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2011/2 Provisional Module Catalogue - UNDER CONSTRUCTION & SUBJECT TO CHANGE
 Module Code: SOC3041 Module Title: MEDICINE AND THE BODY
Module Provider: Sociology Short Name: SOC3041
Level: HE3 Module Co-ordinator: EARTHY SM Dr (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( %)

 

Essay plan

 

10%

 

3000 word essay

 

90%

 

Qualifying Condition(s) 

 

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

 
Module Overview
We will begin this module by introducing some of the theoretical work on the body and embodiment before moving on to examine several substantive areas that highlight the pivotal role which the body and embodiment play in experiences of health and illness. The final part of the module will shift focus slightly as we ask what the sociology of the body can offer our understanding of NHS organizations and the work carried out by doctors and nurses. 
Prerequisites/Co-requisites
None
Module Aims
  • To provide an introduction to theoretical work on the body and embodiment

     

  • To demonstrate how the sociology of the body can enhance understanding of experiences of illness, notions of health and the delivery and receipt of healthcare

     

  • To examine the application of theoretical approaches and empirical research in a number of substantive areas
Learning Outcomes

Having completed this module, the students should be able to:

 

  • Demonstrate a familiarity with key concepts such as ‘the social body’, and ‘embodiment’

     

  • Differentiate between different theoretical perspectives on the body/embodiment

     

·         Demonstrate an awareness of how the sociology of the body can enhance our understanding of experiences of illness, notions of health and the delivery and receipt of healthcare

 

·         Make connections between the topics covered in the module

 

  • Draw on theoretical and empirical material from across the module when constructing arguments and explanations for use in group discussions and in written form
Module Content

·         Different theoretical models of the body

 

·         Medical technology and hybrid bodies

 

·         Bodily boundaries, new reproductive technologies and stem cell research

 

·         Gendered bodies

 

·         Embodied experiences of health, illness and disability

 

·         The obese body, the body and sleep, the body in death and dying

 

  • The body in care work
Methods of Teaching/Learning

11 x 2 hour sessions comprising a lecture and interactive discussions and exercises

 

Weekly reading and seminar preparation

 

ULearn discussions
Selected Texts/Journals

Frank, A.W. (1992) At the Will of the Body: Reflections on Illness. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

 

Malacrida, C. and Low, J. (eds) (2008) Sociology of the body: A reader, Oxford@ Oxford University Press.

 

Turner, B. S. (l992) Regulating Bodies: Essays in Medical Sociology, London: Routledge.

 

Williams, S.J. (1996) Medical sociology, chronic illness and the body: a rejoinder to Michael Kelly and David Field, Sociology of Health and Illness, 18: 699-709.

 

Williams, SJ (2003) Medicine and the Body, London: SAGE.
Last Updated

April 2011