Classical Sociological Theory
| Code | School | Level | Credits | Semesters |
| SOCI2046 | Sociology and Social Policy | 2 | 10 | Autumn UK |
- Code
- SOCI2046
- School
- Sociology and Social Policy
- Level
- 2
- Credits
- 10
- Semesters
- Autumn UK
Summary
This module approaches classical sociological theory through analysis of a decolonised canon of sociological thought. The writers addressed will vary, but will include Marx, Durkheim, Weber and Du Bois.
Target Students
Available only to Level 2 students on programmes in the School of Sociology and Social Policy, students on the BA Liberal Arts and Exchange students.
Classes
This module is taught through a combination of lectures and seminars.
Assessment
- 100% Coursework: 2,000 words
Assessed by end of autumn semester
Educational Aims
This module seeks to equip students to understand the broad theoretical and methodological positions adopted by a range of classical social theorists, and the way their perspectives have been taken up within subsequent sociological debates. The classes revolve around a series of readings and discussion themes designed to help students master theoretical discourses and the claims they contain and to explore how they can be used and modified to conduct the sociological analysis of contemporary phenomena.Learning Outcomes
Knowledge and Understanding
Students should be able to:
- Recognise the main theoretical and methodological perspectives in 18th and 19th century social thought and how they relate to distinctive types of empirical inquiry.
- Critically examine early formulations capitalist modernity and its problems, primarily inequalities of class and gender and reflect upon the absence of an address of colonialism and racialised divisions.
- Understand the strengths and limitations of classical sociological thought and its influence on contemporary constructions of relations among individuals, institutions and the wider society.
Intellectual Skills
Students should be able to:
- Clarify and critically discuss the concepts developed by selected theorists and theories.
- Undertake and present scholarly comparisons, analyses and critiques of different sociological frameworks and perspectives.
Professional/Practical Skills
Students should be able to:
- Formulate theoretical issues capable of being addressed within the frameworks studied.
- Develop and present critiques of theoretical studies and analyses in a systematic format supported by an appropriate scholarly apparatus.
Transferable Skills
Students should be able to:
- Develop their capacity to examine, understand and render intelligible abstract and technical discourses.
- Apply enhanced oral and written language skills, especially with respect to handling abstract frameworks ad concepts.
- Adapt and apply theoretical frameworks and concepts to new empirical topics and problematics.
Conveners
Last updated 07/01/2025.