BSocSc Sociology

This course will consider the re-emergence of social class as a primary category of a sociological understanding and analysis and assess its significance for interpreting contemporary inequalities and recent political developments. Set against the backdrop of post-war social and cultural change in Britain, it will begin by tracing the declining salience of class in sociological theory and political discourse before considering the recent development and impact of a more culturally sensitive model of class analysis associated with the work of the French sociologist, Pierre Bourdieu. It will then move on to examine how the key mechanisms of class formation are conceptualised and operationalised by researchers, paying particular attention to debates about the relationship between class and social mobility, education, lifestyle, place and politics. 
 

The course unit aims to:

•       Locate the concept of social class in sociological understandings of socio-cultural and political change in Britain;

•       Critically examine the role of social class in identity formation, inequalities, and the power in contemporary British society;

•       Provide theoretical frameworks and empirical materials to allow students to explore class indicators, processes, relationships, phenomena and outcomes, and the contexts in which they occur.

1. Class in history

2.  Class in theory        

3.  Social mobility and social class  

4.  Elites and social closure  

5.  Education, meritocracy and social reproduction  

6.  Intersections of class, gender and ethnicity  

7.  Subcultures and neo-tribes  

8.  Class, space and place  

9. Class politics and ‘Brexit’ 

Weekly two-hour lecture sessions.  

Lectures will provide an overview of some of the main arguments and debates relating to a specific topic. These sessions will sometimes include a workshop element, involving group work and/or tasks. Required reading and any workshop preparation must be completed in advance of lectures.  

Weekly one-hour tutorials.  

Tutorials present the opportunity to discuss particular issues and arguments in greater depth and are a central part of the module. They provide you with an opportunity to discuss, apply and enhance your knowledge and to build confidence in your skills of analysis, comprehension and discussion. What you will gain from the classes and tutorials is dependent upon your willingness to participate and your level of preparation in the activities outlined below. Tutorials are organised around required reading(s) and provided questions and may sometimes involve informal presentations or practical tasks. You should come to tutorials prepared actively to engage in discussion. 

Understand the development of class theory in historical, cultural and political context

Be able to apply theoretical, empirical and recent historical knowledge to the understanding of contemporary socio-cultural inequalities and power relations

Evaluate different analytical and empirical approaches to studying processes of class formation and identity

Demonstrate a reflective and critical approach to contemporary debates about culture, class and inequality

Synthesise and summarise information from a range of sources to produce assessed coursework on a topic of their choice

Demonstrate skills and support the learning of others in group discussion.

100% Exam - 2h or equivalent
 

All sociology courses include both formative feedback - which lets you know how you’re getting on and what you could do to improve - and summative feedback - which gives you a mark for your assessed work.

• Savage, M., Cunningham, N., Friedman, S., Laurison, D., Miles, A. Snee, H. and Wakeling, P. (2015). Social Class in the 21st Century. London: Pelican.
• Atkinson, W. (2015). Class. Cambridge: Polity.  
• Bottero, W. (2005). Stratification: Social Division and Inequality. London: Routledge. 
• Roberts, K. (2011). Class in Contemporary Britain. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
• Bourdieu, P. (2010) Distinction: A social critique of the judgement of taste. London: Routledge  
• Sam, F. and Daniel, L. (2019) The Class Ceiling: Why it Pays to be Privileged. Policy Press.
• Hall, S. and Jefferson, Tony. (2006) Resistance through rituals : youth subcultures in post-war Britain. 2nd edition. London: Routledge  
• Davis, A.Y. (2011) Women, Race, & Class. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group (Vintage)