| Unit name | Contemporary Sociological Theory |
|---|---|
| Unit code | SOCIM3101 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Professor. Will Atkinson |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
This unit provides a broad grounding in contemporary sociological theory by combining three different but related foci: a range of prominent perspectives within social theory, the contribution of particular theorists, and the central concepts that any aspiring theory must develop in its own distinctive way. Thus, important approaches or schools of thought within social/sociological theory such as symbolic interactionism, rational choice theory, structuralism, critical theory, and feminism are engaged with, and the ideas of individual thinkers such as Foucault, Giddens, Habermas and Bourdieu are explored. The various paradigms and authors are then evaluated in terms of their contribution to the resolution of some long-standing conceptual dualisms and problems in social thought, such as structure/agency, economy/culture, system/lifeworld, power/resistance, and scientific/normative understanding.
Aims:
By the end of the unit, students should be able to:
The unit will be taught through blended learning methods, including a mix of synchronous and asynchronous teaching activities
The assessment will relate directly to one of more of the learning outcomes specified above in 15 and will be an extended essay of 4000 words (or equivalent) showing an in-depth understanding and integration of key aspects of the unit.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. SOCIM3101).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the Faculty workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. If you have self-certificated your absence from an
assessment, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (this is usually in the next assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any extenuating circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
