Undergraduate Module Descriptor

SOC2030: Sociology of Art and Culture

This module descriptor refers to the 2023/4 academic year.

Module Aims

The aims of the course are:

1 to provide students with a solid understanding of key themes in the sociology of art and culture, and to familiarise them with the central ways of thinking in this field

2 to allow students to develop their sociological skills in the context of a rigorous and analytical comprehension of artistic and cultural matters

3 to enable students to build on previously acquired sociological knowledge, taking these to an advanced level

4 to facilitate students in understanding key contemporary social and cultural processes and forms

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

This module's assessment will evaluate your achievement of the ILOs listed here – you will see reference to these ILO numbers in the details of the assessment for this module.

On successfully completing the programme you will be able to:
Module-Specific Skills1. demonstrate some competence in working with diverse sociological approaches to art and culture
2. demonstrate knowledge of classical contributions to, and recent developments in, the sociology of art and culture
3. demonstrate the developing ability to understand and evaluate some of the major ways of analysing cultural forms, and to interpret specific cultural forms in light of these forms of analysis
Discipline-Specific Skills4. demonstrate an analytical understanding of key sociological concepts
5. demonstrate an ability to understand diverse expressions and manifestations of human life as cultural in nature
6. demonstrate the capacity to evaluate empirical data in light of theoretical bodies of knowledge
Personal and Key Skills7. develop and deploy argument, grounded in theoretical frameworks and empirical evidence, identifying problems of reliability and bias
8. participate in oral discussions; present and evaluate complex arguments and ideas orally; digest, select and organise material for oral presentations
9. focus on and comprehend complex texts. Undertake independent research and demonstrate ability to work to deadlines, producing accurately referenced written work
10. demonstrate the ability to work independently, within a limited time frame, and without access to external sources, to complete a specific task.