| Unit name | Intersections and Inequalities |
|---|---|
| Unit code | SOCI10012 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | C/4 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Hussein |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
Why is this unit important?
In this unit you study core social characteristics that are significant to understand the social world, inviting you to understand a wide range of social differences and their significance, including gender, race/ethnicity, class, age, sexual orientation, disability, marital status, mental health, and digital divides. In addressing these social categories, however, you will move beyond the recognition of difference and diversity. You will be introduced to an intersectional perspective, recognising that categories do not exist independently of each other but overlap in complex ways that are significant for understanding and explaining a range of social inequalities as well as forms of solidarity that seek to address issues of inequality, discrimination, (dis)advantage, and privileges. As such, you explore the individual and society, focusing on the inter-relationship between private troubles and public problems.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
You focus on key social characteristics that sociologists routinely work with when investigating and explaining social inequalities, and which are central to how they understand and seek to positively impact the social world. An understanding of these is therefore fundamental for single honours students and also provides an important option for joint honours students as part of the sociology part of their degree. Your second year programme will develop many of the themes introduced in this unit through options covering key sociological areas, and you can further specialise in these areas through your final year options.
An overview of content
As part of this unit, you explore the individual and society, focusing on the inter-relationship between private troubles and public problems. You will be introduced to core social characteristics (such as gender, race/ethnicity, class) but you will also expand your understanding to a wider range of social differences (e.g., age, sexual orientation, disability, marital status, mental health, appearance, digital divide, fertility). You will also be familiarised with how the notions of inequality, discrimination, (dis)advantage, and privilege are shaped through these differences. In this unit you go beyond the identification of difference and diversity and begin to consider how an intersectional perspective helps recognising that categories do not exist independently of each other. You will explore the complex social locations that individuals occupy within society and their experiences of inequalities, and solidarities. Additionally, you examine how changes in society can impact people's perceptions of themselves and their place in the world. Crucially, you are invited to reflect upon your own positionality and how factors beyond your control shape your experiences.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
The unit will equip you with an understanding of the complexity and intersection of core social characteristics and differences. You will be become aware of how these differences are interconnected and examine the various ways in which they can impact people's perceptions of themselves and their place in the world. You will learn to reflect upon your own positionality in relation to these intersections and how factors beyond your control shape your experiences. This will enable you to acquire a sense of what it means to think sociologically and to conceive of yourself as a sociologist.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the unit, students will be able to:
1. Identify core concepts for understanding social inequalities
2. Evaluate how differences and identities intersect
3. Develop a critical self-awareness in relation to social differences
The unit is delivered through a combination of in-person lectures and small group seminars. Lectures are set out to provide students with a broader introduction of the various themes, concepts, and case-studies. Seminars offer the opportunity to explore, critique and deepen the students’ understanding and engage in discussion with peers and members of staff. Additional asynchronously delivered material may be provided to enhance students’ understanding and engagement with the unit material.
The combination of whole cohort and small group sessions offers students a variety of ways to achieve the unit ILOs and prepare students for the summative assessment.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
Scrapbook: can include photos (without people) or images/content that is already in the public domain (adverts, signs, newspaper articles, social media), with captions of 150-200 words for each relating them to what students have studied in the unit. This should be made up of 5 items from different points in the unit (so total of 1000 words).
In addition to the formative task, students will receive feedback throughout the course as part of seminar discussions and group exercises
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
When assessment does not go to plan:
Subject to the university regulations for taught programmes, you may be offered an opportunity for reassessment in the failed element(s). This will comprise a task of the same format as the original assessment.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. SOCI10012).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
