3 Units
This course allows students to add a specialism in the study of interpersonal violence to the Social Policy degree. It introduces students to various forms of interpersonal violence which are prevalent in contemporary society through a range of topics including for example: domestic violence, youth violence, cyberbullying, sexual violence and workplace violence that impact on individuals, families, and society. It explores the nature, magnitude, risk factors and consequences of interpersonal violence in local and international contexts, as well as examining the social policy responses to them within a broader theoretical framework and related social sciences, public health, and legal subjects. This course adopts a comparative perspective. Apart from referring to the international social policy experiences in tackling interpersonal violence, it also looks at social policy practices in Hong Kong and mainland China.
The purpose of this course is to help students address the key questions related to interpersonal violence such as: what are the serious abuse and violence that people experience? Why do they occur? How effective are social welfare systems, criminal justice systems, policymakers and governments in tackling and responding to interpersonal violence? This course enables students to adopt an intersectional approach to understanding different forms of violence and the contexts in which they occur. Students will learn the knowledge and skills for developing and evaluating both traditional and innovative evidence-based interventions to prevent interpersonal violence, and possess the ability to critically analyze existing social policies and provide recommendations.