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SOCI606 Social and Cultural Theory

10 cp
Prerequisites Nil
Teaching Organisation 2 hours per week for twelve weeks or equivalent of lectures, tutorials and seminars.

This unit seeks to enhance students understanding of the critical importance of social and cultural theory in guiding analysis, facilitating explanation and, ultimately, in strengthening understanding of human behaviour. The unit focuses initially upon the work of the key classical social theorists, namely Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim and Max Weber.

The focus on classical theory, and especially on the distinctive ways in which the classical theorists grappled with the idea of modernity, is intended to provide a backdrop against which to consider, in the latter part of the unit, the work of more contemporary theorists. In focusing upon contemporary theoretical developments, particular attention will be given to work that seeks to comprehend the nature, and consequences, of the massive social changes that have taken place over recent years. Various levels of impact are considered, ranging from the world-scale changes commonly linked to globalisation through to associated changes in the nature of family life, everyday living, and notions of personal identity. In examining these changes, students will be expected to engage critically with contemporary debates concerning the nature of modernity and post-modernity. As part of this process, they will also be encouraged to reflect upon the nature of feminist and postmodern critiques of classical social theory.

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