University of Warwick
Department of Sociology
State, Society and Work (SO 108)
2006-07
MODULE WORKBOOK
SSW Workbook 06
Module convenors:
Nickie Charles (R3.32)
Tony Elger (R2.35)
Module Lecturers:
Nickie Charles (R3.32 )
Tony Elger (R2.35)
Srila Roy (R2.13)
Lecture time and location: The lecture is Wednesday 12-1pm, room S0.19
This Workbook
After this opening section the Workbook details the topics covered in the module. Each topic includes:
a) A Summary of the topic
b) Seminar Reading which should be prepared prior to each week's seminar
c) A list of Seminar Questions which should be considered in seminar preparation and will be used as the 'agenda' for seminars
d) A list of Essay Titles and associated reading for essay preparation and further investigation.
e) A list of Web Sites relevant to the topic (where applicable)
Formal statement of learning outcomes, teaching methods and assessment methods
NOTE: Further sections of this Workbook expand this formal statement .
By the end of the module students should:
1) Have a basic knowledge and sociological understanding of:
a) The political, economic and social institutions of modern societies.
b) The social organisation of work in pre-industrial and industrial societies.
c) Social diversity and inequality in modern societies.
d) Processes of social change in modern societies.
2) With reference to these substantive areas of study be able to:
a) Describe and analyse social organisations and processes.
b) Evaluate sociological arguments and evidence.
c) Critically assess a range of perspectives.
d) Draw on material from a range of sources to construct their own arguments.
e) Undertake and present scholarly work.
f) Participate in group discussions and work.
g) Make use of library and Web resources.
Learning and teaching methods (which enable students to achieve these learning outcomes)
1) A course of 18 lectures, plus a video, is delivered, together with an examination preparation session.
2) Weekly seminars (term1, week 2 to term 3, week 1) for which students are required to prepare.
3) Two non-assessed class essays with feedback and a grade.
4) The Module Workbook includes a wide range of printed sources plus Web sites.
5) A revision course in term 3, weeks 2 to 4.
Assessment methods (which will measure the achievement of these learning outcomes):
1) A three hour examination in which students must show the ability to:
a) Evaluate sociological arguments and evidence.
b) Critically assess theoretical perspectives.
c) Draw on materials from a range of sources to construct their own arguments.
d) Describe and analyse the political, economic and social institutions of modern societies.
e) Describe and analyse at least ONE of:
i) The social organisation of work in modern societies.
ii) Social diversity and inequality in modern societies.
iii) Processes of change in modern societies.
2) A 2,000 word essay in which students must show the ability to:
a) Evaluate sociological arguments and evidence.
b) Critically assess theoretical perspectives.
c) Draw on materials from a range of sources to construct their own arguments.
d) Present scholarly work.
e) Describe and analyse at least ONE of:
i) The political, economic and social institutions of modern societies.
ii) The social organisation of work in modern societies.
iii) Social diversity and inequality in modern societies.
iv) Processes of change in modern societies.
3) Students’ performance in the following skills is assessed as part of the Department's review of students' progress
a) Time management
b) Seminar preparation
c) Seminar participation (including oral presentation and group work insofar as these are used in the seminar)
d) Use IT sources
e) Undertake and present scholarly written work
Communication
Messages from teachers to students will normally be sent by e-mail.
It is thus vital that all students register with IT Services and have an e-mail address which they check regularly.
Students may, of course, consult with their seminar tutor in person but very often an e-mail message is more efficient and effective. Seminar tutors will explain to their groups when and where their weekly office hours are held.
Syllabus
1. Introduction NC and TE
The Formation of Modern Society
2. Capitalism, Industrialism and the Rise of the Factory TE
3. Deconstructing/Reconstructing Gender Relations NC
4. The Development of the Liberal Democratic State NC
5. Class, Status and Party: Social Theories of Politics TE
The Remaking of Modern Society
6. The Emergence of the Welfare State NC
7. Citizenship, Social Rights and Inequalities NC
{Video: ‘People’s Century: On the Line’}
8. The Rise of Mass Production: Taylorism and Fordism TE
9. Class and Gender in the Rise of Mass Consumption TE
10. Migration, Racism and Ethnicity TE
11. Gender and Paid Work TE
12. Family and Gender Relations SR
13. The 1960s, Liberalisation and New Social Movements SR
14. Consumption, Lifestyles and Social Divisions TE
Contemporary Trends
15. The New Service Economy TE
16. Parenting and Partnering in the 21st century SR
17. Globalisation, Old States, New Social Movements TE
18. Conclusions TE
Schedule of lectures and seminars
Note Lecture/seminar numbers refer to the syllabus list above.
Date: Week beginning Monday / Term 1 Week / Lecture / Seminar / Other2nd Oct / 1.1 / No seminar
9th Oct / 1.2 / Topic 1 / Meeting up
16th Oct / 1.3 / Topic 2 / Topic 1
23rd Oct / 1.4 / Topic 3 / Topic 2
30th Oct / 1.5 / Topic 4 / Topic 3
6th Nov / 1.6 / Topic 5 / Topic 4
13th Nov / 1.7 / Topic 6 / Topic 5 / submit class essay
20th Nov / 1.8 / Topic 7 / Topic 6
27th Nov / 1.9 / Video / Topic 7
4th Dec / 1.10 / Topic 8 / Video / assessed essay titles + module
feedback
Term 2 Week
8th Jan / 2.1 / Topic 9 / Topic 8 / writing skills
15th Jan / 2.2 / Topic 10 / Topic 9
22nd Jan / 2.3 / Topic 11 / Topic 10
29th Jan / 2.4 / Topic 12 / Topic 11
5th Feb / 2.5 / Topic 13 / Topic 12
12th Feb / 2.6 / Reading Week / Reading Week
19th Feb / 2.7 / Topic 14 / Topic 13 / submit class essay
26th Feb / 2.8 / Topic 15 / Topic 14
5th March / 2.9 / Topic 16 / Topic 15
12th March / 2.10 / Topic 17 / Topic 16
Term 3 Week
23rd April / 3.1 / Topic 18 and Revision Advice / Topic 17 / submit assessed essay
30th April / 3.2 / Revision / exam timetable published
7th May / 3.3 / Revision / module feedback
14th May / 3.4 / Revision
The examination is usually held during weeks 7 or 8 (4th to 15th June)
Results announced Tuesday or Wednesday of week 10
(26/27th June)
Reading
There is a reading pack for this course which contains all the reading material for seminars. Essay reading can be found below class essay questions. Books and articles that are asterisked * are those that are the most useful starting points for reading for essays. The seminar readings are essential reading for the writing of essays on the topic to which they relate.
We have tried to ensure that at least three copies of all the readings are available in the library but this has not always been possible.
WEB resources
Students on this module are encouraged to use the World Wide Web as a resource for materials. The Workbook includes some useful web sites. Some sites are topic specific and are included in the appropriate topic in the Workbook.
General points to remember:
a. If you use material from a web site in an essay then cite it in the usual way. The Sociology Department's Professional Skills Programme tells you how to do this.
b. Students are encouraged to explore the web and find materials for themselves.
c. If you do find material which is especially useful for this module then please inform the module convenor so that it can be incorporated into the Workbook in future.
d. It is not possible to continually check the accuracy of web sites included in the Workbook. If you find any which don’t work then let Nickie Charles or Tony Elger know.
Useful web sites for general use
Web sites for sociologists
Social Science Information Gateway (SOSIG)
http://www.sosig.ac.uk/
SocioSite (Albert Benschop)
http://www.pscw.uva.nl/sociosite/index.html
A Sociological Tour through Cyberspace (Michael C. Kearl)
http://www.trinity.edu/~mkearl/index.html
Sociology Online (Tony Fitzgerald)
http://www.sociologyonline.co.uk/
SocioRealm
http://www.digeratiweb.com/sociorealm
Resource Guide for the Social Sciences
http://www.jisc.ac.uk/subject/socsci/
Encarta Online Sociology
http://encarta.msn.com/find/Concise.asp?ti=06269000
News
BBC
http://news.bbc.co.uk/default.stm
(especially the 'In depth' pages)
The Guardian
http://www.guardianunlimited.co.uk
News and Newspapers Online (a listing of online newspapers throughout the world)
http://library.uncg.edu/news
Westminsterwatch
http://www.westminsterwatch.co.uk/
For 'alternative' news sources try:
http://www.MediaChannel.org/
http://www.MediaLens.org/
http://www.IndyMedia.org/
Organisations
Trade Union Congress
http://www.tuc.org.uk/
Confederation of British Industry
http://www.cbi.org.uk/home.html
Statistics
Office of National Statistics (British Government)
http://www.statistics.gov.uk
(especially the 'UK in figures' page)
Policy
British Government
http://www.open.gov.uk
Dictionaries / encyclopaedias
Sociological dictionary
http://www.iversonsoftware.com/sociology/p.html
Encyclopaedia Britannica
http://www.britannica.com
(Use the 'advanced search' facility)
Library web resources
The Library is now partly an electronic resource for students. In the Workbook some of the journal articles listed have one of the following annotations:
1. Click on this stable URL to gain direct access to this article via JSTOR
A URL follows.
2. (This article is available electronically online but you must access it via the University Library. Go to the Library web site and follow:
E-Resources
Journals
Follow the search instructions there)
These articles are available in full text electronically but the means of access varies and the URLs can change. It will be to the advantage of students to familiarise themselves with using the Library’s collection of electronic journals.
Examination and assessment on this module
In this module you will be formally examined by:
· A 2000 word assessed essay counting for 33% of the total mark. This essay is submitted at the end of the first week of the Summer Term.
· A three hour examination counting for 67% of the total mark. The examination takes place in either week 7 or week 8 of the Summer Term.
These formal examination requirements are normally the sole basis for arriving at your final mark for the module. The Board of Examiners may, in exceptional circumstances, take account of your work during the year. However, work done during the year but not formally examined is extremely important to your successful achievement of the learning outcomes of the module. As such your seminar tutor will make reports on your progress to the Department at the end of the Autumn and Spring terms by completing your record card (see the Sociology Student Guide). These reports will certainly be referred to in the future if you ask the Department for a reference.
The following paragraphs explain our expectations of students taking the module.
Attendance
We strongly recommend but do not require you to attend lectures. Hence, a register is not kept.
We do require you to attend all seminars and a register is kept. If you are unable to attend a seminar you should e-mail your apologies and the reason to your seminar tutor.
Class essays
On this module you are required to complete two class essays, each of about 1500[1] words, and submit them during:
Week 7 of the Autumn Term
Week 7 of the Spring Term
The titles for these essays are included under each topic of this WORKBOOK. Your seminar tutor will return a ‘Class Essay Feed Back’ form with each essay which will include a percentage mark. These will be recorded on your record card. You can see what the marks mean by referring to the section entitled ‘Marking Criteria’ in your Sociology Student Guide. You are advised to refer to the Professional Skills Programme section on writing essays and the section on ‘Written Work’ in the Guide.
NOTE: one purpose of writing non-examined class essays is to help students to prepare for examined work. Thus you CAN a) choose an assessed essay on a topic for which you have written a class essay and b) use material from your class essay in your assessed essay. Do remember, however, to address directly the specified title in the assessed essay.
Seminar preparation
This MODULE WORKBOOK specifies 'Seminar Reading' for each week which is in the module pack available for each term of study and can also be obtained in the sources listed.
You should spend around two hours each week preparing for your seminar. The specified 'Seminar Reading' reflects this expectation and if you use an alternative you should bear this in mind.
As well as reading your source material you should also take notes. In both reading and note taking you should remember that you are preparing to engage in an informed discussion of the issues the seminar is reviewing. You might follow the advice of the Professional Skills Programme and note:
· Ideas and materials you think are important - where you have learnt something you want to share with others.
· Points of connection (or contrast) with other materials you have come across
· Items of criticism - where you want to alert others of errors or failings in what you have read
· Areas of confusion - where you are not sure what the author is saying and need clarification form others
Seminar performance
In the first seminar of the academic year your seminar tutor will discuss with you the organisation of the seminar and specify just what contribution students should make. At the end of each seminar a few minutes will be devoted to clarifying preparation and contribution the following week.
Use of IT and other resources
We encourage students to use resources on the World Wide Web and this WORKBOOK includes addresses of potentially useful web sites. Students should explore these in preparing for seminars and writing class essays and include them in seminar notes and the references of essays.
Finally, your record card will contain a section 'Student comments on report'. Department policy is to encourage students to make this comment. It should be your own self-assessment of your progress and how fairly the tutor's report reflects this. It is an opportunity for you to reflect on how your learning is progressing.