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| Module Availability |
| Semester 1 |
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| Assessment Pattern |
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Unit(s) of Assessment
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Weighting Towards Module Mark( %)
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1 hour timed essay
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50%
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1 hour examination
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50%
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Qualifying Condition(s)
A weighted aggregate mark of 40% is required to pass the module.
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| Module Overview |
| This Level 1 module will look at some of the major theorists and schools of thought in the history of sociology over the last two hundred years. We will begin with an overview of the development of the idea of ‘society’, before moving on to look at the work of Marx, Weber, and Durkheim. Each of these theorists was living at a time when the world was undergoing dramatic – and often bloody – change. As we encounter each theorist we will ask a series of questions: i) what do the offer in terms of a methodology for sociology?; ii) how do they conceive of ‘society’?; and iii) how do they explain the history of society and the changes going on around them? Towards the end of the course, we will begin to explore some critical issues. |
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| Prerequisites/Co-requisites |
| None |
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| Module Aims |
- To introduce students to the ‘founding fathers’ of sociology/sociological theory
- To encourage students to critically engage with these theories
- To begin to explore what it means to ‘think sociologically’ and to be ‘reflexive’ about the world around us (and the discipline itself).
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| Learning Outcomes |
By the end of this module students should:
· Have developed an initial understanding of classical sociological theory, laying the ground work for further study in this area
· Have a set of guidelines for identifying the theoretical underpinnings of the texts they will meet in their first year of sociology
· Be able to apply theory to their own sociological work
· Be able to begin ‘thinking sociologically’ – and to appreciate that both the world around them, and sociology itself, could be different
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| Module Content |
1. The Enlightenment and ‘society’
2. Durkheim, Marx and Weber - ‘society’ and the rules of sociological method
3. Critical Issues 1 – where are the female thinkers? Contemporary relevance? |
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| Methods of Teaching/Learning |
11 lectures and 11 seminars
Weekly reading and seminar preparation |
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| Selected Texts/Journals |
Craib, I (1997) Classical Social Theory: An Introduction to the thought of Marx, Weber, Durkheim and Simmel, OUP
Cuff, E., E., Sharrock, W., W. and Francis, D., W. (2006)
Perspectives in sociology (5th edition) London: Unwin Hyman
Lee, D. and Newby, H. (1983) The problem of sociology, London: Routledge
Ritzer, G. (2008) Sociological Theory, (7th edition) McGraw Hill
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| Last Updated |
| April 2011 |
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