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2011/2 Provisional Module Catalogue - UNDER CONSTRUCTION & SUBJECT TO CHANGE
 Module Code: SOC2041 Module Title: SOCIOLOGY OF POLITICAL SYSTEMS
Module Provider: Sociology Short Name: SOC2041
Level: HE2 Module Co-ordinator: WILLIAMS MJ Mr (Sociology)
Number of credits: 15 Number of ECTS credits: 7.5
 
Module Availability
Semester 1
Assessment Pattern

Unit(s) of Assessment

 
Weighting Towards Module Mark( %)

 

2 hour exam

 

100

 

Qualifying Condition(s) 

 

A weighted aggregate mark of 40% is required to pass the module.

 
Module Overview
This module focuses on relations between state and society in a variety of settings. It begins by looking at sociological interpretations of political systems since the Enlightenment thinkers of the 18th century, including classic thinkers such as Marx, Tocqueville and Weber. It goes on to look at the development of political systems in Europe, the United States and the Muslim world, including the role of nationalism, revolution and empire.
Prerequisites/Co-requisites
None
Module Aims

·         To provide an understanding of sociological interpretations of relations between state and society in a variety of settings

 

·         To provide an understanding of the development of political systems in Europe, the United States and the Muslim World

 

To provide an understanding of different interpretations of liberal democracy and the totalitarian challenges from Nazism and Stalinism, and an appreciation of other key concepts in political sociology
Learning Outcomes

Students completing this module should be able to:

 

·         Demonstrate an understanding of sociological interpretations of relations between state and society in a variety of settings

·         Demonstrate an understanding of the development of political systems in Europe, the United States and the Muslim World

 

·         Demonstrate an understanding of different interpretations of liberal democracy and the totalitarian challenges from Nazism and Stalinism, and an appreciation of other key concepts in political sociology

 

  • Draw on the range of material covered in the module in order to construct arguments and explanations in an essay and under exam conditions
Module Content

·         Origins of political sociology and classical thinkers (Marx, Tocqueville, Weber and the elite theorists)

·         Sociological interpretations of the development of the state in Europe, America and the Muslim world

·         Sociological theories of liberal democracy and Nazi and Soviet totalitarianism

 

  • Key concepts in political sociology – nations and nationalism revolution and empire
Methods of Teaching/Learning

11 lectures and 11 seminars

 

Weekly reading and seminar preparation

 

Short formative assignment
Selected Texts/Journals

Aron, R (1968, 1970) Main Currents in Sociological Thought 1 & 2, Penguin

 

Darwin, J (2008) After Tamerlane: The Rise and Fall of Global Empires, 1400-2000, Penguin

 

Dunleavy, P & O’Leary, B (1987) Theories of the State: The Politics of Liberal Democracy, Macmillan

 

Gellately, R (2008) Lenin, Stalin, and Hitler: The Age of Social Catastrophe, Vintage

 

Gellner, E (1983) Muslim Society, Cambridge University Press

 

Gill, G (2003) The Nature and Development of the Modern State, Palgrave

 

Moore, B (1969) Social Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy, Penguin

 

Overy, R (2005) The Dictators: Hitler’s Germany and Stalin’s Russia, Penguin
Last Updated
April 2011