| Unit name | Planetary Sociology |
|---|---|
| Unit code | SOCI10013 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | C/4 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Professor. Fox |
| 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 will explore how social phenomena transcend national boundaries and how social, economic, political, and cultural processes operate at a global level. You will look at how a variety of social ideas and issues (such as racism, climate change, migration, populism, pandemics, and the impact of technologies and digitisation) vary between different countries and regions and also the types of connections and relations between them. Some of these things used to be the exclusive purview of states but have since spread globally; others are global issues that get filtered through national lenses. Thinking in planetary terms means identifying and examining forms of connection and disconnection and relations characterised by inequalities in wealth, power, and resources between different parts of the world. You also study the planetary as it extends beyond human beings and you reflect on your relations to the non-human (the environment and animals), as well as even to ideas of our relation to other planets as space travel becomes something increasingly realised and reached for. You are introduced to theoretical and conceptual tools which take the world as a unit of analysis to understand global problems and solutions. Finally, the unit addresses sociology itself from a planetary perspective, asking what it means to do sociology and for you to be a sociologist in a global society.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
This unit will extend your sociological imagination by focussing on global perspectives across a range of issues and contexts. You are encouraged to think beyond the familiar and develop your thinking and knowledge of different global contexts and how the social world is formed at global and planetary levels. This will also help provide you important perspectives and means of analysis for units in second and final year, where international and global perspectives are explored in greater depth in specialist optional units.
An overview of content
In this unit, you will explore how social, economic, political, and cultural processes operate at a global level, and gain an appreciation of how they look different in a variety of global contexts. You will look at the connections and disconnections in the contemporary world and compare how social issues, such as racism, climate change, migration, and the impact of technologies and digitisation, vary between different countries and regions, as well as at various scales, including local, national, transnational. You will also explore how organisations, institutions, and social movements operate between local and global scales. In so doing, you will gain an appreciation of the relations and inequalities in wealth, power, and resources between different parts of the world and are introduced to theoretical and conceptual tools to make sense of global problems and solutions. You will also consider humans’ relationship to the planet, including the non-human, and evaluate sociology itself, asking what it means to do sociology and to be a sociologist from a global or planetary perspective.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
You will develop your sociological imagination and reflexively assess your own understandings and position in relation to sociological phenomena seen from a global or planetary perspective. This includes evaluating human concerns not just in relation to people in other parts of the world, but also to non-human, and developing a wider understanding of social connections and relations, and an expansive concept of the social world and your place in it.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the unit, students will be able to:
1. Recognise and articulate sociology as a global discipline.
2. Explain what a planetary perspective means for thinking sociologically.
3. Assess global connections and disconnections with respect to specific social phenomena.
4. Evaluate the dynamics of local and global, and national and international relationships.
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 aid 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):
The formative task for students consists in a ‘Show and Tell’ in which students present an object, concept, or organisation and explain how it can be understood from a global perspective. This involves the practical application of knowledge and theory introduced in the unit. It also provides them with an early example of what they will need to develop in more depth for the summative assessment.
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):
ILOs assessed: 1, 2, 3, 4
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. SOCI10013).
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.
