Health, Illness and Bodies in Contemporary Society: Part 2: Bodies in Society
| Module title | Health, Illness and Bodies in Contemporary Society: Part 2: Bodies in Society |
|---|---|
| Module code | ANT3088 |
| Academic year | 2023/4 |
| Credits | 15 |
| Module staff | Dr Ginny Russell (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 35 |
|---|
Module description
This module will introduce you to contemporary sociological and anthropological ways of understanding how bodies are made, manipulated, shaped, reproduced, represented and experienced. You will explore how contemporary Western society takes for granted ‘the body’ and compare to cross cultural accounts of how bodies are made meaningful. This will lead you to consider how ‘culture’ shapes the body, and raise questions such as: How do new biomedical technologies change the ways in which people think about bodies? What connections can be drawn from these contemporary concerns with body size and health? As Part 2 of ‘Health, Illness and Bodies in Contemporary Society’, the module will continue themes introduced in Part 1 such as ‘medicalisation', the ’ new public health’ and explaining health inequalities, but we will expand beyond the lens of health and illness. You will have the opportunity to explore specific topics relating to bodies and embodiment in contemporary society – for example, tattooing, body size, contraception, sport, fashion and identity - and in so doing will cultivate skills in research, writing and presentation of ideas. This module is recommended for students from sociology, anthropology, or the Flexible honours degree. There are no prerequisites, but as there is quite a bit of interdisciplinarity in this field, some basic knowledge of sociology and anthropology is an advantage for undertaking this module.
Module aims - intentions of the module
Understanding how societies and cultures shape bodies is critical to understanding the meanings and experiences of health and illness in contemporary society. The aim of the module is to introduce you to central concepts and analytic frameworks through which sociologists and anthropologists study and approach ‘the body’ in society and culture. This module will familiarise you with scholarship that takes bodies to be historically and culturally contingent and sites for important social, cultural and identity work across cultures, and to develop insights into how health, illness and deviance are experienced and governed. The module seeks to introduce you to the rich body of work being developed in sociology and anthropology around bodies and their many meanings, and the importance of critically placing bodies in cultural, power and policy contexts. You will develop research, writing and presentation skills by identifying, pursuing and communication about a topic on bodies throughout the module.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Critically and competently demonstrate your knowledge about current sociological and anthropological work and debate on bodies as historically and culturally contingent, and as material loci of social and cultural practices, in class discussion and course work;
- 2. Competently demonstrate and develop complex and critical arguments regarding specific contemporary topics concerning bodies and their relationship to topics of health and illness, social control, identity, and social inequalities - based on sociological and anthropological theory and research;
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 3. Critically evaluate and analyse contemporary sociological and anthropological texts;
- 4. Display in written and oral form an understanding of the theoretical and critical approaches of these disciplines
- 5. Appreciate and demonstrate a critical understanding of key issues relevant to the contemporary world, and develop critical, comparative and cross-cultural insight;
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 6. Critically demonstrate transferable skills in formulating, researching and addressing focused questions;
- 7. Critically prepare and develop focused and comprehensive written and oral presentations;
- 8. Critically work independently and in collaboration with others;
- 9. Critically demonstrate critical and cross-cultural understanding, translation and comparison, which will be of advantage in an increasing range of professional settings.
Syllabus plan
Whilst the precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover all or some of the following topics:
Theorising the body:
Foucault on Bodies
Bourdieu on Bodies
Goffman, stigma and bodies
Lock and Local Biologies
Marking, performing and displaying bodies
Bodies as sites of construction and consumption
Reproductive bodies, sleep and regulation
Technologies of bodies, modification and body projects
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 & Teaching Activities | 22 | 11 x 2 hour weekly lectures/seminars (or 1 hour lecutres lectures+ 1 hour seminars) |
| Guided independent study | 18 | Discussing readings (summative) or preparing research-based essay (summative) |
| Guided independent study | 80 | Reading and research, with roughly 10% dedicated to seminar preparation |
| Guided independent study | 30 | Web-based activities |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Presentation | 10 minutes | 1-9 | Verbal and written |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay 1 | 50 | 1,500 words | 1-9 | Written |
| Essay 2 (research essay) | 50 | 1,500 words | 1-9 | 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 1 | Essay 1 (1,500 words) | 1-9 | August/September reassessment period |
| Essay 2 (research essay) | Essay 2 (1,500 words) | 1-9 | August/September reassessment period |
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Lock, M. and Farquhar, J. (2007) Beyond the body proper: reading the anthropology of material life.
Malacrida, C. and Low. J. (2008 ) Sociology of the body: A reader.
Shilling, C. (2005) The body in culture, technology and society.
Lucy Grealy. (1994) Autobiography of a Face New York: Harper Collins
Alice Domurat Dreger (2004) One of Us: Conjoined Twins and the Future of Normal
Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Victoria Pitts. (2003) In the Flesh: The Cultural Politics of Body Modification
Rich, E. and Evans, J. (2005) “Fat Ethics: The Obesity Discourse and Body Politics.” Social Theory and Health 3(4): 341-358.
Gill, R et al. (2005) Body Projects and the Regulation of Normative Masculinity Body and Society 11 (1): 37-62.
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
News media, blogs and online fora.
Indicative learning resources - Other resources
Films and relevant feature films.
| 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 | 01/03/2012 |
| Last revision date | 26/01/2022 |
