Undergraduate Module Descriptor

SOC3108: Sociology of Family and Gender

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

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:

  1. Families in the 21st century: An overview of recent trends in post-industrialized societies
  2. Theories of gender in the context of the family institution
  3. Social and political aspects of reproductive behaviour
  4. Women’s education and fertility: A dynamic relationship
  5. Family policy and the opportunity costs of children
  6. ‘Doing gender’ and the division of paid and unpaid labour
  7. Who cares? Social aspects of care work
  8. Trends in assortative mating and union formation
  9. Union stability and the gendered division of labour
  10. Gender perspectives of union dissolution
  11. The relationship between gender equality and family dynamics

Learning and Teaching

This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:

Scheduled Learning and Teaching ActivitiesGuided independent studyPlacement / study abroad
22128

...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:

CategoryHours of study timeDescription
Scheduled Learning and teaching activity22Weekly 2 hour lectures where we go over topics and materials
Guided Independent Study48Reading and preparing for seminars (around 4-6 hours per week);
Guided independent study80Study tasks directed by the module leader: e.g. 25 hours for essay, 15 hours for presentation, 40 hours for the final exam

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 assessmentSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Presentations in pairs10 minutes each1-8Verbal, written

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.

CourseworkWritten examsPractical exams
50500

...and this table provides further details on the summative assessments for this module.

Form of assessment% of creditSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Essay502,000 words1-6,8,9Written Feedback
Examination501 hour1-6,8,10Written 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 assessmentForm of re-assessmentILOs re-assessedTimescale for re-assessment
EssayEssay1-6,8,9August/September re-assessment period
ExaminationExamination1-6, 8, 10August/September re-assessment period