BA (Hons) Sociology

Through a history of sociology, explored through its major thinkers and their texts and activities, from the origins of the discipline to modern times, this module enables you to investigate the nature of the sociological vocation and the range of sociological imaginations developed by individual sociological thinkers and institutional schools of sociology. You will explore how sociology both reflects and critically engages with its social and cultural context and major historical events and processes, which it seeks to understand and often seeks to change. The ways in which sociology draws on, but also distances itself from, other forms of knowing, including theological, literary, biological, historical, psychological and visual imaginations, is kept in mind throughout and encountered in the selected texts on the module.

This module enables you to examine contemporary social and environmental issues of prominence and it will demonstrate the contribution of different sociological approaches to your understanding. It will become apparent that a key strength of sociology is its diverse and challenging interpretations of social and green issues.

This module introduces students to the discipline of sociology, covering both classic and contemporary research as applied to issues of contemporary debate.

After completing the module the student should be able to:

• Reach informed judgements about the value of classic and contemporary approaches to sociology.
• Use their sociological imaginations to consider contemporary issues.
• Draw on the basic skills required for effective study and learning.

After completing the module you should be able to:

• Identify and reflect upon the following aspects of self-awareness in respect of personal development and career planning: strengths and weaknesses, motivations and values, ability to work with others.
• Design a qualitative research design.
• Collect and present qualitative data.
• Reflect on their experience of designing a qualitative research project.
• Reflect on their experience of collecting and presenting qualitative data.

After completing the module you should be able to:

• Clearly situate the development of sociology in relation to culture.
• Differentiate between a range of approaches to the sociological analysis of artwork, cultural texts and practices.
• Examine and analyse a chosen case study cultural text.

After completing the module you should be able to:

• Demonstrate a knowledge of the complexities of defining 'globalization' according to a variety of competing perspectives.
• Explain the causes and consequences that a key global issue poses to society.
• Examine the impact of alternative responses to a key global issue.
• Develop group work and visual presentation skills essential for the workplace.

In this module you will learn to understand, evaluate and analyse the merits and shortcomings of secondary data analysis of a large quantitative dataset, downloadable from the UK Data Archive. You will use these skills to generate sociological arguments based upon a large dataset.

This module explores the development of sociological theory and specifically considers how both classical and contemporary theory enables the understanding of current social issues and debates. Through an exploration of a diverse range of social issues including precarious employment, racism, the role of social solidarity in communities, mental health, surveillance discourses, the impact of technologies on human experiences and many more, you will develop your own theoretical analysis and better appreciate the various issues and tensions within key thinkers work.   

In this module you will develop a range of essential qualitative research skills to undertake and reflect upon problem solving research within a supportive environment. The module builds on the EBL in Level 4 and enhances your abilities to engage in research activities. The module includes a short field trip to apply methods in 'the real world' developing the transferable skills. For students who are intending to write a dissertation at Level 6, this module provides an essential grounding.

After completing the module, you should be able to:

• Use approaches within social and critical theory to explore modern and contemporary experiences and phenomena.
• Assess and respond to competing perspectives within critical theory.
• Explain the emergence of key strands of modern critical theory within historical and epistemic context.

The first section of this module introduces you to the key areas in the sociology of health and illness, bringing together the contribution of different perspectives and methodological approaches which characterise sociological research in this area. It will allow you to understand the dominance of the biomedical model and how it has come to attempt to define experiences of health and illness. A sociological orientation will allow you to understand the importance of the social context in shaping the health of the nation. The second section will introduce you to the concept of medicalisation and we will use this lens to interrogate the ways in which bodies are 'othered', compartmentalised and differently treated. The related field of 'healthism' will further be explored and you will be challenged to consider the potential advantages and disadvantages of such processes in relation to the perceptions and treatment of certain bodies.We will use case studies of particular embodied experiences which will uncover the relationship some bodies have with nature, technology, society and structures that expose regimes of discipline, regulation, normalisation and surveillance. Students will have the opportunity to build on some of these themes at level 6 in modules Body Politics.

The aim is to provide students with an additional year of study at an approved overseas partner that will complement their programme at LJMU. This is an additional year of full-time study at an approved higher education institution. The modules to be studied must be agreed in advance, and must be appropriate for the student's programme of study. Assuming successful completion of this year, mark-bearing credit will be awarded by the Faculty Recognition Group. The grade conversion scale to be used will be made available in advance of the year abroad.

This module enables you to explore politics and popular culture as a sub-field that articulates the ways in which politics is understood through popular culture. It demonstrates how theory as a means of making sense of the world impacts upon the everyday. It provides you with an opportunity to take ownership over your learning process through student-led seminars, guided by preceding interactive lectures.

The aim is to provide students with a semester of study at an approved overseas partner that will replace one semester of their LJMU programme at level 5.This is a semester of full-time study at an approved higher education institution which will replace one semester of level 5 study at LJMU. The modules to be studied must be agreed in advance, and must be an appropriate substitute for the modules being replaced. Assuming successful completion of this semester, mark-bearing credit will be awarded by the Faculty Recognition Group. The grade conversion scale to be used will be made available in advance of the year abroad.

This module enables you to explore the roles and relations of international organisations through a thematic approach. This will allow you to engage with key organisations focussing on broader themes of international politics, such as aid and development, health, security and the environment. This approach will allow you to engage with core debates and explore the roles of a multitude of organisations.

After completing the module you should be able to:

• Utilise sociological perspectives on musical identities to place them within their historical and sociocultural contexts.
• Explain the connections between music and people's diverse identities via concrete case examples.
• Explain the role of music in expressing, reflecting and modelling diverse individual and group identities, including marginalised identities.

After completing the module you should be able to:

• Understand how sociological perspectives can be applied to enhance employability and careers.
• Evaluate a range of sociological theories on work.
• Reflect on the employability skills gained during the course and how to negotiate a sociology related work placement.

Module Overview: This module offers students a chance to examine the social significance of digital media in contemporary society. Beginning with an overview of the relationship between media and social change, the first part focuses on capitalism in its communicative form and develops a broad critique of digital power and inequality. The second part looks at the challenges encountered by social movements in contesting inequality by way of digital activism. A sample of research case studies will be considered as a means of evaluating the impact of online activism on participative democracy (eg. BLM). The third part of the module will be dedicated to combining theory, practice and social critique, offering the students a chance to develop a ‘guerrilla’ documentary praxis in producing a short activist documentary of their own.

Within this module you will develop critical, analytical and evaluative skills appropriate to the textual and contextual study of crime and horror in the media. You will begin to identify and critically evaluate the social and cultural roots of given examples of crime and horror media. You will develop a critical understanding of crime and horror media and the historical and industrial contexts of their production and consumption

This module provides you with an opportunity to develop your own sociological specialism by conducting an extended, in-depth study on a freely chosen topic in sociology. You will plan and design an extended piece of academic work and present the completed work as a written dissertation whilst demonstrating a detailed and critical understanding of a relevant field of sociological enquiry. You will be supported through group seminars to successfully complete the dissertation and will work with a staff supervisor to develop a critical understanding of your research topic.

This module is designed with the understanding that our extant historical knowledge (which is implicitly Eurocentric) needs to be globalised. It means the non-western world should be better weighted and given due attention rather than seen as a passive receiver of western impacts. It emphasises a lot on the historically situated forces in the making of non-western world of ideas and, more importantly, their connections and complex relationships.

This module provides the opportunity for you to undertake independent guided study on a topic, congruent with the aims and themes of the programme within an international context. You will also further develop a wide range of study skills in the process such as working in small groups, writing reflective blog posts, considering the ethics of blogging and social media and applying sociological concepts and ideas to an international setting. The module has a compulsory international fieldwork element incorporated which provides the backdrop to your study focus.

This module adopts various sociological and critical criminological approaches in the understanding of sport in contemporary societies. You will look at issues relating to recent transformations, prejudices and cultural cohesion in the world of sport, focusing in particular on developments relating to issues such as racism, nationalism, globalisation and gender prejudice. The module will also be centrally concerned with the transformation of sport in the light of ongoing changes to a consumerist society.

In this module you will explore sociological and feminist debates around the body, gender and sexuality. You will engage with ideas which challenge the normative representations and 'taken for granted ideas' around body shape and image, gender and sexualities. It covers topics such as body modification, beauty, pornography, sex work, trans* identities and violences against the body.

This module aims to explain to you the place of music in society, using sociological theory to unlock the codes and secrets of musical culture and society. It is based on the premise that music is a social product, social resource and social practice. In doing so, the module focuses on the relationship between music and social life through a wide range of topics, including music as representation, the economy of music, the relationship between musical taste and social divisions, the political role of music, music as self-expression and political resistance, the changing media forms and technologies of sound production, the therapeutic potential of music, and more. In exploring these themes, you will consider all forms of musicpopular, classical, folk and worldto reflect the vitality of musical expressions in the world today.

Within this module you will explore the contested concepts and practices of security in the twenty-first century. You will engage with existing debates in the fields of international relations, security studies and critical security studies. Alongside this, you will also be introduced to the socio-spatial implications of contemporary security governance. Exploring the impact of external security developments on urban places and environments such as cities, built environments and crowded spaces.

This module encourages students to think sociologically about the role of visual images and representation in social life, and be able to sociologically analyse and explain the role and meaning of representations.

This module provides students about to embark on their working lives with the opportunity to undertake a self-directed work placement relevant to the study of Sociology.

The aim is that students will be able to identify, assess and reflect upon how their skills and abilities transfer from their academic studies to the world of work and how these skills and abilities have been enhanced via their work placement.

The module also offers students opportunities to reflect on the links between their work placement experience and their programme of study.

This module aims to equip you to explore, interpret, and analyse representations of diversity and diverse identities in the media. The module will present a range of themes and topics alongside case studies of media and cultural texts that represent and mediate key issues in contemporary culture to enable students to critically engage with diverse representations in media, culture and communication texts. Case studies will be used to explore key themes and issues. These currently include: representations of democracy in the UK/US; reporting conflict(s); representing Pride & LGBTQIA Communities; femininities & masculinities; the Black Lives Matter movement; #MeToo and gender power relations; disability and migration.

This module will begin by examining major philosophical and theoretical approaches to the study of emotions. Thereafter the module will examine a series of case studies in aversive emotions such as fear, hate, anger, and disgust. By the end of the module, students will have a strong understanding of the ways in which we might approach the analysis of emotions, and will have covered a range of contemporary cases allowing them to unpick the politics and aesthetics of aversive emotion.

This module will equip students to discuss cities, urban processes and urban futures from a critical and sociological perspective. It will enhance their understanding of the nature, origins and consequences of urban issues. This module studies cities from a sociological perspective and is structured according to 3 main parts. Firstly, students will gain insights into the origins of urban sociology, especially its significance for the emergence of sociology as an academic discipline. We will read and discuss foundational texts and theories in early urban sociology. The second part of the module, will study the nature of urban politics focusing on questions of power and capital in the urban environment. The last part of the module, interrogates several urban issues and their relationship to sociological categories such as class, gender, race and more. The emphasis of the module is not just that student engage with complex theories and texts but also that student are able to develop alternative approaches and solutions to conflicts and issues that play out in the urban environment. Students are also encouraged to apply these theories to Liverpool and seek out examples and sites in our immediate urban environment that illustrate these points. 

Module Overview: This module will give students the opportunity to engage with the dominant political ideology of our time, and draw a critical awareness to it and how it operates. The module begins by introducing students to the notion of everyday nationalism, helping to see the way nationalism is embedded in daily life, and then follows this with a discussion of the main theoretical approaches to nationalism. The second block will then consider some major approaches to nationalism, giving students the opportunity to consider how nationalism interacts with other major social categories and aspects of contemporary life. Finally, we will look at some case-studies that engage with historical and contemporary issues that provide an overview of how nationalism can be critically examined to understand the contemporary world, and how it came to be.