Module SOCM023 for 2021/2
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Postgraduate Module Descriptor
SOCM023: Social Theory
This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.
Module Aims
- To provide a thorough and rigorous discussion of some of the main theoretical traditions and paradigms in sociology and anthropology.
- To illustrate theories through the use of empirical research and examples.
- To foster techniques of analytical and critical inquiry.
On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
---|---|
Module-Specific Skills | 1. Demonstrate a thorough understanding of classical and contemporary social theories 2. Engage critically with classical and contemporary social theories 3. Interpret the social world through the prism of social theories and theoretical accounts |
Discipline-Specific Skills | 4. Demonstrate in-depth awareness of the concepts/theories used by sociologists and anthropologists 5. Demonstrate in writing ability capacity to apply theoretical models and conjectures generally 6. Use empirical and historical case-studies to enrich and test social theories. |
Personal and Key Skills | 7. critically engage in complex arguments verbally and in small groups 8. effectively communicate in written form complex arguments and ideas |
Module Content
Syllabus Plan
Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following themes:
- Theme 1: Epistemology
- Theme 2: Structure/Agency
- Theme 3: Everyday life
- Theme 4: Power and inequality
- Theme 5: Post-humanism and the ontological turn
Each theme will be discussed via the medium of empirical research and/or examples
Learning and Teaching
This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
---|---|---|
22 | 128 | 0 |
...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:
Category | Hours of study time | Description |
---|---|---|
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | 22 | 11 x 2 hour seminars |
Guided Independent Study | 60 | Preparation for seminars: 60 hours |
Guided Independent Study | 68 | Preparation for essays: 68 hours |
Online Resources
This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).
How this Module is Assessed
In the tables below, you will see reference to 'ILO's. An ILO is an Intended Learning Outcome - see Aims and Learning Outcomes for details of the ILOs for this module.
Formative Assessment
A formative assessment is designed to give you feedback on your understanding of the module content but it will not count towards your mark for the module.
Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
---|---|---|---|
Discussion of compulsory readings in seminars | Throughout term | 1-8 | Oral commentary on discussion in seminars |
Summative Assessment
A summative assessment counts towards your mark for the module. The table below tells you what percentage of your mark will come from which type of assessment.
Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
---|---|---|
100 | 0 | 0 |
...and this table provides further details on the summative assessments for this module.
Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
---|---|---|---|---|
Essay 1 | 50 | 2,000 words | 1-8 | Written Feedback |
Essay 2 | 50 | 2,000 words | 1-8 | Written Feedback |
Re-assessment
Re-assessment takes place when the summative assessment has not been completed by the original deadline, and the student has been allowed to refer or defer it to a later date (this only happens following certain criteria and is always subject to exam board approval). For obvious reasons, re-assessments cannot be the same as the original assessment and so these alternatives are set. In cases where the form of assessment is the same, the content will nevertheless be different.
Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
---|---|---|---|
Essay 1 | Essay 1 (2000 words) | 1-8 | August/September reassessment period |
Essay 2 | Essay 2 (2000 words) | 1-8 | August/September reassessment period |
Indicative Reading List
This reading list is indicative - i.e. it provides an idea of texts that may be useful to you on this module, but it is not considered to be a confirmed or compulsory reading list for this module.
Inglis, D. and Thorpe, C. (ed) (2012) An Invitation to Social Theory, London: Sage
Stones, R. (ed) (2008) Key Sociological Thinkers, 2nd ed., Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan
Gane, N. (ed) (2004) The Future of Social Theory, New York: Continuum
Giddens, A. (1971) Capitalism and Modern Social Theory, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
Rabinow, P. and Sullivan W.M. (eds) (1979) Interpretive Social Science: a reader, Berkeley: University of California Press