policy, at good practice models of how to tackle homelessness and at the link between housing and poverty and the importance of both housing and welfare policy as instruments of poverty reduction.

By the end of the module, you will:

1. Engage critically with key debates about the scale and causes of the housing crisis
2. Apply social scientific methods to an understanding of the social divisions in access to housing
3. Develop data handling and data analysis skills to collect and analyse relevant data on housing, homelessness and the housing crisis in the UK
4. Examine and evaluate how changes in housing policy in the UK reflects different economic and political ideologies

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This module looks at housing and at the current housing crisis in the UK. The modules begins by examining the key housing issues facing the UK today, including the growing unaffordability of housing, the decline of social housing, the growth in homelessness and overcrowding and the growing link between housing and poverty. The module then looks at how access to housing reflects social divisions in terms of race, social class, gender and disability in society and at recent reports documenting structural racism in housing (LO1).

The module then examines some of the key underlying causes of the housing crisis including a focus of the scale and causes of homlessnesss (LO2). This includes looking at the financialisation and commodification of housing, at gentrification and at the role of housing policy in shaping the current housing crisis in the UK. The module looks at the history of housing policy especially since the 1980s, with the growing significance of neo-liberal housing policy which has overseen the collapse of council and social housing and the growing privatisation of housing through a range of policy instruments (LO3). 

The module also examines recent and current housing policies. This includes critically examining the housing policy focus on demolishing council housing estates and rebuilding mixed-tenure neighbourhoods in their place as well as current Government housing policy and narratives (LO4).
 

Delivery of this module is through a combination of lectures, seminars, tutorials, case studies and workshops allowing students to be actively involved in the learning process and develop their own learning style.  Case study visits will also be part of the module teaching and learning as appropriate. The lecture programme provides the underpinning theoretical foundation in the subject area and thinking skills are developed through complementary activities including case studies, workshops, seminars and tutorials. Students are expected to complement formal teaching with self-directed reading and completion of specified assignments. The module will also promote the student’s self-management and a reflective approach to their learning.

This module will be supported with relevant WebLearn pages where all lecture and workshop notes, relevant literature, and other sources will be available. All sessions will be recorded with Panopto and will be available to students.

On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:

LO1 Identify and describe the scale and characteristics of the housing crisis in the UK and how access to housing reflects and reinforces social divisions in society
LO2 Apply critical thinking to demonstrate an understanding of the key causes of the housing crisis and homelessness in the UK
LO3 Critically debate how housing policy changes reflect wider social, political, ideological and economic forces in society
LO4 Critically evaluate contemporary housing policy in the UK

https://rl.talis.com/3/londonmet/lists/3FC6EC0F-716C-9F77-B11F-6559B323EF68.html?lang=en&login=1