Dr Gideon Calder

Dr Gideon Calder
ResearchGate
Associate Professor in Sociology
Public Health, Policy and Social Sciences
Telephone: (01792) 602857
Room: Office - 124
First Floor
Haldane Building
Singleton Campus

Gideon Calder directs the Social Policy programme at Swansea University, and his main interests lie in the relationship between ideals, values and the reality of contemporary social challenges.  He works on the relationship between theories, policy and practice, exploring how each informs the other – and on a grander level, how all of this shapes our understanding of social justice and a fair society.  He is author or editor of 10 books, 25 refereed journal articles and over 30 book chapters and similar pieces.  He has appeared regularly on BBC TV and radio, and in 2017 helped set up Holi: Co-Productive Inquiry in Wales.

Areas of Expertise

  • social and political theory
  • professional ethics
  • social justice
  • social mobility
  • childhood
  • families
  • well-being policy
  • ethics of care
  • life chances
  • co-production

Publications

  1. Blunden, N. & Calder, G. Co-production and person-centred care in neoliberal conditions. European Journal for Person Centred Healthcare, 8(1), 75-85.
  2. Calder, G. Social Justice Issues in Health and Social Care. The Textbook of Health and Social Care (pp. 330-343). Sage
  3. Calder, G. Case Study: Young Carers. In Verkerk, M., Lindemann, H. and McLaughlin, J. (Ed.), What About the Family? Practices of Responsibility in Care (pp. 176-182). Oxford University Press
  4. Calder, G. Case Study: Young Caregivers. What About the Family? Practices of Responsibility in Care (pp. 176-182). Oxford University Press
    https://global.oup.com/academic/product/what-about-the-family-9780190624880?cc=gb&lang=en&
  5. Calder, G. (n.d.) Discretion as Ethical Practice. In Evans, T. and Hupe, P. (Ed.), Discretion and the Quest for Controlled Freedom (pp. 393-408). Palgrave Macmillan

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Teaching

  • ASP106 The Politics of Social Policy

    The module explores the development of recent UK Social Policy and the post-war welfare state through a political lens. It does this firstly by setting out key issues at the heart of debates on social policy, and then by comparing a series of key political approaches to those issues. The module considers liberalism, socialism, and conservatism, alongside recent critical approaches including feminism, environmentalism and the New Right. The aim is to provide an introduction to why social policy matters politically, and how our understanding of problems and priorities in welfare provision will be shaped by the dominant political perspectives of our time.

  • ASP111 The History of Social Policy

    This module provides students with an introduction to the development of social policy in Britain from the 1600s to the beginning of the twentieth century. It examines the responses of governments to social problems of the time, and to trace the foundations upon which the British welfare state was built. The module will cover conceptual, theoretical, policy and practice perspectives of the history of social policy. Key topics include: Pre-Victorian social policy (1601-1834); Victorian social welfare problems; Victorian politics, values and social change; poverty and evidence; the birth of social administration, social divisions and social reform; concerns of national efficiency and the legacy of Victorian social policy.

  • ASP220 Social Security, Poverty and Social Exclusion

    This module provides an overview of the development of social security from the turn of the 20th century to the present day. The module assesses the impact of contemporary social security policies in tackling poverty and the social exclusion of particular social groups. Social security policies are formulated within the precepts of prevailing political philosophies. Accordingly, social security has been greatly affected by changes in political and social policies throughout the twentieth century, and more recently by legislation implemented by the New Right, New Labour and Coalition governments. The meanings and significance of these changes are explored, and the roles and responsibilities of the state, the market and the individual are scrutinized.

  • ASP300 Dissertation

    The aim of this module is to provide students with an opportunity to analyse and report on a social issue of their own choosing.

  • ASP356 The Family and Children: Ethics and Policy

    This module critically explores why the family and children matter to social policy, through an analysis of various contexts in which relevant issues arise, and of the implications of how they have been tackled in recent policy across a range of policy spheres in Wales, the UK and beyond. Throughout, there is a focus on questions of ethics and social justice. Thus it addresses why families, parenting and the interests of children raise pressing and challenging questions concerning rights, responsibilities and the nature of well-being ¿ and provides critical tools with which to assess how these questions have been answered in social policy.

  • EYXM16 Children's Rights and Safeguarding Children and Young People

    This module will examine historical, cultural and ethical issues in relation to both the safeguarding of children and young people and their rights. It will examine the relevant legislation and policy in relation to both areas and evaluate the current safeguarding agenda and implementation of rights in the UK. The cross cultural context of both areas will also be discussed. It will be a relevant to practitioners working with children across a range of health, social and educational settings.

  • EYXM21 Childhood and Children: Sociological Perspectives

    This module aims to provide students with an overview of key issues in the contemporary sociology of childhood and children. It explores what is distinctive about a sociological (rather than e.g. a biological or psychological) perspective on the period of the life course from 0-18 years. It looks at the complex place of children in society, and at dominant social perceptions of how childhood compares to adulthood. It looks at how childhood relates to factors such as the family, class, gender, ethnicity. It also looks at a series of socially contentious issues connected to childhood, including punishment, sexuality, health and education. Each of these themes and issues is tackled in a critical way, exploring competing perspectives and encouraging the student to question commonplace assumptions and take an independent stance on the issues at stake. Thus the module provides a critical understanding both of what childhood is, in social terms, and why it matters in contemporary society.

  • HUP127 Fundamental Issues in Philosophy

    . This module explores philosophical attempts to understand the world and our place within it. It does this by examining key questions and debates about the nature of reality (metaphysics) and our ability to understand it (epistemology). These issues include: how do objects persist through time, even when they undergo significant change? What is the relationship between the mind and the body? Can we experience the world in itself or is our knowledge of the world necessarily shaped by our language, culture and/or body? When are we justified in believing the things that we do?

  • PM-148 Foundations of Community Medicine

    Communities now play a key role in improving and sustaining good health and the delivery of care. This has led to the development of a new field within medical education and practice called Community Medicine. Community Medicine is often considered synonymous with Preventative and Social Medicine (PSM), Public Health, and Community Health because of a shared concern with the prevention of disease and promotion of health and wellbeing. This module introduces students to the wide range of approaches encompassed within Community Medicine. These include preventative, promotive, curative and rehabilitative approaches aimed at improving population health through community-based health and care.

  • PPS111 Individuals and Society

    This module explores the relationship between society and the individual, with the aim of introducing students to a series of key concepts and debates across a series of areas of contemporary social life. We focus in particular on divisions in society as focal points for understanding how social factors affect individuals¿ identities, priorities, choices and life chances. The module serves as a foundation for years 2 and 3, giving students vital conceptual tools and showing how they can be applied across a series of key issues, themes and contexts.

  • PPS215 Using Evidence for Research, Policy and Practice

    The module aims to provide students with the elementary knowledge and tools necessary to identify, record, and interpret different types of literature and secondary data sources for use in the development of evidence-based literature reviews which can inform research, practice and/or policy. Students will be introduced to: the substantive aspects of developing evidence for research, policy and practice, illustrated with examples of evidence-based policy; different approaches to reviewing literature; identifying and searching specialist databases containing survey and census data; recording and storing evidence using specialist software; and applying these skills and knowledge by preparing a literature review on a social policy topic.

  • PPS309 Sociology of Childhood and Parenting

    This module aims to provide students with an overview of key issues in the contemporary sociology of childhood and parenting. It explores what is distinctive about a sociological (rather than e.g. a biological or psychological) perspective on children, childhood and the parenting relationship. It looks at the complex place of children in society, and at dominant social perceptions of how childhood compares to adulthood. It looks at how the experience of childhood and parenting relate to factors such as class, gender and ethnicity. And it looks at a series of socially contentious issues connected to childhood, parenting and family relationships, including punishment, sexuality, religion and education. Thus the module provides a critical understanding both of what childhood and parenting are, in social terms, why they matter in contemporary society, and the important role they play in our understanding of key social processes.

  • PPS313 Ethical Aspects of the Social Sciences

    What has social science got to do with ethics? This module explores this question in connection with how we `do¿ social science in general, and then focuses on a series of contemporary social controversies where ethical questions arise. It begins by looking in depth at the relationship between facts and values in social science before turning to core aspects of research ethics. We then look at alternative approaches in modern ethical theory, and the distinct tools they provide with which to analyse ethical controversies. Finally, the module turns to a consideration of contemporary controversies with important ethical dimensions, from `fake news¿ to big data, reproduction, social media and crime and punishment.

  • SHHM16 Ethics and Philosophy of Social Research

    This module will address the ethics of conducting social research. The discussion of research ethics will include, but not be limited to, informed consent and how to protect the anonymity of research participants. Discussions will also address the limits of researchers' obligations to protect anonymity and confidentiality, along with taking a more detailed look at the process of applying for university research ethics approval. Philosophical problems associated with conducting social research will be explored - asking questions such as 'How is our understanding of others limited? ''Are my research findings objective?¿.

  • SHPM48 Philosophy, Ethics & Medicine

    This module introduces and examines some of the fundamental theoretical approaches to ethics in relation to examples taken from healthcare. It also considers the nature of moral judgements and the relation between ethics and the law.

Supervision

  • Perceptions of ethics and ethical development of undergraduate student nurses (current)

    PhD
    Other supervisor: Dr Sophia Komninou
    Other supervisor: Dr Hugh Upton
    Other supervisor: Dr Gideon Calder

  • Older people’s use of mobility aids in the built environment (current)

    PhD
    Other supervisor: Dr Gideon Calder
    Other supervisor: Dr Ashley Frawley
    Other supervisor: Dr Paul Nash
    Other supervisor: Dr Charles Musselwhite

  • The nature of ethical dilemmas in disaster response (current)

    PhD
    Other supervisor: Dr Hugh Upton
    Other supervisor: Dr Gideon Calder

  • Students and Teachers Perceived Value of Pre-Advanced Placement Courses (current)

    PhD
    Other supervisor: Dr Michael Ward
    Other supervisor: Dr Gideon Calder

  • Eggshells and Grenade’s; Narratives of Child on Parent Violence. A Qualitative Study. (current)

    PhD
    Other supervisor: Dr Gideon Calder
    Other supervisor: Dr Tracey Maegusuku-Hewett
    Other supervisor: Prof Fiona Verity

  • Therapy Culture Goes Online: Exploring the use of illness identities on social media (current)

    PhD
    Other supervisor: Dr Julia Terry
    Other supervisor: Dr Ashley Frawley
    Other supervisor: Dr Gideon Calder

  • Wellbeing of family carers to older adults«br /»«br /»«br /»«br /»«br /»«br /»«br /» (current)

    PhD
    Other supervisor: Dr Gideon Calder
    Other supervisor: Prof Vanessa Burholt
    Other supervisor: Dr Gideon Calder

  • Rethinking Reification in the Era of Late Capitalism: Between Marxism and Post-Structuralism (current)

    PhD
    Other supervisor: Dr Ashley Frawley
    Other supervisor: Dr Gideon Calder

  • Building on the past: creating a sustainable landscape for care homes in the UK drawing on an intergenerational approach. (current)

    PhD
    Other supervisor: Dr Gideon Calder
    Other supervisor: Prof Fiona Verity

  • 'An ethnographic study of health visitors’ interpretation of the principle of ‘the influence on policies affecting health’ in Wales.' (awarded 2019)

    PhD
    Other supervisor: Dr Gideon Calder
    Other supervisor: Dr Gideon Calder
    Other supervisor: Dr Sherrill Snelgrove
    Other supervisor: Prof Joy Merrell

Research Groups

  • PRIME Centre Wales

    PRIME Centre Wales

  • Research Institute of Ethics and Law

    Research Institute of Ethics and Law, Swansea University

  • Holi: Co-Productive Inquiry in Wales

    Holi: Co-Productive Inquiry in Wales

Calling from outside the UK?

+44 1792 602857