Module Catalogue 2024/25

Pre Requisite Comment

N/A

Co Requisite Comment

N/A

Aims

The aim of the module is to examine and understand a range of social divisions and inequalities in society, through use of macro-sociological theories and recent empirical studies drawn mainly from the UK, and how these interact.

More specifically, the module objectives are:

(a)       To explore different empirical forms of division and inequality in society (for example, class, gender, ethnicity, age, health, disability, religion, nationality, sexuality, material deprivation) and how they interact. The module will examine a range of social divisions and inequalities in contemporary society, and how they intersect. It draws on theories and empirical studies around a number of cases (such as class, gender and ‘race’) to consider how sociology approaches and understands social inequalities.

(b)       To examine relevant perspectives in the literature and evaluate empirical studies of various social divisions (including, where relevant, issues in social policy and media representation).

To examine various theoretical models of social division, for example post-Marxist, post- modernist, systemic and structural-functionalist.

Outline Of Syllabus

Week 1: Introducing theoretical perspectives on 'Social Division'.
Week 2: Explores class as a key foundational social division in sociology.
Week 3: Introduces the concept of intersectionality as a key shift in sociological understandings of social division which is then used across the remaining sessions.

Week 4-9: Each session will major on one social division from gender, ‘race’ and ethnicity, age, sexuality and disability, but will examine each through an intersectional lens.

Week 10: 'Social Division' revisited: as a group, we work through the significance of intersectionality to how sociology researches social division.

Intended Knowledge Outcomes

On completion of the module, students should:

(a)       Be able to reflect on social divisions, and how they can be studied sociologically from various theoretical and empirical perspectives.

(b)       Possess an enhanced detailed knowledge of at least one social division.

(c)       Show a broad sociological knowledge of other major social divisions.

(d)       Have a critical sociological framework for engaging with different types of knowledge claims about social divisions (scientific, media, etc).

Have an understanding of how social division can be incorporated into macro-sociological analysis to enhance understanding and theorisation of society.

Intended Skill Outcomes

In terms of professional and intellectual skills, students should be able to:

(a)       Articulate, with clarity and understanding, the formal specialised language of sociology.

(b)       Undertake and present work in a scholarly way.

(c)       Engage in a critical reading of texts.

In terms of key skills, students should:

(a)       Be able to demonstrate an appropriate level of competence with respect to oral skills (in class presentations and discussions) and written skills (in the assessed essays).

(b)       Be able to carry out topic-oriented research using both library and IT resources.

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

The lectures focus on the key issue: social division. They start the module by outlining alternative perspectives in
which 'social divisions' have been conceptualised and then, at the end of the module, draw together material into a
more advanced analysis than was possible at the start.

The small group teaching sessions allow students the opportunity to explore a series of social divisions and to take the lead role in
discussing one of these. All students will use the required reading for that session as their starting point each week
and be expected to be familiar with its content. The student 'seminar leader(s)' for each session will be expected to
lead discussion not only of that material, but also to link it to further reading and an exploration of the topic that they
have carried out. Students are unlikely to have a detailed knowledge of all of the topic areas and will be encouraged
to engage with those areas of the syllabus with which they are less familiar in order to broaden their knowledge base.
All sessions will examine trends over time as well as contemporary patterns of social inequalities, draw on classical
and contemporary theories, and reflect on contemporary media representations. Formative feedback on the
sessions will assist students with their summative formal assessment in the essay.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

The essay will allow students to develop their written and analytic skills alongside their empirical and theoretical knowledge of the subject, to demonstrate their detailed knowledge gained about a selected social division, to reflect on contemporary issues in social policy and media representation, to compare this with their broader knowledge of other social division, and theorise their empirical knowledge in terms of social division.

General Notes

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