Last modified: 11 Aug 2025 09:46
This course investigates the ways people think about, understand, and respond to violence. How do we know what counts as violence or a violence act? Why does legislation against violence often seem inadequate, perhaps especially in the case of gendered and sexual violence?
| Study Type | Undergraduate | Level | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Term | Second Term | Credit Points | 30 credits (15 ECTS credits) |
| Campus | Aberdeen | Sustained Study | No |
| Co-ordinators |
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One or more of these courses have a limited number of places. Priority access will be given to students for whom this course is compulsory. Please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions for more details on this process.
This course investigates the ways people think about, understand, and respond to violence. How do we know what counts as violence or a violence act? Why does legislation against violence often seem inadequate, perhaps especially in the case of gendered and sexual violence? As the links between sex, gender and violence appear intimate and often lethal, a central but not exclusive focus of this course will be on theories and practices of sex/gender. We will focus on specific texts, for example Zizek’s 'Violence: Six Sideways Reflections' (2009, Profile Books) throughout the course. We will consider how violence is represented, for example in media representations of conflicts, or in popular culture such as films. We will also analyze legislative attempts to deal with violence for example in the arena of human rights and gender mainstreaming. Furthermore, we will pay close attention to the brutal fecundity of violence through the banality of everyday ordinary violence. This will be a seminar class with the emphasis on student led participation and discussion rather than lectures.
Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 70 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 34 | Feedback Weeks | 37 | |
| Feedback |
Students will complete one 3,000-word paper. Students will draft a research proposal that will be presented as a flash talk in Weeks 4 and 5, where it will receive peer-feedback that will shape their final essay submission. Feedback on the essay will be provided via GradeBook with a three-week turnaround. |
Word Count | 3000 | |
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Analyse | Students will develop the ability to engage in critical thinking with regards to concepts of violence, gender studies, and power imbalances. |
| Conceptual | Create | Students will develop the ability to provide critical peer-to-peer feedback and deliver information in a succinct, yet rich, manner. |
| Factual | Understand | The course will enable students to understand the key debates and arguments regarding institutional and structural violence, inequalities, and dis/empowerment. |
| Reflection | Analyse | Encourage students to develop their analytical voice in written and spoken outputs. |
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 30 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 36 | Feedback Weeks | 39 | |
| Feedback |
Students will complete one 1500-word reflective report that will prompt them to reflect on the impact of an academic output (text, lecture, podcast) on how they view a social issue. The feedback will be provided via GradeBook with a three-week turnaround. |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Analyse | Students will develop the ability to engage in critical thinking with regards to concepts of violence, gender studies, and power imbalances. |
| Conceptual | Create | Students will develop the ability to provide critical peer-to-peer feedback and deliver information in a succinct, yet rich, manner. |
| Factual | Understand | The course will enable students to understand the key debates and arguments regarding institutional and structural violence, inequalities, and dis/empowerment. |
| Reflection | Analyse | Encourage students to develop their analytical voice in written and spoken outputs. |
| Reflection | Evaluate | The course will facilitate students’ awareness and utilisation of positionality and reflexivity in their studies. |
There are no assessments for this course.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 100 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 50 | Feedback Weeks | 53 | |
| Feedback |
Feedback will be provided via GradeBook. |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Create | Students will develop the ability to provide critical peer-to-peer feedback and deliver information in a succinct, yet rich, manner. |
| Reflection | Analyse | Encourage students to develop their analytical voice in written and spoken outputs. |
| Conceptual | Analyse | Students will develop the ability to engage in critical thinking with regards to concepts of violence, gender studies, and power imbalances. |
| Reflection | Evaluate | The course will facilitate students’ awareness and utilisation of positionality and reflexivity in their studies. |
| Factual | Understand | The course will enable students to understand the key debates and arguments regarding institutional and structural violence, inequalities, and dis/empowerment. |
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