Undergraduate Module Descriptor

SOC1048: Social Analysis I

This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.

Module Aims

You will learn about the significance and fecundity of basic theoretical ideas and principles for thinking about and investigating the social world sociologically and social scientifically. In addition to attaining a basic familiarity and understanding of the core ideas in classical social theory, the module aims to demonstrate and promote further reflection on their continuing relevance both to the foundations of the social sciences and to our lives and the wider world in which we live.

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 Skills	1. explain and illustrate different modes of social analysis and their concomitant theoretical / conceptual frameworks; 2. exhibit awareness of the historical, social and political origins of classical social theory and modern society; 3. Think critically about social, psychological and personal issues and develop your social imagination;
Discipline-Specific Skills	4. reason and construct written arguments in a sociological manner; 5. use evidence, analysis and argument in a sociological manner; 6. read classic and contemporary textual material both in terms of historical situatedness and wider significance to the discipline;
Personal and Key Skills	7. formulate and discuss core theoretical ideas and apply them to various social issues; and 8. challenge 'common sense' assumptions about individual and social reality; 9. demonstrate the ability to work independently, within a limited time frame, and without access to external sources, to complete a specified task.

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 topics:

Introduction: Social imagination & common sense; Revolution and Enlightenment.
Marx: Dialectic, ideology, and science; Historical materialism; Alienation and exploitation.
Beyond Marx: Contemporary debates and methods to study Surveillance Capitalism.
Durkheim: The reality of social facts; The origin & development of modern society; Theory of Suicide and anomie. Contemporary methods and challenges to Durkheim’s ideas.
The social construction of reality? Constructing ourselves and others; Nature/Culture divide. Three methodological challenges to interrogate the ‘social construction of everything’ in the work of contemporary sociologists.
Reading Week.
Weber: Science, value and meaning; The spirit of capitalism and rationality; Ideal types, value-neutrality and Verstehen. Beyond the ethics of conviction and responsibility, a review of contemporary Weberian sociology and its methods.
Arendt and Foucault: Biopower; Biopolitics; Freedom and Action. Contemporary work on Biological citizenship, its methods and theoretical contributions.
Feminism: Race; Gender; Citizenship & Power. How feminism and the notion of care are shaping current sociology, its methods and conceptual repertoire.
Bodies and Embodiment: Theorising corpses, shamanism and modern science. Using our conceptual and methodological toolkit to understand our bodies and environments.

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
27	123	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 activity	22	11 x 2 hours weekly lectures.
Scheduled Learning and Teaching activity	5	5 x fortnightly 1 hour tutorials.
Guided Independent study	33	Course readings
Guided Independent study	45	Preparation for essays, library, research
Guided Independent study	45	Exam revisions

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
In-class presentation	Every two weeks	1-3, 4-5, 7-8	Verbal feedback

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
50	50	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	50	1,500 words	1-8	Written feedback
Examination	50	1 hour	1-9	Exam mark + comments on request

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	Essay (1,500 words)	1-8	August/September reassessment period
Examination	Examination (1 hour)	1-9	August/September reassessment period