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Component
MA Sociology options
Year 1, Component 04
Sociology option from list
PA991-7-FY
Foundations in Gender and Sexuality Studies
(30 CREDITS)
This module seeks to ground students in the interdisciplinary theories that have been essential to feminist theory, queer theory, and the study of gender and sexuality more broadly.
In this respect, the course proceeds both thematically and chronologically, covering some of the 'canonical' feminist and queer interventions and methods, such as rights-based liberal feminism; radical feminism; Black feminism; Marxist feminism; standpoint epistemology; transnational feminism; ecofeminism; intersectionality; AIDS & LGBT activism; queer theory; and trans studies. But, by approaching these texts through contemporary and transportable concepts (like 'borders', 'pandemics', 'mothers,' 'environments', and 'the gaze') we will emphasize the enduring relevance of these foundational texts for making sense of current social experiences and cultural objects.
Topics in Critical Race and Transnational Feminisms
(15 CREDITS)
This module covers special topics in critical race and transnational feminisms. The module prioritizes an intersectional focus on race, gender, and class, exploring how these three identity coordinates are at work in key sites and locations.
For instance, we consider race and the management of women's bodies; feminist and anti-colonial pedagogies; race, class, and gender in the carceral system; the nature of women's reproductive labor and women's work in a globalized context; and the racial and gendered politics of protest. The module also includes a mid-term field trip to an art exhibition to consider the politics of art and representation.
How do you critically analyse quantitative data? What are the appropriate statistical techniques for your research questions? And how do you interpret your results? Learn to conduct investigations relevant to your own research, as well as be a critical user of other research.
Does shopping change the world? Can you make a difference by choosing more sustainable options as a consumer? These are key questions that you will be able to answer after completing this module. Examine the systems through which many of the everyday goods you enjoy are produced, circulated and consumed, explore how commodities are provisioned within a global society, and consider the possibilities and complexities of transitioning towards a more sustainable market.
Do hackers have ethics? Who owns digital media? Is surveillance justified? Explore the history of the digital media economy, looking at hacking, digital media piracy and peer-to-peer networks. Build your understanding of the social, economic and cultural role that digital media now plays in developed Western societies.
How has advertising tried to understand the consumer? What challenges are posed by international advertising? Or by the arrival of new media and alternative delivery systems? Explore the history of advertising in Britain and North America, then learn how to analyse and theorise about advertising and the wider creative industries.
What are the different approaches to qualitative data analysis? And when should qualitative interviews be used? Learn about the qualitative research process, including design, selection of interview subjects and analysis, so that you are equipped to tackle your own qualitative research in the future.
Citizenship, International Migration and Human Rights
(20 CREDITS)
This seminar is an introduction to major theoretical approaches and substantive issues in the current sociological thinking on citizenship, with a view on the postwar reconfigurations of the nation-state and citizenship via globalization and the expansion of transnational framework of human rights.
Substantively, the seminar explores the contemporary processes that underline the inclusions and exclusions in the body of citizenry: territorial and cultural closure of the nation, expansion of individual (human) rights and privileges, immigration and incorporation of diversity, European citizenship, globalization of economy and markets, and the transnationalization of normativity, actors, and claims for citizenship.
How are work and home life organised differently across the globe? Does gender add to this? Can we challenge our traditional understandings of work and home? As work helps to define your identity, explore the nature of both formal and informal work, using case studies from around the world.
How do we challenge our conventional understanding of crime? And what can we do about this? Examine the history of criminology and learn about the contemporary debates. Study topics like criminalisation, social deviance, and surveillance and punishment. Look ahead with analysis of new work by leading authors in the field.
What do we mean when we talk about organised crime? And how is this used as a tool for governance? Explore landmark studies and emerging horizons in the field of organised crime studies. Gain an understanding of the social, political, media, cultural and ideological topics related to organised crime.
Critical Perspectives on Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism
(20 CREDITS)
Is one man’s terrorist another’s freedom fighter? Go beyond that debate to really challenge your understanding of terrorism. Learn how to define and analyse terrorism. Examine themes on dimensions of terrorism, including political, animal rights and religious extremism. Explore counter terrorism, covering topics like surveillance, policing and the law.As part of this module you have the opportunity to visit the Counter Terrorism Headquarter in London for our annual optional field trip. You will be required to pay any associated travel costs if you choose to attend.
Emotions – a topic once pursued by relatively few psychologists and natural scientists – are now one of the most researched fields across disciplines. Emotion studies in the social sciences can be traced back to Max Weber and Norbert Elias, but the field has grown rapidly in the last three decades. This module aims to introduce the field of emotion studies in the social sciences, and to offer graduates conceptual and methodological tool kits for investigating emotions in their own research. It presents some of the major sub-disciplines, namely social constructionism, psycho-social approach, affect theory, and neuro-sociology. First, we will present the difficulties in defining the subject, i.e., the main debates over what emotions are and how to define them. We will then focus on psycho-social approaches to emotions, while the last five sessions will be devoted to sociological, anthropological and historical studies in specific emotions, including love and loss, fear and trauma.
What kind of knowledge is and has been produced around prostitution and sex work? How does gender intersect with racial, classed, and ethnic inequalities to shape the organisation of the sex industry? In this module, you’ll explore how sex for sale has been conceptualised in different theoretical traditions, how it has been addressed and responded to at the societal, political and policy level, and how the phenomenon and those involved in it (sellers, buyers, and third parties) have changed over time.
This module will critically assess current research, policies and practices related to current global security challenges, including those relating to human rights, climate change, migration, health, and the cybersphere
How do we understand crime in our increasingly globalised world? And what about forms of control and criminal justice policy? Critically examine criminological thought on globalisation, migration, policy convergence, punishment, and crimes against the state.
What is the significance of 'the de-centring of the subject'? What problems does the materiality of the body pose for sociology? Do claims for objectivity now make any sense at all? Gain an understanding of the significant debates in contemporary social theory, while learning to think analytically about theoretical questions.
How do you design social research for projects? Examine the research process, from forming initial research questions through to writing up your findings. Develop your own research ideas via the approaches discussed, building a critical perspective on empirical research that will help you with future research goals.
How do you design social research for projects? Examine the research process, from forming initial research questions through to writing up your findings. Develop your own research ideas via the approaches discussed, building a critical perspective on empirical research that will help you with future research goals.
How has colonialism created human rights problems, now and in the past? And what part did mandates for free markets, industrialism and state sovereignty play? Study thinkers like Cesaire, Fanon, Arendt, Agamben and Taussig. Discuss specific international situations like Palestine, forced removal of Aboriginal children and the war on terror.
Advanced Quantitative Analysis: Models for Cause and Effect
(20 CREDITS)
How do you interpret studies using panel data? What are the various approaches to panel data analysis? And can you analyse the same data using different methods? Gain the knowledge and confidence to manipulate panel data sets, while developing practical skills in selecting and conducting panel data analysis.
What are the principles of modern survey design? And what is best practice? Explore the fundamentals of survey design and the concept of survey error. Analyse different types of design and modes of data collection, drawing on real-life examples. Build the transferable study skills required to conduct professional surveys.
As part of this module, you're required to undertake a 10-day work placement. If you're placement is in London, your travel costs will be paid for by the company. Outside of London, you may incur associated travel costs.
How do you deal with sampling error? What problems arise from non-response errors? And can you reduce such errors? Examine methods for mitigating non-responses errors and understand the key issues in managing data and survey processes, while gaining practical experience of designing samples.
Wish to design questionnaires? Build your theoretical knowledge and the practical tools to develop and write survey questions, and to construct questionnaires. Apply your understanding to the development of your questionnaire and implementation materials. Receive feedback on your questionnaire design.
Throughout the module, we will discuss international theories of migration and social integration, examine migration and refugee policies in a comparative perspective, the difference between statistical and taste-based discrimination, and the perpetuation of bias, how we gain an understanding of labour market integration; and the debates surrounding migration, prostitution and sex work.
The Context of Integration: Origin, Destination and the Children of Immigrants
(20 CREDITS)
How do we understand the divergent pathways of immigrants and their children in school, work, social and political life? Why do some immigrant groups and their offspring appear to fare better than others? This module will address these questions with a comparative focus on the United States and Western Europe, drawing on the concepts of (segmented) assimilation and acculturation central to the sociology of migration.
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