Undergraduate Module Descriptor

SOC2095: On Violence

This module descriptor refers to the 2019/0 academic year.

Module Aims

On Violence aims to increase your confidence in developing independent thinking, expressing that thinking verbally and in written materials, and responding to other people’s contributions, in a seminar environment. It also exposes you to an issue that is challenging in many ways, and cross-disciplinary by nature.

On Violence will help develop and strengthen your abilities to:

  • synthesize and critically assess the relationship between different approaches to violence;
  • apply the insights and findings in the literature to the analysis of problems confronting society;
  • scrutinize the methodological foundations of studying harm;
  • conduct independent analysis.

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 a clear understanding of the types of social science research into violence
2. Engage with different sources of information about violence, both quantitative and qualitative, and how they are produced - including their location in particular political and social frameworks - and how they can be interpreted
Discipline-Specific Skills3. Develop and deploy arguments grounded in theoretical frameworks;
4. Draw thematic comparisons between material from different sources;
5. Clearly present research, policy debates and your own arguments;
Personal and Key Skills6. Present an argument orally in a clear, organized and effective manner;
7. Evaluate your own work and those of others;
8. Demonstrate skills in collaborative working, e.g. group work, including the presentation and discussion of material in groups; and
9. Demonstrate the ability to work independently, within a limited time frame, and without access to external sources, to complete a specified task.

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:

Rosenberg, M. (1999) Nonviolent Communication

Pachirat, T. (2012) Every Twelve Seconds

Maguire, M., Morgan, R. and Reiner, R. (eds.) (1997) The Oxford Handbook in Criminology

Rappert, B. (2012). How to Look Good in a War

Safran Foer, J (2009) Eating Animals

Henckaerts, Jean-Marie and Doswald-Beck, Louise. (2005) Customary International Humanitarian Law

Price, R. (1997) The Chemical Weapons Taboo

Proctor, R. (2011) Golden Holocaust

WHO. (2002) World report on violence and health