Undergraduate Module Descriptor

POC3111: Political Sociology

This module descriptor refers to the 2018/9 academic year.

Please note that this module is only delivered on the Penryn Campus.

Module Aims

This module provides you with the opportunity to learn about and appraise theories used in political sociology. This will help you to learn about and reflect on the drivers of the social basis of political competition, social and political attitudes, processes of political engagement and competition.

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. Acquire a thorough understanding of recent political sociology explanations of political competition, social and political attitudes, processes of political engagement, the social basis for the formation, change and maintenance of political institutions.
2. Relate this theoretical understanding of political sociology to empirical data and analyses for more than two major industrial countries.
3. Demonstrate a thorough understanding of the competing approaches in political sociology.
Discipline-Specific Skills4. Understand in depth the main methods of data collection and analysis in political science and sociology.
5. Demonstrate familiarity with major features of contemporary developed societies that are relevant to political science.
Personal and Key Skills6. Write analytical essays.
7. Present coherent arguments.
8. Communicate effectively in your written and oral work.

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.

Basic reading:

Clark, William Roberts, Matt Golder, and Sona N Golder. 2017. Principles of Comparative Politics. Sage.

Crouch, Colin (1999). Social Change in Western Europe. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Dalton, Russell (2014). Citizen Politics: Public Opinion and Political Parties in Advanced Industrial Democracies (6th edition). Washington, DC: Congressional Quarterly Press.