Module Directory

This module reviews some of the most significant debates in contemporary social theory while encouraging students to think analytically about theoretical questions and illustrating ways of doing so. The module develops critical thinking around the stakes of claiming the global today. And to do we go into debates and practices that shaped our present epoch. We take European modernity as a critical point in our recent history that accelerated the challenges that we face today—climate emergency, rampant growth, racial, class and gender inequalities. We go deeper into the modern ethos of self-discovery and freedom.

The aims of this module are:

• To engage with a broad range of questions, such as: How did modernity shape the idea of the social? How do contemporary theoretical and empirical developments challenge the modern notion of social and gender, power, bodies and identities?


• To provide a critical way of examining the world by decolonizing history and including diverse contemporary thoughts, as modernity is not the purview of only Europeans. 


• To consider what have the European moderns left behind? How does being modern today look? This module will consider how the modern looks from a global point of view—what issues are part of this universal, and what should get consciously built? Does the modern look the same for a college student as it looks for a working-class individual? 


• To consider how these diverse experiences influence our collective politics of reshaping contemporary debates and sharing ideas and experiences for an inclusive future.

By the end of this module, students will be expected to be able to:

1. Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the idea of modernity and the modern approach to social theory.


2. Demonstrate a solid conceptual grounding alongside modes of decolonizing key concepts.


3. Demonstrate a thorough understanding of 'European modernity' as a particular historical epoch and what has been left out or silenced from the overarching paradigm.


4. Critically introduce ideas and practices neglected or excluded from contemporary social theory


5. Create individual points of view while developing skillsets for public speaking and participation in a seminar format.

Before each week's lecture, students will get a host of resources asynchronously on Moodle to prep for seminar. These resources are: (1) PPT of the weekly lecture (2) short format lecture videos on the topic (3) Questions for seminar discussion. The synchronous seminar (that will be timetabled) will start with an introduction and recap of main points of the lecture. The rest of the seminar will focus on students' discussion on the available questions as well as their comments on the key reading(s). Individual students will be allotted about 10 minutes to forward their point of view. This will also be the time for students to bring their ideas to the seminar and what they thought of the resources available on Moodle. There will be extended discussion on how to write a PGT essay and other doubts that students might have about the module.

Most modules at postgraduate level in Sociology are taught as a 2hr seminar. Most classes, labs and seminars will be taught face-to-face (assuming social distancing al-lows this). There may also be some online activities – either timetabled as a live online session or available on Moodle in the form of pre-recorded videos. You will be expected to watch this material and engage with any suggested activities before your seminar/class each week. Please note that you should be spending up to ten hours per week undertaking your own private study (reading, preparing for classes or assignments, etc.) on each of your modules (e.g. 30 hours in total for three 20--credit modules). This module [SC901] will include a range of activities to help you and your teachers to check your understanding and progress. These are: [individual student discussion (each week based on key reading, group report and discussion (Week 6), and distrib-ute pointers, videos and questions each week to garner feedback and comments on the course material] The module has a blended learning component. The seminars will be f2f but materials---PPTs, videos, forums---will be on Moodle. You are strongly encouraged to attend the classes/seminars as they provide an op-portunity to talk with your class teacher and other students. The classes/seminars will be captured and available via Listen Again. However, if you want to gain the most you can from these seminars/classes it is very important that you attend and engage. Please note that the recording of seminars/classes is at the discretion of the teacher.