The concept of ‘Civic Engagement’ includes activity for the good of society or of particular communities, not normally for financial reward, and voluntarily entered into by the student and the organisation.  The Department of Applied Social Studies, offers an optional Civic Engagement Initiative (CEI) module for students in the Bachelor of  Social Science degree (BSocSc) and a mandatory professional development module for students on the B.A. Applied Social Studies (BAASS) with a Civic Engagement component.

As a complementary programme in the area of professional development, the CEI allows students, who have already completed their professional education, to deepen their knowledge and understanding in the social professions through further first-hand experience in an organisation/agency/programme/project.  The purpose of the CEI is to strengthen professional knowledge and understanding through engagement on a specific piece of work undertakn over 80 hours on a voluntary basis in an outside agency.  This work culminates in a reflexive exercise around the nature of the student’s contribution and the impact of this work on the student’s own professional development.

Students in the second and third years of the B SocSc degree are offered the option of a Civic Engagement module which is not assessed but treated as an additional module which has been completed.  Each student completes a minimum of 40 hours work with a civil society or public sector organisation, providing opportunities for students to enhance their capacity to engage effectively in civil society or public sector settings while reflecting on their values and applying academic theory to work in the applied contexts.