BioSocieties
| Module title | BioSocieties |
|---|---|
| Module code | SPA3028 |
| Academic year | 2025/6 |
| Credits | 15 |
| Module staff | Dr Angela Cassidy (Lecturer) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 20 |
|---|
Module description
In this module we will explore the varying and contested interfaces and interactions of the biosciences with wider society across a range of domains including policy, media and culture, health and wider environments. We will draw upon ideas from Science and Technology Studies, sociology, anthropology and philosophy to examine how debates about and around the biological sciences have played out in past and present across a series of themed topics, including via the sciences of human nature, evolution; alongside the complexities of the 'politics of biology', as played out in debates over biotechnologies; conservation and agriculture; human-animal relations; health and disease; imagined pasts and futures.
Module aims - intentions of the module
This module will help you place biosocial debates into broader historical, national and media contexts, introduce you to key theoretical ideas about biology and society; and equip you to engage in critical analysis of these issues, including arguments about gender, race, sexuality and human nature; about how humans should live in and alongside the natural world; and about what it means to be human in an age of rapid technological change.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Demonstrate a critical understanding of multiple articulations of the biosocial and understand how and why biosciences are often so contested in different times and places
- 2. Critique and evaluate the roles and perspectives of multiple actors and positions in biosocial controversies
- 3. Identify and analyse one or more case studies of biosocial debates across a range of domains
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 4. Deploy theoretical ideas about biology and society to understand the contexts of contemporary and historical debates
- 5. Think critically, analyse and present coherent arguments about the broader social and political issues raised by developments in the life sciences.
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 6. Present written material in a coherent and accessible manner; evaluate ideas and debates.
- 7. Critical media literacy skills search for, contextualize and evaluate mass media and other documentary sources
Syllabus plan
Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover many of the following topics:
• Key ideas and theories of BioSocieties and the ‘biosocial’ from the early 20th century to today
• Evolution and questions of ‘human nature’ (e.g. Darwin and his opponents; eugenics; sociobiology; cognitive science)
• Environments, society and agriculture (e.g. food and agriculture; environmental politics; human/animal relations)
• Health and medicine (e.g. ethical debates over life and suffering; infectious diseases and biosecurity)
• New technologies and futures (e.g. GM foods; gene editing; reproductive techs; posthumanism; network societies)
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | 128 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled learning and teaching activity | 22 | 11 x 2 hour weekly lecture/seminar sessions |
| Guided independent study | 50 | Weekly reading for seminars |
| Guided independent study | 28 | Preparation of briefing/exhibition |
| Guided Independent Study | 50 | Case study and outline preparation |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case Study Outline | 250 words | 1-7 | Verbal |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Case Study | 65 | 2500 | 1-7 | Written |
| Briefing/virtual exhibition | 35 | 1000 word | 1-7 | Written |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case study (65%) | 2500 words | 1-7 | Written |
| Briefing/virtual exhibition (35%) | 1000 word | 1-7 | Written |
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
- Sismondo, S. (2010). An Introduction to Science and Technology Studies. Wiley-Blackwell.
- Jorgensen, D., Jorgensen, F.A. & Pritchard, S., 2014. New Natures. University of Pittsburgh Press
- Mahon, P. (2017). Posthumanism: a guide for the perplexed. London: Bloomsbury Academic.
- Fry, K.G. (2023). Dynamic Media Environments: Expanding the Scope of Media Literacy. Taylor & Francis
- Anderson, W. (2024). Spectacles of Waste (First edition.). Polity Press.
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
- ELE – Faculty to provide hyperlink to appropriate pages
- Our World in Data: https://ourworldindata.org/
- Lexis Nexis database
- Box of Broadcasts database
- Public Engagement with Research at Exeter: https://www.exeter.ac.uk/research/about/publicengagement/
- Policy@Exeter: https://www.exeter.ac.uk/research/policy/
- POST (Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology): https://post.parliament.uk/
| Credit value | 15 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 7.5 |
| NQF level (module) | 6 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 10/02/2025 |
