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| Module Availability |
| Semester 2 |
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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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One essay plan
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20
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One 3000-3500 word essay
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80
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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 module builds on work already covered in Sociological Theory modules, but the historical focus shifts to contemporary theory, and the scope is slightly broader in that it includes influential work from beyond the boundaries of sociology as such. It considers some recurrent points of argument, such as: the relation between agency and structure in social explanation; how power is to be conceptualised; reflexive questions about the ways in which knowledge may be influenced by its social and historical context; and recent challenges to the idea that is possible to construct reliable representations of the social world. |
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| Prerequisites/Co-requisites |
| None |
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| Module Aims |
· Provides an overview of some key themes in contemporary social theory
· Considers their relative merits
- Helps students develop their understanding of theorising and the forms that it can take
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| Learning Outcomes |
Having completed this module the student should:
· Have an understanding of key themes and perspectives within contemporary social theory
· Understand the relation between recent developments in social theory and classical sociology
· Appreciate the ways in which knowledge can be shaped by its social and historical context
· Be familiar with arguments that question central tenets of the project of social theorising
- Have learnt how to write a sustained and in depth treatment of a topic in social theory
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| Module Content |
· The line of work that passes from Durkheim to structuralism and semiotics
· The critical sociology of Bourdieu
· Feminist theories of knowledge
· Post-structuralist thought, particularly that of Foucault
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| Methods of Teaching/Learning |
11 lectures and 11 seminars
Weekly reading and seminar preparation
The two assessments are closely linked so that students are properly supported in writing a long essay |
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| Selected Texts/Journals |
Dodd, N (1999) Social Theory and Modernity, Polity
Elliott, A (2009) Contemporary Social Theory, Routledge
Habermas, J (1985) The Philosophical Discourse of Modernity, Polity
Harding, S (ed) (2004) The Feminist Standpoint Theory
Reader, Routledge
Jenks, C (ed) (1998) Core Sociological Dichotomies, Sage
Rabinow, P (ed) (1986) The Foucault Reader, Penguin
Ritzer, G (2007) Sociological Theory (7th edn), McGraw Hill |
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| Last Updated |
| April 2011 |
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