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Body & Society - SOC00003H

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  • Department: Sociology
  • Module co-ordinator: Prof. Nik Brown
  • Credit value: 20 credits
  • Credit level: H
  • Academic year of delivery: 2021-22
    • See module specification for other years: 2022-23

Module will run

Occurrence Teaching period
A Autumn Term 2021-22

Module aims

The body has taken centre stage in sociology over recent years and this module will examine some of the key perspectives associated with embodiment and corporeality. The modules will explore themes such as embodied identity, sex, disfigurement, etiquette, regulation, reproduction, body mass, pain, the emotions, and temporality. It will explore perspectives associated with the thinking of, for example, Goffman, Foucault, Bourdieu, Elias, Crawford, Agamben, Haraway, Oakley, Latour, etc.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of this module students will understand the place of the body in contemporary sociological perspectives, and gain a grounding in the connections between theory and empirical areas of research on the body.

Assessment

Task Length % of module mark
Essay/coursework
Assessment 1 - Essay 		N/A 100

Special assessment rules

None

Reassessment

Task Length % of module mark
Essay/coursework
Assessment 1 - Essay 		N/A 100

Module feedback

Feedback at University level can be understood as any part of the learning process which is designed to guide your progress through your degree programme by providing commentary on your work to date. So feedback means more than just written comments on written work. We aim to help you to reflect on your own learning and to feel clearer about your progress through clarifying what is expected of you informative and summative assessments. The University guidelines for feedback are available in the Guide to Assessment Standards, Marking and Feedback.

You will receive feedback in a number of forms:

  • On any formative (non-assessed) work, you will receive written or verbal feedback about how to improve your work (though you may not receive a mark)

  • On summative work (work that is assessed) you will receive detailed written feedback from the marker. This is intended to show areas in which you have done well, and areas in which you need to improve.

  • Your supervisor will also give you feedback on your work. S/he will be able to look across a range of your work and discuss ways in which you can build on your strengths and improve in any areas

Feedback on your summative written work is made available to you online via e:vision. You will receive an email telling you when it is ready to look at. You are then advised to take this work (printed out or on your laptop) to your regular meeting with your academic supervisor. Your supervisor will be able to look at your work with you and address any queries you have, as well as advise you on ways to improve your work.

Feedback on Exam Scripts

You can ask for feedback on your exam performance from your supervisor, who will go through your examination script(s) with you and discuss the areas in which you did well, and those in which you need to improve. However, you may not take the script away with you, or photocopy the script. If you would like to discuss your exam performance, please let your supervisor know at least two working days in advance of your meeting, so that they can make sure they have the script with them when you meet.

Indicative reading

Brown, N. and Webster, A. (2004) New Medical Technologies and Society. Cambridge: Polity Press.

Douglas, M. (1966) Purity and Danger. Harmondsworth: Penguin.

Elias, N. (1984) The Civilising Process. Oxford: Blackwell.

Howson, A. (2012) The Body and Society: an introduction Cambridge, Polity Press. Second edition.

Nettleton, S. and Watson, J. (1998) The Body in Everyday Life. London: Routledge.

Shilling, C. (2012) The Body and Social Theory. London: Sage. Third edition

Turner, B. S. (2008) The Body and Society. London: Sage. Third edition

Williams, S. and Bendelow, G. (1998) The Lived Body: Sociological Themes and Embodied Issues. London: Sage.


The information on this page is indicative of the module that is currently on offer. The University is constantly exploring ways to enhance and improve its degree programmes and therefore reserves the right to make variations to the content and method of delivery of modules, and to discontinue modules, if such action is reasonably considered to be necessary by the University. Where appropriate, the University will notify and consult with affected students in advance about any changes that are required in line with the University's policy on the Approval of Modifications to Existing Taught Programmes of Study.