BASS Philosophy and Data Analytics / Course details

‘Life’ and ‘death’ are central sociological aspects of the lifecourse. Reference to life and death are also made in everyday social discourse. For example, someone might say ‘I wish I had a better social life’ or ‘why have I been ghosted on social media’? This course explores biological, cultural and social understandings of life and death. It draws on sociological literature from a range of areas (including reproduction, family, work, illness, bereavement) to uncover topics often hidden within the social world (for example, postmortem, assisted dying and the spiritual world of the afterlife). As well as examining life and death as culturally and socially framed biological processes, the unit will also include an analysis of virtual life and death.   

This unit aims to introduce students to the sociological study of life and death, examining some of the hidden practices associated with these phenomena. It explores the complex intersections of biological, cultural and social framings of life and death and includes an in-depth analysis of their virtual manifestations. Life and death will be examined through core sociological concerns (e.g. reproduction, illness, family and work). This approach will enable students to critically analyse the ways in which these phenomena manifest across different areas of contemporary society, advancing knowledge on some of the most pressing social concerns today.
 

Students will be exposed to a range of novel sociological theories and concepts enabling them to significantly extend their intellectual skills. The course is built around key substantive areas thus allowing students to apply what they have learnt in various empirical contexts. The unit facilitates the development of communication and analytical skills relevant for employers. By taking this unit students will also learn about a range of novel occupations, thus expanding their knowledge of employment opportunities. 

Syllabus (indicative curriculum content – may vary year-by-year):

1) Understanding life and death
2) The creation of life 
3) Social death
4) Family life and bereavement
5) Life and death at work
6) Health, illness and death
7) Prolonging life/assisting death
8) Dealing with death
9) Ghosts, spirituality and the afterlife
10) Course overview and evaluation

Lectures x 10 (2 hours) (synchronous)
Workshops x 10 (1 hour) (synchronous)

Students should be able to:

• Understand sociological debates on issues across and beyond the lifecourse
• Understand biological, cultural and social framings of life and death

Students should be able to:

• Engage in theoretical debates about life and death
• Apply theories to empirical cases

Students should be able to:

• Synthesise, summarise and critically evaluate information from a range of sources to produce assessed coursework
• Develop writing skills
• Use library and electronic sources and resources

Students should be able to:

• Develop a critical approach to contemporary social issues
• Synthesise information from multiple sources

Online written feedback for formative assessment.

Feedback for summative assessment through Turnitin

Benzer, M., and Reed, K., (2019) Social Life: Contemporary Social Theory London: Sage. 
Brown, N and Webster, A. (2004) New Medical Technologies and Society: Reordering Life, Cambridge: Polity. 
Doka, K. J., and Martin, T. L. (2010). Grieving beyond gender: Understanding the ways men and women mourn (Rev. ed.). Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group.
Earle, S., Komaromy, C., and Layne, L. (2012) (eds) Understanding Reproductive Loss: Perspectives on Life, Death and Fertility London: Routledge.
Gibson, M. (2008) Objects of the Dead: Mourning and Memory in Everyday Life. Melbourne: Melbourne University Press. 
Hallam, E. and Hockey, J. (2001) Death, Memory and Material Culture. Oxford: Berg.
Hallam, E. Hockey, J. and Howarth, G. (1999) Beyond the Body: Death and Social Identity. London: Routledge.
Howarth, G. (2007) Death and Dying: A Sociological Introduction, Cambridge: Polity
May, V. The Sociology of Personal Life, London: Palgrave MacMillan
Reed, K., Ellis, J., and Whitby, E. (2023) Understanding Baby Loss:  The Sociology of Life, Death and Postmortem Manchester: Manchester University Press.
Rose, N. (2007). The Politics of Life Itself: Biomedicine, Power, and Subjectivity in the Twenty-First Century. Princeton University Press. 
Walter, T. (1995) The Eclipse of Eternity: A Sociology of the Afterlife, London: Palgrave Macmillan