Power and Domination

Module title	Power and Domination
Module code	SOC2024
Academic year	2024/5
Credits	15
Module staff	Dr Charles Masquelier (Convenor)

Duration: Term	1	2	3
Duration: Weeks		11

Number students taking module (anticipated)	20

Module description

Many social theorists place power relations at the core of their analysis of society. Their goal is to make explicit those relations, understand their influence on society at large, and highlight the experiences of oppression they give rise to. In doing so, they equip us with the conceptual tools required for understanding how power manifests itself and how processes of marginalisation and discrimination operate in society, with the intention of moving towards social justice and, at times, even imagining a world stripped of structures of domination. In this module you will discuss a broad range of theoretical approaches, each offering both a different emphasis on power and the structures of domination associated with it and a different set of conceptual tools for engaging critically with the world around us.

Module aims - intentions of the module

The module aims to provide you with an in-depth knowledge of different social critiques, especially the conceptual tools each offers and the similarities and differences between them. You will be encouraged to engage critically with those approaches and reflect on their relevance to contemporary society. This module will equip you with the conceptual means to grapple with power and domination in intersectional terms, and identify, for yourself, what steps might be needed for bringing about social justice.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

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

1. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of a range of social critiques of power and domination
2. Evaluate these perspectives and relate them to empirical studies and findings
3. Evaluate the effects of powerful social actors decisions on the social fabric, culture, the economy and the environment

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

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

4. Reflect upon, apply, and evaluate critical social theories
5. Demonstrate in writing and orally a capacity to question taken-for-granted assumptions about the world around you.

ILO: Personal and key skills

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

6. Engage in complex arguments in writing, orally and in small groups
7. Identify problems and anticipate possible avenues for solving them

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:

Marxist critiques
Feminist critiques
Queer critiques
Critical race theory
Postcolonial critiques
Decolonial critiques

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	22	11 x two-hour weekly lecture/seminar with lecture introducing topic followed by seminar discussion
Guided Independent Study	36	Readings for seminars and tutorials
Guided Independent Study	25	Researching and writing formative assessment
Guided Independent Study	67	Researching and writing the portfolio

Formative assessment

Form of assessment	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Practice portfolio entries	800 words	1-7	Written feedback

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Coursework	Written exams	Practical exams
100	0	0

Details of summative assessment

Form of assessment	% of credit	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Portfolio	100	2,800 words	1-7	Written and oral feedback
	0
	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
Portfolio	Portfolio (2,800 words)	1-7	Referral/deferral period

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to redo the assessment(s) as defined above. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Bhambra, G. K. (2007) Rethinking Modernity: Postcolonialism and the Sociological Imagination. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Butler, J. (1990) Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity. London: Routledge

Collins, P.H. (2000) Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness, and the Politics of Empowerment. 2^nd edition. London: Routledge.

D’Emilio, J. (1993) ‘Capitalism and gay identity,’ in H. Abelove, M.A. Barale and D.M. Halperin (eds) The Lesbian and Gay Studies Reader. London: Routledge.

Federici, S. (2004) The Caliban and the Witch: Women, the Body and Primitive Accumulation. New York: Automedia.

Ferdinand, M. (2022) Decolonial Ecology: Thinking from the Caribbean World. Cambridge: Polity.

Foucault, M. (1978) The History of Sexuality. Volume 1: An Introduction. New York: Pantheon Books.

Kamenka, E. (ed) The Portable Karl Marx, London: Penguin

Marcuse, H (2002) One-Dimensional Man, London: Routledge

Mies, M. (2014a) Patriarchy and Capital Accumulation on a World Scale: Women in the International Division of Labour. London: Zed Books.

Mignolo, W.D. and Walsh, C.E. (2018) On Decoloniality: Concepts, Analytics, Praxis. Durham: Duke University Press

MuÅ?oz, J.E. (1999) Disidentifications: Queers of Color and the Performance of Politics. Minneapolois: University of Minnesota press.

Plumwood, V. (2002) Environmental culture: The Ecological Crisis of Reason. London: Routledge.

Quijano, A. (2007) Coloniality and Modernity/Rationality, Cultural Studies, 21(2-3): 168-178.

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

ELE – College to provide hyperlink to appropriate pages

Key words search

Social critique; power; domination; Marxism; Frankfurt School; feminism; critical race theory; black feminism; ecofeminism; postcolonial theory; decolonial theory

Credit value	15
Module ECTS	7.5
Module pre-requisites	None
Module co-requisites	None
NQF level (module)	5
Available as distance learning?	No
Origin date	25/10/22
Last revision date	13/03/2023