Sociology and Criminology
Transcendence, Devotion and Desire
Module code: L3119B
Level 6
15 credits in spring semester
Teaching method: Workshop
Assessment modes: Portfolio
On this module, you’ll explore the lived experience of transcendence – the human desire and capacity to transcend local ‘situations’.
You’ll address themes including:
- sex
- drug
- death
- gods of war
- cultism
- mysticism
- secular transcendence
- dreams
- false promises.
Through this, you’ll investigate the power of devotion and desire. You’ll study human relations with such gods and analyse the worlds caused by these relations.
You’ll examine:
- different beliefs about what exists and what is worth devotion in social settings
- the stories people use to make sense of their devotions and desires
- how the body learns to desire and commit in certain ways, through habits and attachments that shape everyday life.
Module learning outcomes
- Demonstrate a detailed knowledge and understanding of theories of charisma in the social sciences, and be able to apply these theories to different social phenomena.
- Explain and analyse the contributions of Phenomenological approaches to social interaction and be able to apply these insights to different social phenomena.
- Assimilate and apply material from recent academic research (and where relevant, personal experiences), to illustrate the theoretical approaches covered in the module.
- Engage with the central debates introduced concerning the body, narrative, ontology and devotion, critically assessing whether the development of such a theoretical lens provides useful sociological insights concerning a variety of contemporary social phenomena.