Unit name | Sociological Theory and the Concept of Culture |
---|---|
Unit code | SPAIM0049 |
Credit points | 20 |
Level of study | M/7 |
Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
Unit director | Dr. Perez-Solorzano Borragan |
Open unit status | Not open |
Pre-requisites |
None |
Co-requisites |
None |
School/department | School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies |
Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
This unit provides a broad grounding in contemporary sociological theory. It does so by paying critical attention to the concept of culture as it has been developed by social and cultural theorists in the contemporary era. The notion of culture has been a staple focus of sociological theory and is a useful lens through which to see different types of theory in operation, what separates them and what makes them still relevant. The unit will examine the contribution of particular theorists from particular theoretical perspectives. Important approaches or schools of thought within social/sociological/cultural theory will be analysed including perspectives from areas such as Marxism, critical theory, post-structuralism, feminism, postmodernism and post-colonial studies. Thinkers addressed may include Michel Foucault, Pierre Bourdieu, Theodor Adorno and the Frankfurt School, Jean Baudrillard, Raymond Williams, Mary Douglas, Judith Butler, Paul Gilroy, Marth Nussbaum, Clifford Geertz, Gayatri Spivak and Edward Said.
Aims:
The aims of the unit are to:
By the end of this unit, students will be able to:
The method of teaching will be a form of blended learning which involves both asynchronous online student learning, synchronous weekly seminar/webinars, and in person teaching on campus.
One 4000 word summative essay (100%). Formative assessment will be built into the asynchronous element of the unit.
Calhoun, C. et aI., eds. Contemporary Sociological Theory, Oxford, Blackwell, 2002
Gilroy, P. After Empire: Melancholia or convivial culture, Routledge, 2004
Foucault, M. The Foucault Reader, ed. P. Rabinow, Penguin, 1984
Giddens, A. & S. Turner, Social Theory Today, Polity 1986
Spivak, G. In Other Words: Essays in Cultural Politics, Routledge, 2012
Raymond Williams (1963) Culture and Society, Penguin, 1963.