Any society has to address the problem of how and what to produce for its material survival, and how the goods and services that are produced should be distributed among its population. Economists explore how people and institutions behave and function when producing, exchanging and using goods and services. Economists’ main motivation is to find mechanisms that encourage efficiency in the production and use of material goods and resources, while at the same time producing a pattern of income distribution that society finds acceptable.
Economics will appeal to students with a wide range of interests. If students are interested in current economic affairs or in understanding how public policies could lower unemployment or assist the developing world, then they will find studying economics both stimulating and rewarding. Economics is also a strong platform for careers in business and finance. Students who enjoy abstract thinking, and are evaluating courses such as engineering or physics, should also consider economics as a degree option.
Social Policy entails the study of those social relations shaping human welfare and wellbeing and analysis of the means by which governments achieve citizen’s well-being through the formation of policies, provision of services and responding to social issues and problems. As a course of undergraduate study Social Policy fits with a commitment to advance the cause of a just, pluralistic and sustainable society. The course encourages engagement with wider society and civic engagement through modules on issues such as refugee policy, housing and homelessness, ageing and the life course, youth, reproductive rights, social inequality, disability and domestic violence. A global outlook is a reoccurring and integral part of the course. Trinity College curriculum aims to give students a thorough training in the systematic analysis of contemporary social issues and the role of social policy in comparative country contexts. At the end of the four years students should have developed both a general understanding of the field of social policy and specific expertise in select contemporary policy issues, the process of policy making and the skills of research, analysis and argumentation applicable to the policy arena.
