DIMENSIONS OF SOCIAL CHANGE - 2021/2
Module code: SOC2077
Module Overview
A wide range of developments have unfolded in Western societies since sociology’s emergence as a discipline in the early 20th century. Economic, political and cultural transformations, along with scientific and technological advances, are often said to be sources of social change. In this module, we shall explore some of the key dimensions of social change identified by sociologists interested in making sense of the above transformations. We shall also assess the impact of these transformations on Western societies.
Module provider
Sociology
Module Leader
HUBBARD Katherine (Sociology)
Number of Credits: 15
ECTS Credits: 7.5
Framework: FHEQ Level 5
Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A
Overall student workload
Independent Learning Hours: 128
Lecture Hours: 11
Seminar Hours: 11
Module Availability
Semester 2
Prerequisites / Co-requisites
N/A
Module content
Indicative content includes an exploration of social change in relation to each of the following dimensions:
The workplace
Identity
Technology
State-society relations
Political cultures
Assessment pattern
| Assessment type | Unit of assessment | Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | SHORT ESSAY : ASSESSING SOCIAL CHANGE (1000 WORDS) | 30 |
| Coursework | ESSAY (2000 WORDS) | 70 |
Alternative Assessment
N/A
Assessment Strategy
The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate:
Their understanding of different dimensions of social change
- Their capacity to develop their own assessment of social change in a clear, concise and structured manner, in writing.
Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of:
- Short essay due on week 6 (1000 words)
- Essay due on week 12 (2000 words)
Formative assessment and feedback
Verbal feedback in seminars and written feedback for both summative assignments.
Module aims
- Provide an overview of some key dimensions of social change
- Introduce students to a range of debates regarding the nature and extent of social change
- Consider the relative merits of the claims found within these debates
- Help students develop their own assessment of social change
Learning outcomes
| Attributes Developed | ||
| 002 | Have an understanding of some of the key transformations that have unfolded in Western societies since the early 20th century | K |
| 003 | Understand the relation between past and present transformations | KC |
| 004 | Appreciate the importance of studying the past in order to understand the present | CT |
| 005 | Be familiar with arguments that have either defended or questioned the view that Western societies have been subject to broad structural changes | K |
| 006 | Have learnt how to write a sustained and in depth treatment of a dimension of social change | CT |
| 001 | Develop their own assessment of the impact of different transformations on society | CT |
Attributes Developed
C - Cognitive/analytical
K - Subject knowledge
T - Transferable skills
P - Professional/Practical skills
Methods of Teaching / Learning
The learning and teaching strategy is designed to:
Introduce students to debates on social change, different forms of sociologically relevant transformations, while encouraging them to develop their own assessment of social change.
The learning and teaching methods include:
- Weekly 1 hour lecture and seminar
- Weekly reading and seminar preparation
Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.
Reading list
https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: SOC2077
Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2021/2 academic year.