Undergraduate Catalogue of Courses 2013/2014
SOCIOLOGY
Course Co-ordinator: Dr J Bone
Pre-requisite(s): None
Co-requisite(s): None
Sociology is the study of human social groups. It particularly focuses on modern societies, analyzing how they work and how the major social institutions in them (such as religion, the media, government and the economy) operate. The course presents students with a general introduction to the unique manner in which sociologists seek to understand contemporary societies. Students are presented with current and classical approaches to understanding the social processes that underlie self-construction, group formation and social interaction, within urbanizing and globalizing social contexts.
1 one-hour lecture per week (with additional guest lectures as appropriate) and associate tutorial teaching.
1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (60%); continuous assessment (40%).
Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (100%).
Formative Assessment and Feedback Information
Class presentations plus class quizzes.
Written feedback will be provided for continuous assessment work, where appropriate. This will normally be provided within three weeks of the submission date. Oral feedback on class presentations will also be provided where appropriate.
PLEASE NOTE: Resit: (for Honours students only): Candidates achieving a CAS mark of 6-8 may be awarded compensatory level 1 credit. Candidates achieving a CAS mark of less than 6 will be required to submit themselves for re-assessment and should contact the Course Co-ordinator for further details.
Course Co-ordinator: Dr R Wilkie
Pre-requisite(s): Available to students in Programme Year 4 only. Students should normally have 135 credits in Sociology courses. Students lacking these credits may be allowed to take the course with the Head of Department's permission.
Since the 1980's, the social sciences have witnessed an 'animal turn', as evidenced by the emerging field of human-animal studies. This course explores the sociological and political significance of human-animal relations in contemporary modern societies, and considers the implications of the 'animal turn' on mainstream disciplinary assumptions. The institutionalised use of animals, such as agricultural animals, is also increasingly contentious. The course outlines key historical, religious and philosophical influences to contextualise the ambiguous and multifaceted nature of interspecies relations, and will draw on perspectives such as actor-network theory, ecofeminism, symbolic interactionism, postmodernism, and 'public sociology' to inform related discussions and debates.
1 one-hour lecture per week; 1 one-hour tutorial per week.
1st Attempt: 1 three-hour written examination (60%); Continuous Assessment (40%) consisting of two 2,000 word essays.
Resit: Examination (100%).
Formative Assessment and Feedback Information
Class presentations, for which oral feedback is provided.
Written feedback will be provided for continuous assessment work, where appropriate. This will normally be provided within three weeks of the submission date. Oral feedback will also be provided where appropriate.
Course Co-ordinator: Dr J Bone
Pre-requisite(s): SO 3524. Available to students in Programme Year 4 only. Students should normally have 135 credits in Sociology courses. Students lacking these credits may be allowed to take the course with the Head of Department's permission.
This course affords students the opportunity to apply their sociological knowledge and research skills to an individual piece of research, focusing on a topic selected by the student and approved by the department. Over the course of the project, with guidance from a member of staff, the student will conduct a literature review of relevant material, select appropriate research methods, gather and analyse data, and write a final report. While the techniques of analysis will vary with the nature of the research problem, all students will be guided in the arts of critical analysis, report planning, and report writing. While particular emphasis will be given to helping students develop their own skills, the course also incorporates a Study Skills programme covering time management, library and information skills, writing literature reviews, careers and postgraduate opportunities, and presentation skills.
Project tutorial programme in Study Skills (11 hours), individual supervision (periodic consultation, minimum 5 hours contact), student presentations (3 hours).
1st Attempt: In-course assessment: project report (100%).
Resit: In-course grade will be carried forward unless the student opts to resubmit course work.
Formative Assessment and Feedback Information
Oral and peer feedback on class presentations.
Informal feedback provided on literature review and course design and at draft stages of dissertation. Written feedback will be offered on the finished project report.
Course Co-ordinator: Professor D Inglis
Pre-requisite(s): Available only to students in Programme Year 4 only. Students should normally have 135 credits in Sociology courses.
Note(s): This course will not be available in 2012/13.
This course examines how cultural issues can be investigated sociologically. It introduces students to the main range of theoretical approaches to the sociology of culture, including classical Marxist and neo-Marxist paradigms such as those of Gramsci and the Frankfurt School, semiotics, culturalism, and the ideas of Pierre Bourdieu. It also offers students the chance to explore sociological viewpoints on the nature of artistic creation and other forms of cultural activity. A particular feature of the course involves analysis of what the terms 'high culture' and 'popular culture' may mean, and the stakes that are involved in their use in different social contexts. The relations between social groups, forms of power and modes of cultural creation, dissemination and consumption are explored and reflected upon.
1 one-hour lecture per week and 1 one-hour tutorial.
1st Attempt: Continuous assessment; one 3,000 word essay (40%); 1 three-hour examination (60%).
Resit: 1 three-hour examination (100%).
Formative Assessment and Feedback Information
Class presentations, for which oral feedback is provided.
Written feedback will be provided for continuous assessment work, where appropriate. This will normally be provided within three weeks of the submission date. Oral feedback on class presentations will also be provided where appropriate.
Course Co-ordinator: TBA
Pre-requisite(s): Available to students in Programme Year 4 only. Students should normally have 135 credits in Sociology courses. Students lacking these credits may be allowed to take the course with the Head of Department's permission.
Note(s): This course will not be available in 2012/13.
The course considers European Societies from a sociological perspective, addressing the social issues and social processes that affect Europe. Topics that are normally only addressed as national issues such as work, family, and religion are examined at the European level. The course will address how the widening and integration of Europe has raised issues such as nationalism, xenophobia and migration. The course begins by introducing various theoretical concepts which provide a framework for the course and are then developed through the more substantive topics which may include the history of European Societies, family patterns in Europe, employment and welfare in Europe, xenophobia and racism.
1 two-hour seminar per week.
1st Attempt: Continuous assessment, one 3,000 word essay (40%); 1 three-hour examination (60%).
Resit: 1 three-hour examination (100%).
Formative Assessment and Feedback Information
Class presentations, for which oral feedback is provided.
Written feedback will be provided for continuous assessment work, where appropriate. This will normally be provided within three weeks of the submission date. Oral feedback on class presentations will also be provided where appropriate.
Course Co-ordinator: Professor M Zalewski
Pre-requisite(s): Available to students in Programme Year 4 only. Students should normally have 135 credits in Sociology courses, but permission may be granted for students who do not have these.
This course is inspired by the paradoxical invisibility of the work of sex/gender in political 'sex scandals' (eg. Lewinsky/Clinton) whereby 'sex' appears to be the most important factor in the story, yet is ultimately rendered irrelevent in the context of the 'bigger picture' (eg. national security or simply running the country). We will work with the ideas of a 'sex-scandal' to illustrate and analyze the persistent 'scandal of gender' in a number of social/political sites. The overarching theoretical and empirical focus through which we will look at specific issues is post-feminism. The sites we will investigate include: celebrity femininity, science, human rights, gender mainstreaming and cyborg citizenship.
- Why sex scandals? Politics, power and sex from Profumo to Lewinsky.
- Political concepts and gender 1
- Political concepts and gender 2
- Representation: Madam President
- Multiculturalism: Headscarves and mini-skirts
- Agency: sexual decoys in the 'war on terror'
- Freedom of speech: Language and sex
- Equality: inadequate to the task - Gender Equality Duty Legislation/SEA
- Culture and progress: Science and sex
- Human rights: sexual violence (Bosnia, Rwanda, Darfur)
- Human rights: trafficking
- Citizenship: reproduction
1st Attempt: Short Paper - 1,000 words (10%), Essay - 3,000 words (40%), Project/Long essay - 4,000-4,500 words (50%).
Resit: 1 three-hour examination (100%).
Formative Assessment and Feedback Information
Tutorial facilitation, for which feedback is provided.
Written feedback will be provided for continuous assessment work, where appropriate. This will normally be provided within three weeks of the submission date. Oral feedback will also be provided on tutorial facilitation where appropriate.
Course Co-ordinator: Dr D Gimlin
Pre-requisite(s): Available only to students in Programme Year 4 only. Students should normally have 135 credits in Sociology courses. Students lacking these credits may be allowed to take the course with the Head of Department's permission.
This course examines activities intended to alter the form and functioning of the human body. Drawing upon case studies of various types of 'body work', the course will address the following topics: the influence of class and other forms of stratification on the ways people develop their bodies and on the symbolic value attached to particular bodily forms; the role of 'body experts' in shaping understandings of legitimate vs illegitimate body practices; the body's implication in the buying and selling of labour power; and the means through which physical capital is converted into other resources and rewards.
1 one-hour lecture and 1 one-hour tutorial per week.
1st Attempt: 1 three-hour written examination (60%) and continuous assessment (40%); the latter consists of two 2,500 word essays.
Resit: 1 three-hour examination (100%).
Formative Assessment and Feedback Information
Tutorial facilitation, for which feedback is provided.
Written feedback will be provided for continuous assessment work. This will normally be provided within three weeks of the submission date. Oral feedback will also be provided on tutorial facilitation where appropriate.
Course Co-ordinator: Dr C Kollmeyer
Pre-requisite(s): Available to students in Programme Year 4 only. Students should normally have 135 credits in Sociology courses. Students lacking these credits may be allowed to take the course with the Head of Department's permission.
This course aims to give students an understanding of the social basis of political power. It begins by examining the classic paradigms of political sociology, paying particular attentions to those developed by Marx, Weber, and Tocqueville. It then examines several substantive issues and debates on the nature of contemporary political power and politics, such as those surrounding the changing nature of civil society, the power of large corporations, the relative decline of class politics and rise of cultural politics, the media's influence on public opinion, and globalization's effect on democracy.
1 one-hour lecture and 1 one-hour tutorial per week.
1st Attempt: Three-hour examination (60%) and continuous assessment (40%). Continuous assessment consists of one 1,000-word essay (15%) and one 3,000-word essay (25%).
Resit: Examination (100%).
Formative Assessment and Feedback Information
Written feedback will be provided for continuous assessment work, where appropriate. This will normally be provided within three weeks of the submission date. Oral feedback on class presentations will also be provided where appropriate.
Course Co-ordinator: Dr J Bone
Pre-requisite(s): Available only to students in Programme Year 4 only. Students should normally have 135 credits in Sociology courses. Students lacking these credits may be allowed to take the course with the Head of Department's permission.
This course focuses on the various sociological implications of living in cities, and the way in which the complexities inherent in urban living fundamentally alter processes of identity formation and social interaction, as well as shaping the wider institutions that give form and pattern to everyday life. Various theoretical models of urbanisation, community, modernity and selfhood will be explored, against the background of a range of substantive topics tracing the key socio-historical developments that have marked the transition from the pastoral society to the contemporary global megalopolis.
1 one-hour lecture and 1 one-hour tutorial per week.
1st attempt: 1 three-hour written examination (60%); continuous assessment, one 2,500 word essay (40%).
Resit: 1 three-hour written examination (100%).
Formative Assessment and Feedback Information
Written feedback will be provided for continuous assessment work, where appropriate. This will normally be provided within three weeks of the submission date. Oral feedback on class presentations will also be provided where appropriate.
Course Co-ordinator: Mr A Glendinning
Pre-requisite(s): Available to students in Programme Year 4 only. Students should normally have 135 credits in Sociology courses. Students lacking these credits may be allowed to take the course with the Head of Department's permission.
The course utilises secondary survey data sources to demonstrate approaches to the analysis of sociological data, to apply these approaches in practice and report on the results of the application of approaches in the form of a research report. Substantive thematic areas are considered within the course as case studies - such as, the sociology of religion and theoretical frames therein - where key concepts are operationalised by means of data from existing and archived large-scale survey-based research studies. Analysis is undertaken by means of SPSS for Windows.
1 one-hour lecture; 1 one-hour seminar and demonstration; and 1 one-hour practical workshop per week.
1st Attempt: In-course continuous assessment (100%) by means of three assessed pieces of work:
a) Topic: 2 page written assignment (500 words); Week 32
Identification of topic, and specification of research questions and hypotheses. (10%)
b) Concepts, data and measurement: 6-page written assignment (1,500 words); Week 36
Explication of concepts, identification and retrieval of secondary survey data, data preparation and operationalisation of concepts for analysis (30%).
c) Research report of secondary survey data analysis: 12 pages (3,000 words); Week 43
Final report of problem, methods, findings and conclusions from secondary survey data analysis undertaken, with relevant appendices counting as extra; the final report builds on (a) and (b) (60%).
Resit : In-course continuous assessment (100%) by means of one assignment:
(d) Resubmission of the final report (c), as at 1st attempt, but now counting as 100% of the total assessment.
Formative Assessment and Feedback Information
The sequencing of seminars, presentations and group work and practical computer workshops, week on week, with oral feedback, building in turn to summative assessments (a), (b) and (c), as above, means formative asessement methods are integral to the course.
Timely written and oral feedback are provided as essential to completing the three steps (a), (b) and (c) in the summative assessment regime, within a spiral curricular design.
Course Co-ordinator: Professor S Bruce
Pre-requisite(s): Available to students in Programme Year 4 only. Students should normally have 135 credits in Sociology courses. Students lacking these credits may be allowed to take the course with the Head of Department's permission.
This course examines the many ways in which politics and religion interact in the modern world. Key topics are the place of religion in nationalist and ethnic identity politics; religion and violence; religion and democratization; the politics of non-Christian minorities in the West, and a comparison of Christian politics in the UK and USA.
1 two-hour combined lecture/seminar session per week and, for each student, two half-hour individual essay-related tutorials.
1st Attempt: Continuous assessment, two essays of c. 2,000 words (40%); 1 three-hour unseen examination (60%).
Resit: examination (100%).
Formative Assessment and Feedback Information
Students will receive written comments on the initial drafts of their essays.
Course Co-ordinator: Dr A McKinnon
Pre-requisite(s): Available to students in Programme Year 4 only. Students should normally have 135 credits in Sociology courses. Students lacking these credits may be allowed to take the course with the Head of Department's permission.
In this class we will examine social theories of religion, beginning with a few important classics (Marx, Weber, Durkheim, Nietzsche), and continuing on to as well as more contemporary social theory. Unlike in classical theory, where the religion question looms large, in most contemporary theory, religion has become a somewhat more peripheral concern. Much of such recent theorizing, however, provides us with vital tools for a sociological comprehension of contemporary (as well as historical) religion. With the question of religion in mind, we will examine relevant writings such as those of the Frankfurt School, Michel Foucault, Charles Taylor, Pierre Bourdieu, Ulrich Beck, Ren Girard and Dorothy Smith. Our focus will be on thematics that bridge the sociological study of religion with topics relevant to other areas of research. These include power, sacrifice, the body, discipline, ritual, the social imgainary, consumption/commodification, globalization, risk, and rationality.
1 one-hour lecture and 1 one-hour tutorial per week
1st Attempt: Examination (60%), and continuous assessment, one 5,000 word essay (40%).
Resit: examination (100%).
Formative Assessment and Feedback Information
Written feedback will be provided for continuous assessment work, where appropriate. This will normally be provided within three weeks of the submission date. Oral feedback on class presentations will also be provided where appropriate.
Course Co-ordinator: Professor M Zalewski
Pre-requisite(s): Available to students in Programme Year 4 only. Students should normally have 135 credits in Sociology courses but permission may be granted for students who do not have these by Head of Department/Head of School.
In this course we will look at some of the ways ideas and practices relating to gender, sex and death matter in a globalized world. This means we will be looking at a number of issues, practices and beliefs around femininity, masculinity and sexuality in relation to global politics. The aim is to think critically about the roles gender plays, and the work gender does in global politics.
1 one-hour lecture and 1 one-hour tutorial per week.
1st Attempt: critical review, 1,000 words, (10%); essay, 3,000 words (40%); project/long essay, 4,000-4,500 words (50%).
Resit: examination (100%).
Formative Assessment and Feedback Information
Essay comment sheets. Email discussions. Informal feedback in class and after class.
Course Co-ordinator: Dr C Flesher Fominaya
Pre-requisite(s): Available to students in Programme Year 4 only. Students should normally have 135 credits in Sociology courses. Students lacking these credits may be allowed to take the course with the Head of Department's permission.
The study of social change and transformation has always been at the core of sociology, and social movements and collective action are key areas of sociological analysis. This course provides an exploration of some contemporary European social movements (20th and 21st century) and the theoretical perspectives that have been developed to analyze them and inspire them. The links between theory and action will also be explored. After presenting an initial overview of social movement theory, we will explore such areas as New Social movement theory and movements, European Feminist Theory and movements, Autonomous theory and movements, and Nationalist theory and movements.
1 one-hour lecture and 1 one-hour seminar per week.
1st Attempt: Examination (60%), continuous assessment (40%).
Resit (for Honours students only): Candidates achieving a CAS mark of 6-8 may be awarded compensatory level 1 credits. Candidates achieving a CAS mark of less than 6 will be required to submit themselves for re-assessment and should contact the Course Co-ordinator for further details. Grades for continuous assessment work will be carried forward unless the student opts to resubmit course work.
Formative Assessment and Feedback Information
Written feedback will be provided on short critical response essays that students prepare and present in class over the course. This will be provided within three weeks of the submission date.
Oral feedback on weekly class presentations will be provided by the tutor, as well as by students themselves in a peer review process.
Written feedback will be provided for continuous assessment work, where appropriate. This will normally be provided within three weeks of the submission date. Oral feedback on class presentations will also be provided where appropriate.
Course Co-ordinator: Professor J Brewer
Pre-requisite(s): Available only to students in Programme Year 4 only. Students should normally have 135 credits in Sociology courses. Students lacking these credits may be allowed to take the course with the Head of Department's permission.
This module addresses communal violence and its resolution from a sociological perspective. It focuses on sociology's contribution to understanding peace processes as it contrasts with governance and human rights approaches that normally dominate the literature. This involves analysis of the different types of post-violence society and the different ways in which peace can be achieved, with attention being focused on post-violence societies based around negotiated peace settlements. The course explores the sociological features of peace accords and of post violence adjustment problems and draws heavily on the experiences of societies like Northern Ireland, South Africa, Rwanda, Sri Lanka and various South American countries. It addresses issues that impact on the success of peace processes, such as gender, civil society, religion, memory, emotions, truth recovery and victimhood.
1 two-hour seminar per week.
1st Attempt: 1 three-hour written examination (60%), one continuous assessment essay (40%), continuous assessment is a case study of 3,000 words
Resit: 1 three-hour exam (60%). In-course grades will be carried forward unless the student opts to resubmit course work (40%).
Formative Assessment and Feedback Information
Discussion of essay plans and tutorial presentations.
Written feedback is provided.