Postgraduate Course: Contemporary Social Theory (PGSP11276)
Course Outline
| School | School of Social and Political Science |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Course type | Standard |
Availability | Available to all students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Credits | 20 |
| Home subject area | Postgrad (School of Social and Political Studies) |
Other subject area | None |
| Course website |
None |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
| Course description | This course is aimed both at students looking to support their empirical work with a clear understanding of relevant theoretical debates and those with a specialist interest in social theory . The course explores recent attempts at theorising the social world, introducing students to contemporary social theory through an examination of topics central to social inquiry. It is made up of a number of units, each of which looks at a key theoretical debate or dispute. The unit topics are chosen because they relate to dilemmas relevant to a wide range of social scientific inquiries. As an example, we can consider the unit on power: this contrasts structural accounts of power such as those proposed by Steven Lukes, with post-structuralist accounts such as those proposed by Michel Foucault. The sessions will consider the relative conceptual merits of these accounts, and the different orientations to research that they promote. Units vary somewhat from year to year, but may include: gender: humanist vs. anti-humanist approaches; social structural analysis vs. actor-network theory; constructionism vs. realism. |
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus? | Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Delivery period: 2012/13 Semester 2, Available to all students (SV1)
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WebCT enabled: Yes |
Quota: None |
| Location |
Activity |
Description |
Weeks |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
| No Classes have been defined for this Course |
| First Class |
First class information not currently available |
| No Exam Information |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
1. To develop students' knowledge of conceptual and theoretical debates current in the social sciences
2. To develop students' ability to critically explore the limitations of existing theoretical positions
3. To develop students' capabilities to think critically about the application of theoretical ideas to social scientific research
4. To improve students' abilities to debate issues using concepts discussed in the course
5. To develop students' abilities to write accurately and critically about contemporary theoretical debates |
Assessment Information
| One essay between 3,000 and 4,000 words based on topics and readings from the course |
Special Arrangements
| None |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
Not entered |
| Syllabus |
Indicative topics include:
Unit 1: Power: Structural and post-structural approaches
Topic 1: Structural analyses of power: Steven Lukes
Topic 2: Post-structuralism on power: Michel Foucault
Unit 2: Gender: Humanist vs. Antihumanist approaches
Topic 1: The denaturalization of sex and gender: Judith Butler
Topic 2: General human capabilities: Martha Nussbaum
Unit 3: Social structural analysis vs. actor-network theory
Topic 1: Critical realism and the defence of social structure: Margaret Archer
Topic 2: From structure to actor-networks: Bruno Latour |
| Transferable skills |
Not entered |
| Reading list |
Lukes, S. (2005), Power: A Radical View, Second edition. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan
Foucault, M. (1986), The Foucault Reader, Paul Rabinow (ed.), Harmondsworth: Penguin
Butler, J. (2004), Undoing Gender, London: Routledge
Archer, M. (2003) Structure, Agency and the Internal Conversation, Cambridge: Cambridge UP |
| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Stephen Kemp
Tel: (0131 6)50 3978
Email: |
Course secretary | Mrs Gillian Macdonald
Tel: (0131 6)51 3244
Email: |
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