Cont Social Theory (Aut) (L4046A)
Contemporary Social Theory
Module L4046A
Module details for 2010 cohort.
30 credits
FHEQ Level 6
Module Outline
This module provides a critical assessment of the some of the most prominent sociological theorists in the late twentieth century. This period can be described as post-classical in the sense that the various schools of classical sociological theory associated with Marx, Weber, Durkheim and their later followers gave way to a range of new approaches such as those linked to post-structuralism, such as Foucault - as well as to new interpretations of the classical approaches, such as social constructionism, western Marxism and critical theory. The central aim of the module is to show how contemporary thinkers have understood the major transformations in modern society (i.e. from industrial to post-industrial society, globalization, new social movements such as feminism, environmental movements, identity politics). This will involve a consideration of some of the most important debates in sociological theory, such as the debates about modernity versus postmodernity, structure versus agency as well as the influence of psychoanalytic social theory emanating from feminist theory and from post-structuralism.
The weekly topics include:
Social Constructionism
Foucault and Govementality
Habermas and Critical Theory
Recognition Theory (Honneth)
Marxism after Postmodernism
Bourdieu and Recent French Sociology
Poststructuralism and Psychoanalysis: Derrida, Lacan, Deleuze
Bauman's Postmodern Ethics
Network Theory: Latour and Castells
Theories of Modernity
Cosmopolitanism and Social Theory
Culture and Social Theory (performativity, Alexander)
| Type | Timing | Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | 30.00% | |
| Coursework components. Weighted as shown below. | ||
| Concept Note | T1 Week 13 | 100.00% |
| Essay (4500 words) | Mid Year Assessment Week 1 Wed 16:00 | 70.00% |
Timing
Submission deadlines may vary for different types of assignment/groups of students.
Weighting
Coursework components (if listed) total 100% of the overall coursework weighting value.
| Term | Method | Duration | Week pattern |
|---|---|---|---|
| Autumn Teaching | LECTURE | 1 hour | 111111111111 |
| Autumn Teaching | SEMINAR | 2 hours | 111111111111 |
How to read the week pattern
The numbers indicate the weeks of the term and how many events take place each week.
Prof Gerard Delanty
Convenor, Assess convenor
http://www.sussex.ac.uk/profiles/101974
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