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 | The course introduces students to contemporary social theory through an examination of the body in social inquiry. It is aimed at students interested in understanding social life through an embodied lens as well as those embarking on projects that use contemporary social theory and are concerned with the body. Specifically the course will look at a range of theorists and social theoretical perspectives for understanding the body such as Symbolic Interactionism, Gender, Phenomenology and Foucault and, in doing so, engage with key debates at the heart of social theory including the nature of regulation and of agency. The sessions will consider the relative conceptual merits of different theoretical accounts and the different orientations to research that they promote. |
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
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
|
| Delivery period: 2013/14 Semester 2, Available to all students (SV1)
|
Learn enabled: Yes |
Quota: None |
Web Timetable |
Web Timetable |
| Course Start Date |
13/01/2014 |
| Breakdown of Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 20,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
176 )
|
| Additional Notes |
|
| Breakdown of Assessment Methods (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| 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:
The absence/presence of the body in social theory
Bodies in everyday life: symbolic interactionism
The Lived body: phenomenological approaches
The civilised and social body
Foucault and the body
Sex, gender and the body
The body as project: consumption and technology
|
| Transferable skills |
Not entered |
| Reading list |
S. Williams and G. Bendelow (1998) The Lived Body London: Routledge
C. Shilling (2012) The Body and Social Theory London: Sage
C. Shilling (2005) The Body in Culture, Technology and Society London: Sage
C. Malacrida, C. and J. Low (2008) Sociology of the body. A reader Oxford: Oxford Uni Press
M. Featherstone, M, Hepworth and B. S. Turner (1991) (eds) The Body: Social Process and Cultural Theory London: Sage
B. S. Turner (2008) The Body and Society: Explorations in Social Theory London: Sage
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| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Julie Brownlie
Tel: (0131 6)51 3917
Email: Julie.Brownlie@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mr Andrew Macaulay
Tel: (0131 6)51 5067
Email: Andrew.Macaulay@ed.ac.uk |
|
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