Undergraduate Module Descriptor

SOC3013: Gender and Society 1

This module descriptor refers to the 2022/3 academic year.

Module Aims

The module aims to develop a multi-faceted, in-depth approach to the study of gender and sexuality in the Western world through an exploration of perspectives on masculinities, femininities, bodies and sexualities and their historical, cultural, social and political dimensions. The module will:

(a) introduce you to the ways in which various related concepts have been developed and debated, and

(b) help you develop a critical understanding of topical issues, together with

(c) the ability to apply such an understanding both to fine-tune your analyses of gender relations and dynamics, sexual representations and love and intimacy (to name a few) and your observation and interpretation of everyday life.

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. Differentiate between various perspectives on gender, sexuality and the body;
2. Appraise their conceptual and social relevance through informed examples;
3. Demonstrate the capacity to critically select relevant and topical material and structure it in order to present coherent arguments in relation to masculinities and femininities, bodies and sexualities
Discipline-Specific Skills4. Acquire detailed, systematic and comprehensive knowledge of gender debates in sociology the gender and sexuality fields
5. Critically evaluate analytically a range of various perspectives on selected topics (e.g. heteronormativity, love and intimacy)
Personal and Key Skills6. Plan and work independently and in groups
7. Make good use of feedback; and
8. Act autonomously within agreed guidelines and manage time effectively to meet deadlines

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 the following themes over one or more week:

 

Sex/gender debates and the critique of biological determinism

Masculinities

Bodies

Femininities

Sexuality

Love and Intimacy

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
221280

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

CategoryHours of study timeDescription
Scheduled Learning and Teaching activity 2211 x 2 hours weekly lectures/seminars (or 1 hour lectures + 1 hour seminars)
Scheduled Learning and Teaching activity 77Module research, reading (4 hours per week) and preparation for class (3 hour per week)
Guided Independent study51Research and writing for summative assessments

Online Resources

This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).

Web-based and electronic resources: