Culture and Perception
| Module title | Culture and Perception |
|---|---|
| Module code | SOC3032 |
| Academic year | 2020/1 |
| Credits | 15 |
| Module staff | Professor Tia DeNora (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 25 |
|---|
Module description
What is reality and how do we come to perceive reality in everyday life? Why do some realities seem more real than others, and what of seemingly contradictory and multiple realities? This module considers reality as we represent, perceive and experience it through cultural mediators. We investigate realities as situated practices, drawing on and drawing together many things - technologies and objects, people, gestures, meanings and media.
This module is well-suited to students doing interdisciplinary pathways in sociology, philosophy, anthropology and psychology.
Module aims - intentions of the module
- To consider classic and current literature on culture and perception
- To compare different theoretical models of culture and how culture works
- To critically assess claims about value, veracity and causality in accounts about reality
- To be aware of how cultural theories of reality and perception have applications in relation to real-world problems (such as health/illness, disability and identity politics)
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. demonstrate an awareness of classic and current literature on culture and perception;
- 2. identify the practices that buttress claims about the nature of reality;
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 3. exemplify theoretical concepts with grounded case study examples;
- 4. critically assess key perspectives on culture and perception;
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 5. critically assess claims about the nature of reality in everyday life; and
- 6. write persuasively about aspects of the social world.
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:
- Convention and the Unconventional
- Figuring Realities
- Embodying Realities
- Variations across culture and time
- Reflexivity
- Multiple Realities and their Maintenance
- Perception as Action
- Cultural Pragmatics
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | 128 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activity | 22 | 11 x 2 weekly seminars |
| Guided Independent Study | 44 | 22 x 2 hours of course readings |
| Guided Independent Study | 42 | Reading/research/writing the essay |
| Guided Independent Study | 42 | Revision for examination |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small individual presentation | 10 minutes | 1-5 | Verbal |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 50 | 50 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | 50 | 2,000 words | 1-6 | written |
| Examination | 50 | 1 hour | 1-6 | written |
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | Essay (2,000 words) | 1-6 | August/September reassessment period |
| Examination | Examination (1 hour) | 1-6 | August/September reassessment period |
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Basic reading:
Butler, Judith. 1999. Gender Trouble: feminism and the subversion of identity. London: Routledge. 301.41 BUT
DeNora, Tia. 2014. Making Sense of Reality – in everyday life. London: Sage (in press now)
Douglas, Mary. 2002 (1966]. Purity and Danger: An Analysis of the Concepts of Pollution and Taboo. London: Routledge. 301.152 DOU
Garfinkel, Harold. 1984 [1967]. Studies in Ethnomethodology. Cambridge: Polity. 301.2 GAR
Goffman, Erving. 1961. Asylums: Essays on the Social Situation of Mental Patients and Other Inmates. New York: Anchor. 362.2 GOF
Latour, Bruno. 2005. Reassembling the Social: An Introduction to Actor-Network-Theroy. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 301.1 LAT
Law, John. 2004. After Method: Mess in social science research. London: Routledge. 300 LAW
Schillmeier, Michael. 2013. Rethinking disability: bodies, senses, and things. London: Routledge. 305.908 SCH
ELE –http://vle.exeter.ac.uk/
| Credit value | 15 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 7.5 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 6 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 27/02/2014 |
| Last revision date | 27/02/2014 |