Why Social Science Matters, Issue 1

Why Social Science Matters is a new series of essays published by the Centre for Sociology, Anthropology and Politics, which is part of the Higher Education Academy. In this first issue of Why Social Science Matters, six academic authors address this issue in response to a lead article by Professor Ranald Mcdonald. Change has become ubiquitous within Higher Education. Whether it be changes to organisational structures - from departments, to schools, to faculties and back again over a regular cycle; to the curriculum; to the latest approaches to learning, teaching and assessment; to initiatives from Funding Councils or the Government; we do not seem to be able to avoid the experience of change or initiative overload. However, change need not be a bad thing, though we may not necessarily agree on what ‘for the better’ means.