SOCIOLOGY

Credit Points

20

Course Coordinator

Dr J Bone

Pre-requisites

None.

Overview

This course is intended as students' initial introduction to sociology and is aimed at students with no previous background in the discipline as well as students who wish to refresh their knowledge of sociology. It deals with the basic building blocks that form the relationship between individuals and society. Students will be introduced to several substantive topics to illustrate the arguments, based around some of sociology's classic studies. Such topics may include

• What is society?


• Do people have biological instincts?


• How is society reproduced across the generations?


• The sociological imagination


• Culture, socialisation and learned behaviour


• Gender and sexuality

Structure

2 one-hour lectures and 1 one-hour tutorial per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Examination (60%), in-course assessment (40%).

Resit: Examination (100%).

Credit Points

20

Course Coordinator

Dr A McKinnon

Pre-requisites

None.

Overview

This course introduces students to the study of the major social institutions of contemporary societies, such as the mass media, belief systems, government, bureaucracy and the economy. It considers what effects social institutions may have on the lives of individuals and groups, and how institutions are subject to social change. The course also illustrates the range of ways sociologists have developed to understand and research the nature of social institutions and their functioning.

Structure

2 one-hour lectures and 1 one-hour tutorial per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Examination (60%), in-course assessment (40%).

Resit: Examination (100%).

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr D Gimlin

Pre-requisites

Passes in both level 1 Sociology courses.

Overview

This course aims to extend students' knowledge of sociology from that gained during the first year by addressing how sociologists identify and conceptualise issues and how they design and conduct their research. In this course, we consider the social nature of micro-level issues and their relationship to wider, macro-level cultural and structural forces. We explore the way that 'personal troubles' can be connected to 'public issues', a core endeavour of sociological thought and research. Themes covered on the course may include the body, emotions, sex and intimacy, gender, the life course, therapeutic culture, friendship and loneliness, and consumption.

Structure

2 one-hour lectures and 1 one-hour tutorial per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Examination (60%), in-course assessment (40%).

Resit: Examination (100%).

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Professor D Inglis

Pre-requisites

Passes in both level 1 Sociology courses.

Overview

This course compliments that given in the first semester and familiarises students with various issues in macro-sociology, the study of large-scale social institutions and long-term social changes. A particular focus is on the sociological analysis of contemporary social and political problems and controversies, looking at the social and historical reasons behind their emergence. The substantive topics covered may include risk society, European society, the changing nature of economy and work, consumerism and consumption, tourism, the natural environment, environmental politics, human-animal relations and the social consequences of bio-technologies. Emphasis is put on how different kinds of sociologists both conceptualise and empirically research such matters.

Structure

2 one-hour lectures and 1 one-hour tutorial per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Examination (60%), in-course assessment (40%).

Resit: Examination (100%).

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr M Trzebiatowska

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 3 and above who have achieved 100 credit points in level 1 and 2 Sociology courses.

Overview

The central concern of the course is the place of religion in the modern world. Various aspects of modernity that have undermined the plausibility of the supernatural are examined, as are the ways in which religion remains a powerful force for aiding cultural transitions and the defence of ethnic identity. Although the substance of the course is the sociology of religion, it is designed to teach students basic sociological ideas.

Structure

2 one-hour lectures and 1 one-hour seminar per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Examination (60%) and in-course assessment (40%).

Resit: In-course grades will be carried forward unless the student opts to resubmit course work.

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Professor J Brewer

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 3 and above who have achieved 100 credit points from level 1 and 2 Sociology courses.

Overview

The course aims to give students an understanding of what constitutes core sociological ways of theorising and researching specific aspects of social life. It considers the similarities and differences between the various theoretical and methodological orientations of the classical sociologists of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The course also considers the relevance, or otherwise, of these ideas in the present day.

Structure

2 one-hour lectures and 1 one-hour tutorial per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: In-course assessment (40%), examination (60%).

Resit: In-course grades will be carried forward unless the student opts to resubmit course work.

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Professor B Hayes

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 3 and above who have achieved 100 credit points from level 1 and 2 Sociology courses.

Overview

This course introduces modes of explanation used in social sciences. It demonstrates the variety of data collected and the methods of data collection used in both quantitative and qualitative research. It also covers some elementary methods of data presentation and statistical analysis.

Structure

Three lectures each week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Class test (50%) and examination (50%). Students are not required to pass both elements as long as an overall pass is achieved.

Resit: In-course grades will be carried forward unless the student opts to resubmit course work.

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

To be advised

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 3 and above who have achieved 100 credit points from level 1 and 2 Sociology courses.

Overview

The course examines the relationship between the process of social modernity and the development of social theory and research. It draws attention to the influential social theories that emerged in the late twentieth century in the context of debates about the the nature and possible futures of modernity. It also examines the distinctive research agendas generated by these theories. Topics covered may include surveillance, welfare policies, popular culture, industrial organisation. Particular but not exclusive attention is paid to relatively contemporary debates over the issue of 'late modern' or 'post-modern' forms of social order that may be located within a global context.

Structure

2 one-hour lectures and 1 one-hour tutorial per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: In-course assessment (40%), examination (60%).

Resit: In-course grades will be carried forward unless the student opts to resubmit course work.

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr D Gimlin

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 4.

Notes

This course will run in the first semester 2009/10 as SO 4025.

Overview

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.

Structure

1 one-hour lecture and 1 one-hour seminar per week.

Assessment

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

Resit: In-course grades will be carried forward unless the student opts to resubmit course work.

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Professor J Brewer

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 4.

Co-requisites

This course will run in the first half-session of 2009/10 as SO 4026.

Overview

The course 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.

Structure

1 one-hour lecture and 1 one-hour seminar per week.

Assessment

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

Resit: In-course grades will be carried forward unless the student opts to resubmit course work.

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Professor A Blaikie

Pre-requisites

SO 3522

Overview

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. Particular emphasis will be given to helping students develop their own skills.

Structure

Project tutorial programme and individual supervision.

Assessment

1st Attempt: In-course assessment: project report (100%).

Resit: In-course grades will be carried forward unless the student opts to resubmit course work.

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr J Bone

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 4.

Notes

This course will not run in 2009/10.

Overview

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 tothe contemporary global megalopolis.

Structure

1 one-hour lecture and 1 one-hour tutorial per week.

Assessment

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

Resit: In-course grades will be carried forward unless the student opts to resubmit course work.

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Professor A Blaikie

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 4.

Notes

This course will run in the first half-session of 2009/10 as SO 4034.

Overview

This course examines questions of national identity by asking what constitutes Scotland as a nation. The origins of myths surrounding community, egalitarianism and difference from England are explored in relation to the diverse experiences of economic development, and decline, sectarianism, political allegiance, tourism and heritage.

Structure

1 one-hour lecture and 1 one-hour seminar per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Examination (60%) and in-course assessment (40%).

Resit: In-course grades will be carried forward unless the student opts to resubmit course work.

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr R Wilkie

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 4.

Notes

This course will run in second half-session of 2009/10 as SO 4535.

Overview

The course begins with an examination of the sociological concept of gender and the importance of representation in the production of gendered meanings. It explores how femininity and masculinity are constructed and represented in relation to other identities such as those based on ethnicity and class. Attention is also given to the links between gender and politics, and knowledge and power.

Structure

1 one-hour lecture and 1 one-hour seminar per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Examination (60%) and in-course assessment (40%).

Resit: In-course grades will be carried forward unless the student opts to resubmit course work.

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Professor C Wallace

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 4.

Notes

This course will run in the second half-session of 2009/10 as SO 4536.

Overview

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.

Structure

1 two-hour seminar per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: in-course assessment (40%), examination (60%).

Resit: In-course grades will be carried forward unless the student opts to resubmit course work.

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr C Kollmeyer

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 4.

Notes

This course will run in the second half-session of 2009/10 as SO 4537.

Overview

This course aims to give students an understanding of the social basis of politics. 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 life, 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.

Structure

1 one-hour lecture and 1 one-hour tutorial per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Examination (60%) and in-course assessment (40%).

Resit: In-course grades will be carried forward unless the student opts to resubmit course work.

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr M Trzebiatowska

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 4.

Notes

This course will not run in the 2009/10.

Overview

This course addresses the relationship between sexuality and religion from a sociological perspective. It deals with negotiating sexual identities in the context of traditional and new religions by drawing on a number of theoretical approaches and case studies. Particular attention is paid to restricting and liberating aspects of religion which shape the sexual citizenship of individuals and groups.

Structure

1 one-hour lectures and 1 one-hour tutorial per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Examination (60%) and in-course assessment (40%).

Resit: In-course grades will be carried forward unless the student opts to resubmit course work.

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr A McKinnon

Pre-requisites

None.

Notes

This course will run in the second semester of 2009/10 as SO 4539.

Overview

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, René 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.

Structure

1 one-hour lecture and 1 one-hour seminar per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Examination (60%), and in-course assessment (40%).

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Mr T Glendinning

Pre-requisites

None

Notes

This course will not run in 2009/10.

Overview

The course utilises secondary sources to demonstrate approaches to the analysis of sociological data. Two thematic areas are considered within the course as case studies -- the sociology of religion and the sociology of culture -- and theoretical frames therein, where key concepts are operationalised by means of data from large-scale, survey research studies. Analysis is undertaken by means of SPSS for Windows.

Structure

1 one-hour lecture and 1 one-hour workshop per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Examination (60%), and in-course assessment (40%).

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr C Wright

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 4.

Notes

This course will run in 2009/10 in the second semester as SO 4541.

Overview

The course shows how members of particular social groups seek to exercise control over the work environment and how they together make sense of work experience. Central issues are the manner in which work is central to both personal identity and social standing. The course also shows how the distribution of social power is crucially affected by the organisation of work. Topics covered include the exercise and legitimation of managerial control, the role of trade unions and the significance of informal work organisation, the sources of gender inequality at work, the nature of skill and the experience of unemployment, and the nature of producer co-operatives.

Structure

1 one-hour lecture and 1 one-hour seminar per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Examination (60%) and in-course assessment (40%).

Resit: In-course grades will be carried forward unless the student opts to resubmit course work.

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr D Inglis

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 4.

Notes

This course will not run in 2009/10.

Overview

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.

Structure

1 one-hour lecture and 1 one-hour seminar per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Examination (60%), and in-course assessment (40%).

Resit: In-course grades will be carried forward unless the student opts to resubmit course work.

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Professor S Bruce

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 4.

Notes

This course will not run in 2009/10.

Overview

This course examines the many ways in which politics and religion interact in the modern world in order to address the big issue: do particular religions generate particular kinds of political movements and regimes? Key topics are the place of religion in nationalist and ethnic identity politics; Catholicism and fascism in the 1930s; the influence of religion on voting patterns; the rise of fundamentalism; state responses to new religious movements; and religion in progressive politics (such as the US Civil Rights movement).

Structure

1 one-hour lecture and 1 one-hour seminar per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 written examination (60%) and in-course assessment (40%).

Resit: In-course grades will be carried forward unless the student opts to resubmit course work.