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Social Analysis I

Module description

The module introduces you to a range of sociologically significant phenomena and the ways in which sociologists have sought to research them. More specifically, it will introduce you to the kind of theoretical perspectives, methods and conceptual tools sociologists have used, along with the issues they have raised, in their research of those phenomena. As such, both theoretical and empirical sociological work will be explored to understand the kind of questions sociologists ask, as well as the answers they provide, in their analysis of the social world. Throughout the module, we will engage with the work of classical sociologists and look at how the issues they have raised and concepts they have devised inform contemporary sociological research. 

Module aims - intentions of the module

You will learn about the significance and fecundity of basic theoretical ideas and principles for thinking about and investigating the social world sociologically and social scientifically. In addition to attaining a basic familiarity and understanding of the core ideas in classical social theory, the module aims to demonstrate and promote further reflection on their continuing relevance both to the foundations of the social sciences and to our lives and the wider world in which we live.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. explain and illustrate different modes of social analysis and their concomitant theoretical / conceptual frameworks;
• 2. exhibit awareness of the historical, social and political origins of classical social theory and modern society;
• 3. Think critically about social, psychological and personal issues and develop your social imagination;

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 4. reason and construct written arguments in a sociological manner;
• 5. use evidence, analysis and argument in a sociological manner;
• 6. read classic and contemporary textual material both in terms of historical situatedness and wider significance to the discipline;

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 7. formulate and discuss core theoretical ideas and apply them to various social issues; and
• 8. challenge 'common sense' assumptions about individual and social reality;
• 9. demonstrate the ability to work independently, within a limited time frame, and without access to external sources, to complete a specified task.

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 topics:

• Introduction: Social imagination & common sense; Revolution and Enlightenment.
• Marx: Dialectic, ideology, and science; Historical materialism; Alienation and exploitation.
• Beyond Marx: Contemporary debates and methods to study Surveillance Capitalism.
• Durkheim: The reality of social facts; The origin & development of modern society; Theory of Suicide and anomie. Contemporary methods and challenges to Durkheim’s ideas.
• The social construction of reality? Constructing ourselves and others; Nature/Culture divide. Three methodological challenges to interrogate the ‘social construction of everything’ in the work of contemporary sociologists.
• Reading Week.
• Weber: Science, value and meaning; The spirit of capitalism and rationality; Ideal types, value-neutrality and Verstehen. Beyond the ethics of conviction and responsibility, a review of contemporary Weberian sociology and its methods.
• Arendt and Foucault: Biopower; Biopolitics; Freedom and Action. Contemporary work on Biological citizenship, its methods and theoretical contributions.
• Feminism: Race; Gender; Citizenship & Power. How feminism and the notion of care are shaping current sociology, its methods and conceptual repertoire.
• Bodies and Embodiment: Theorising corpses, shamanism and modern science. Using our conceptual and methodological toolkit to understand our bodies and environments.

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

A. Giddens (1971) Capitalism and Modern Social Theory 

Hughes, Martin and Sharrock (1995) Understanding Classical Sociology

In addition, original texts of the classics are provided on ELE, and the syllabus reading lists provides information on latter day scholarly examination of classic theory in electronically accessible journal articles

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

ELE – https://vle.exeter.ac.uk/

Key words search

Social Theory, Capitalism, Economy and Society