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  5. Sociology
  6. SO4053: BODY WORK AND BODY WORKERS

SO4053: BODY WORK AND BODY WORKERS (2014-2015)

Last modified: 28 Jun 2018 10:27


Course Overview

Everyday life is ultimately about the production and reproduction of human bodies. When we wake up each morning, we prepare our body for public display by washing it, grooming it and dressing it. Beyond such mundane activities, individuals engage in a range of practices intended to alter the body’s form and functioning. While such activities are rarely referred to as ‘work’, they nonetheless involve our own labour and the labour of others. This course will focus on what sociologists describe as the ‘body/work nexus’ – i.e., the particular ways that our unfinished bodies are ‘completed’ through human action.

Course Details

Study Type Undergraduate Level 4
Session First Sub Session Credit Points 30 credits (15 ECTS credits)
Campus None. Sustained Study No
Co-ordinators

Sorry, we don't have a record of any course coordinators.

What courses & programmes must have been taken before this course?

None.

What other courses must be taken with this course?

None.

What courses cannot be taken with this course?

None.

Are there a limited number of places available?

No

Course Description

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.

Contact Teaching Time

Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.

Teaching Breakdown

More Information about Week Numbers


Details, including assessments, may be subject to change until 31 August 2023 for 1st half-session courses and 22 December 2023 for 2nd half-session courses.

Summative Assessments

1st Attempt: 1 three-hour written examination (60%) and continuous assessment (40%).

Formative Assessment

There are no assessments for this course.

Feedback

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 Learning Outcomes

None.
 

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