Topic outline

  • General

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    • This course aims to extend students' knowledge of sociology by addressing how sociologists identify and conceptualise issues and how they then go about designing and conducting their research. Certain types of questions require particular sociological approaches to answer them.

      In this course, we consider the social nature of micro-level and experiential issues and their relationship to wider, macro-level cultural and structural forces in such a way that 'personal troubles' can be connected to 'public issues', a core endeavour of sociological thought and research.

      Themes covered on the course include: the body, emotions, sex and intimacy, the life course and consumption.

      You will be joining SO2006 in week 7. 

      Course Coordinator: Dr John Bone j.bone@abdn.ac.uk

  • What skills will I develop?

    • This module is designed to increase students’ knowledge of:

      • the historical development of sociology as a field of study, including the influence of other disciplines upon that development
      • the unique nature of a sociological perspective, its foundations in the classical sociological literature, and its expression in contemporary sociological work
      • alternative sociological viewpoints and the issues and concerns most central to each
      • how different sociological perspectives influence the identification and conceptualisation of sociological questions within the substantive areas of: the body, sex and gender, the emotions, health and illness, food and feeding, personhood, the life course, and death and dying

  • What will the timetable be like?

    • The course is designed primarily as one-on-one sessions, scheduled weekly or bi-weekly. Students are also urged, but not required, to attend two one-hour weekly lectures. Beyond these sessions, all work for the course will be private study.

  • How Will I be Assessed?

    • Assessment is a 4,000-word essay on a self-selected (sociological) topic. Its preparation is guided and overseen by the course coordinator. The essay should follow the guidelines set out in the Good Writing Guide for sociology, available through the School of Social Sciences web pages

  • What topics have previous students chosen?

    • Topics chosen by previous students include:

      "The ‘stigma’ of cancer survival"
      "Men’s use of cosmetic surgery: A cross-cultural analysis"
      "Midwifery in two similar healthcare contexts: the UK and Canada"
      "Exploring the world of the amateur musician"

  • Have any previous students won prizes for their work?

    • Two students have won the award for the best overall Medical Humanities submission of the year.

  • What did previous students think about this course?

    • Student view 20-21


      Student view 18-19

  • Where can I get more information?

    • Look through the Course Handbook for SO2006 (the Sociology Course from which this Medical Humanities option is adapted) - link below

      Read Sociology: A Very Short Introduction, by Steve Bruce (available from the library)

      Contact the course coordinator 

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