Key Thinkers and Big Ideas: Foundations in Social Theory

Learning Outcomes

Learning Outcomes

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Reflect on your learning and develop strategies to improve your work
• Read and evaluate, social theory texts by a range of theorists and discussion of their ideas by commentators.
• Write clear and well-structured assignments that describe and critically assess theoretical ideas, questions and concepts
• Identify important social theorists and describe the historical context, wider debates and influences on their writing.
• Critically evaluate these ideas, approaches and concepts and their application and relevance to issues in the contemporary social world.
• Outline and examine their theoretical ideas, approaches and concepts.
• Describe and examine a range of key concepts and theoretical approaches in sociology, evaluate their application and use them to analyse social phenomena
• Outline the development of the field of Sociology beyond the established global north histories
• Use correct citation and referencing when providing evidence from academic sources to support your argument
• Assess the importance of history in understanding contemporary social issues

The module introduces you to key thinkers and their contributions to social and anthropological theory. Different theories are introduced in their historical context highlighting the particular issues their proponents initially sought to grapple with and explain at the time they were writing. The module follows the chronological development of social theories over the course of 150 years. It begins with the classical theories of Karl Marx, Max Weber and Emile Durkheim in the late 19th and early 20th century and traces a course through the modern and postmodern theorists Erving Goffman, Michel Foucault and Edward Said, writing in the mid-20th century, to the contemporary social theory of Stuart Hall, Sylvia Walby and Anthony Giddens. In the process we consider the broad questions these theories address and highlight their relevance across disciplines. We also highlight the relevance of these ideas to the world we inhabit today.

Teaching and learning methods

This module consists of weekly lectures and seminars with 24 contact hours in total. Each week focuses on a different theorist. Blended learning involves a weekly lecture, worksheet and seminar to structure students’ reading, assignment preparation and their journey to independent learner.

Assessment strategy

The module is assessed by formative reading worksheets x 9 (12%) and a 1500 word blog assignment (88%).

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Repeat

An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.

Repeat Information

Repeat type: Internal & External