Deviance: Interdisciplinary Perspectives
| Module title | Deviance: Interdisciplinary Perspectives |
|---|---|
| Module code | SOC2009 |
| Academic year | 2023/4 |
| Credits | 15 |
| Module staff | Dr Christopher Thorpe (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 15 |
|---|
Module description
This module draws on theoretical concepts and perspectives taken from a range of disciplines to explore the cultural dimensions of deviance as it is performed, constructed, understood and (re)presented across various historical and contemporary contexts and settings. Rather than framing deviance as first and foremost a social and individual problem, you will focus instead on the universal significance and autonomy of deviance as first and foremost a cultural phenomenon.
The core analytical questions underpinning this module are as follows: What can we learn about human societies and behaviour by exploring the cultural, structures, dynamics and autonomy of deviance? What does it mean that deviance is culturally universal at the same time as taking a wide range of historically and socially particular forms? What can this tell us about the organisation of and changes to human social life both historically and in the present day?
A predominantly cultural sociological perspective approach to deviance will be supplemented with approaches from related disciplines such as cultural criminology, sociology and anthropology. Themes covered during the module include: classical social and cultural theoretical accounts of deviance; deviant subcultural formations, young people and youth; constructing deviants; deviance and embodiment; everyday deviance and identity politics; deviance and punishment; deviance, control and governmentality; performativity and deviance; deviance, anomie and risk.
This module will appeal to students on interdisciplinary trajectories spanning criminology, anthropology, sociology and philosophy.
Module aims - intentions of the module
The central aims of the module are to enable you to develop an understanding of and to critically explore the cultural dimensions and significance of deviance; to use theoretical concepts and modes of reasoning from a range of different disciplinary perspectives to do so; to reflect critically on and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of different disciplinary perspectives. The module seeks to go beyond orthodox social science accounts of deviance which cast deviance as reducible to ‘hard’ social-structural variables on the one hand, and individual-centred ‘psychological’ factors on the other.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the current state of cultural criminological, cultural sociological and social and cultural anthropological debates related to deviance
- 2. Show a developing understanding of specific issues related to the understanding of deviance such as performativity, punishment, subcultures, embodiment based on criminological, sociological and anthropological literature.
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 3. link theoretical concepts with empirical examples and case studies;
- 4. Show competence in assessing claims about deviance using sociological and cultural theory
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 5. Understand and communicate theoretical ideas clearly both orally and in writing;
- 6. work independently and in groups, within a limited time frame, to complete self-directed and group-based tasks
Syllabus plan
The module’s precise content is liable to annual variation. Nonetheless the module will cover some or all of the following themes:
- Classical social and cultural theoretical perspectives on deviance
- Subcultural studies in America
- Subcultural and Post subcultural studies in Britain
- Constructing deviants – exploring cultural representations and structures mobilized in the construction of deviant individuals, groups and behaviours
- Embodiment – sexuality, gender, disability
- Identity politics and the politics of deviance – deviance, inclusion and exclusion (normativity, boundary marking and making)
- Punishment – historical account exploring normative and moral constructions, understandings and responses to deviance
- Control and resistance – critical exploration of Foucault and ‘weak’ cultural approaches to deviance and normativity
- Performativity, ritual and deviance – collective and ritualistic expressions of and responses to deviance
- Risk and anomie – normative precariousness and social disorder in late modernity
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-hour weekly lectures/seminars (or 1 hour lecture + 1 hour seminar) |
| Guided independent study | 38 | Readings for seminars and tutorials |
| Guided independent study | 10 | Preparation for seminar presentation |
| Guided independent study | 20 | Researching and writing the essay |
| Guided independent study | 60 | Readings and revisions for exams |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Presentation | 10 minutes | 1,3,4,5,6 | Written |
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 | 1,800 words | 1-5 | 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 (1,800 words) | 1-5 | August/September reassessment period |
| Examination | Examination (1 hour) | 1-6 | August/September reassessment period |
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Basic reading:
Alexander, J. (2003) ‘A Cultural Sociology of Evil’, in The Meanings of Social Life, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 109 – 120.
Anderson, T. (2015) Understanding Deviance: Connecting Classical and Contemporary Perspectives. Oxford: Routledge.
Ferrell, J. Hayward, K. Young, J. (2015) Cultural Criminology. London: Sage.
Freilich, M, Raybeck, D. and Savishinsky, J. (1991) Deviance: Anthropological Perspectives. London:Bergin and Garvey.
Furedi, F. (2013) Moral Crusades in an Age of Mistrust: The Jimmy Saville Scandal. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Goode, E. (2015) The Handbook of Deviance. West Sussex: John Wiley and Sons.
Lyng, S. (2005) Edgework: The Sociology of Risk Taking. Oxford: Routledge.
O’Neill and Seal, L. (2012) Transgressive Imaginations: Crime, Deviance and Culture. London: Palgrave MacMillan.
Reed, I. (2007) ‘Why Salem Made Sense: Culture, Gender and the Puritan Persecution of Witchcraft’, Cultural Sociology, 1(2): 209 – 234.
Seidman, S. ‘Defilement and Disgust: Theorizing the Other’, American Journal of Cultural Sociology, 1(3): 3 – 25.
Smith, P. (2008) Punishment and Culture. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Smith, P. (2010) Incivility: The Rude Stranger in Everyday Life. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Terry, J. and Urla, J. (1995) Deviant Bodies: Critical Perspectives on Difference in Science and Popular Culture. Indiana: Indiana University Press.
Worthen, M. (2016) Sexual Deviance and Society: A Sociological Examination. London: Routledge.
| 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 | 22/06/2017 |
| Last revision date | 12/01/2022 |
