SOC-10019 - Module Specification
School of Social, Political and Global Studies
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Programme/Approved Electives for 2022/23

Available as a Free Standing Elective

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2022/23

This module will introduce students to a range of debates about the formation of culture within societies and explore the ways that different societies understand culture. It will examine classic anthropological studies in order to unpack how culture operates through everyday practice, ritual, symbolism and storytelling, as a way of constructing shared meaning among group members. In addition to the classic texts, the module will also look at contemporary narratives of culture that have emerged through the ethnographic and documentary tradition. Students on the module will also examine how culture is constructed in official and everyday discourse as a means of ordering power relations within and between societies.

The main aim of this module is to introduce students to sociological and anthropological research exploring a number of non-Western societies. The module will also introduce students to classic and contemporary texts and methods used to investigate culture and society and explore the ways in which ideas have been understood in academic research.
The module will also explore the conceptual tools needed to understand the different practices, rituals and beliefs between and within cultures and societies. It will enhance students knowledge of cultures and societies other than their own and will show that culture and societies vary at different points in history and in different places.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Explore the meaning of `cultureż and `societyż in diverse theoretical approaches and empirical circumstances: 1
Describe the methods anthropologists/sociologists use to study societies and culture: 1
Express the different ways social life is organised in a range of non-Western societies: 1
Show the usefulness of an approach which compares culture and society in different times and in different places: 1

Study hours

Contact hours 20 (10 lectures and 10 seminars or 10 two-hour long workshops)
Independent study (seminar preparation) 66 hours
Assessment preparation 64 hours

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment