University of Essex

SC301-6-FY-CO:
Rethinking Modernity

The details

Year: 2023/24

Department: Sociology and Criminology

Campus: Colchester Campus

Term: Full Year

Level: Undergraduate: Level 6

Status: Current

Start date: Thursday 05 October 2023

End date: Friday 28 June 2024

Credits: 30

Last updated: 10 February 2023

Requisites for this module

Pre-requisites: SC201

Co-requisites: (none)

Pre and / or co-requisites: (none)

Prohibited modules: (none)

Key module (requisite for): (none)

Key module for

BA LV31 History and Sociology,
BA LV32 History and Sociology (Including Placement Year),
BA LV38 History and Sociology (Including Foundation Year),
BA LV3C History and Sociology (Including Year Abroad),
BA LQ32 Literature and Sociology,
BA LQ33 Literature and Sociology (Including Placement Year),
BA LQ38 Literature and Sociology (Including Foundation Year),
BA QL23 Literature and Sociology (Including Year Abroad),
BA LP33 Media and Digital Culture,
BA LP34 Media and Digital Culture (including Placement Year),
BA P300 Media and Digital Culture (Including Foundation Year),
BA PL33 Media and Digital Culture (including Year Abroad),
BA LV35 Philosophy and Sociology,
BA LV36 Philosophy and Sociology (Including Placement Year),
BA LV83 Philosophy and Sociology (Including Foundation Year),
BA VL53 Philosophy and Sociology (Including Year Abroad),
BA VL58 Philosophy and Sociology (Including Foundation Year and Year Abroad),
BA CL83 Sociology with Social Psychology,
BA CL93 Sociology with Social Psychology (Including Placement Year),
BA CLV3 Sociology with Social Psychology (Including Year Abroad),
BA L300 Sociology,
BA L301 Sociology (Including Year Abroad),
BA L304 Sociology (Including Foundation Year),
BA L306 Sociology (Including Placement Year),
BA LM38 Sociology and Criminology (Including Placement Year),
BA LM39 Sociology and Criminology,
BA LMH9 Sociology and Criminology (Including Year Abroad),
BA LMHX Sociology and Criminology (Including Foundation Year),
BA LL23 Sociology and Politics (Including Year Abroad),
BA LL24 Sociology and Politics (Including Placement Year),
BA LL32 Sociology and Politics,
BA L3J9 Sociology with Human Rights (Including Placement Year),
BA L3M9 Sociology with Human Rights,
BA LMJ9 Sociology with Human Rights (Including Year Abroad),
BA LCJ8 Sociology with Psychosocial Studies (Including Placement Year),
BA LJ8C Sociology with Psychosocial Studies (Including Year Abroad),
BA LJC8 Sociology with Psychosocial Studies,
BA P540 Journalism and Sociology,
BA P541 Journalism and Sociology (Including Placement Year),
BA P542 Journalism and Sociology (Including Year Abroad),
BSC L315 Sociology (Applied Quantitative Research),
BSC L316 Sociology (Applied Quantitative Research) (Including Year Abroad),
BSC L317 Sociology (Applied Quantitative Research) (Including Placement Year),
BA L332 Sociology with Counselling Skills,
BA L350 Sociology and Health,
BA L351 Sociology and Health (including Foundation Year),
BA L352 Sociology and Health (including Placement Year),
BA L353 Sociology and Health (including Year Abroad)

Module description

The first term will build on some of the key concerns of sociology and will introduce a range of approaches to understanding our (post)-modern and multicultural world.

In the Autumn term we will look at topics such as "Modernity and Colonialism", "feminist epistemology" and "language and the world". The second term will look at the work of Foucault, Gilroy and Butler, among others, and will address topics such as "'race'", "post-colonial theory", the "Global South", the "Anthropocene", "sexual difference" and "animals in sociology".

Overall, the module introduces some of the theoretical and conceptual concerns and problems which influence all sociological research and thinking.

Module aims

To give students a critical awareness of a range of current topics in sociological theory.

To provide students with the capability to assess different theoretical perspectives and their relation to sociology.

To enable students to make links between theoretical approaches and sociological research.

Module learning outcomes

Having completed this module, students will gain:-

An ability to think abstractly and to assess the validity of a range of different conceptual positions.

A critical awareness of a range of current topics in sociological theory.

Module information

The module is divided into 4 blocks:

Thinking Modernity and Postmodernity
Thinking Inequality
Thinking Power and its Consequences
Thinking Ahead

Please click on the link below to view the Introduction video to this SC301

https://moodle.essex.ac.uk/mod/page/view.php?id=668566

Learning and teaching methods

Most modules in Sociology are divided into lectures of around 50 minutes and a class of around 50 minutes. Some are taught as a 2hr seminar, and others via a 50-minute lecture and 2-hr lab. Lectures, classes, labs and seminars will be taught face-to-face.

Please note that you should be spending up to eight hours per week undertaking your own private study (reading, preparing for classes or assignments, etc.) on each of your modules (e.g. 32 hours in total for four 30-credit modules).

The lectures provide an overview of the substantive debates around the topic of the week, while the classes will give you the opportunity to reflect on your learning and actively engage with your peers to develop your understanding further.

You are strongly encouraged to attend the classes as they provide an opportunity to talk with your class teacher and other students. The classes will be captured and available via Listen Again. However, if you want to gain the most you can from these classes it is very important that you attend and engage. Please note that the recording of classes is at the discretion of the teacher.

Bibliography

Howard W French (2021) ‘Built on the bodies of slaves: how Africa was erased from the history of the modern world’, The Guardian [Preprint]. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/news/2021/oct/12/africa-slaves-erased-from-history-modern-world.
Geertz, C. (1995) After the fact: two countries, four decades, one anthropologist. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Available at: https://search-ebscohost-com.uniessexlib.idm.oclc.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=281972&site=ehost-live&authtype=sso&custid=s9814295.
Enrique Dussel (no date) ‘Eurocentrism and Modernity (Introduction to the Frankfurt Lectures)’, boundary 2, 20(3). Available at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/303341.
Carter, B. and Charles, N. (2018) ‘The animal challenge to sociology’, European Journal of Social Theory, 21(1), pp. 79–97. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1177/1368431016681305.
Latour, B. (1993) We have never been modern. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press.
Harman, G. (2009) Prince of networks: Bruno Latour and metaphysics. Melbourne: Re.press. Available at: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/universityofessex-ebooks/detail.action?docID=440706.

The above list is indicative of the essential reading for the course.
The library makes provision for all reading list items, with digital provision where possible, and these resources are shared between students.
Further reading can be obtained from this module's reading list.

Assessment items, weightings and deadlines

Coursework / exam	Description	Coursework weighting
Coursework	Essay 1	50%
Coursework	Essay 2	50%
Exam	Main exam: In-Person, Open Book, 180 minutes during Summer (Main Period)
Exam	Reassessment Main exam: In-Person, Open Book, 180 minutes during September (Reassessment Period)

Exam format definitions

Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary, for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.

Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.

Overall assessment

Coursework	Exam
50%	50%

Reassessment

Coursework	Exam
50%	50%

Module supervisor and teaching staff

Supervisor: Dr Maitrayee Deka, email: maitrayee.deka@essex.ac.uk.
Prof Michael Halewood, email: m.halewood@essex.ac.uk.

Teaching staff: Professor Michael Halewood

Contact details: Jane Harper, Undergraduate Administrator, Telephone: 01206 873052 E-mail: socugrad@essex.ac.uk

Availability

Available to incoming Essex Abroad / Exchange students: No

Available to Outside Option: No

Available to Audit: Yes

External examiner

Name: Dr Aneira Edmunds

Institution: School of Law, Politics & Sociology

Academic role: Senior Lecturer

Name: Dr Paul Gilbert

Institution: University of Sussex

Academic role: Senior Lecturer in International Development

Resources

Teaching materials: Available via Moodle

Lecture recording: Of 67 hours, 65 (97%) hours available to students:
0 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
2 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s), module, or event type.

Further information

Department website: Sociology and Criminology

Disclaimer: The University makes every effort to ensure that this information on its Module Directory is accurate and up-to-date. Exceptionally it can be necessary to make changes, for example to programmes, modules, facilities or fees. Examples of such reasons might include a change of law or regulatory requirements, industrial action, lack of demand, departure of key personnel, change in government policy, or withdrawal/reduction of funding. Changes to modules may for example consist of variations to the content and method of delivery or assessment of modules and other services, to discontinue modules and other services and to merge or combine modules. The University will endeavour to keep such changes to a minimum, and will also keep students informed appropriately by updating our programme specifications and module directory.

The full Procedures, Rules and Regulations of the University governing how it operates are set out in the Charter, Statutes and Ordinances and in the University Regulations, Policy and Procedures.

Module Directory

SC301-6-FY-CO:Rethinking Modernity