Module description
The Sociology of Politics begins from the bottom up. Whereas political science begins with assumptions about human beings as political animals, and economics deals with economic actors – and both perspectives suppose the existence of at least a basic institutional framework – the sociological imagination begins with the human being as a fundamentally social animal. As a result, by beginning with the individual in the simplest of contexts, we are able to ask fundamental questions about how identities, communities and institutions emerge, about how conflicts arise and are resolved, and about the boundaries of the ‘rationality’ that underpins most social science analysis. We begin by understanding political and economic reality as a social experience, bound up with and informing an individual’s sense of self. From ‘self’ we can move to ‘other’, and from the relationship between self and other we begin to understand the contours of power. With power in our grasp, we delve into capitalism and Marxism, into mobilisation and anomie, and finally into the digital age.
Assessment details
Remote examination (45%), & 2,000-word essay (45%) & Attendance & Participation (10%).
Educational aims & objectives
This module aims to introduce students pursuing degrees in social sciences and humanities to the sociological concepts, theories and methods critical to exploring, explaining and understanding politics and political behavior. Students will be exposed to foundational ideas and approaches in sociology, which will be explored in a broader social-science context, drawing linkages and distinctions between the ‘sociological imagination’ and the methods and concepts prevalent in modern economics and political science.
As such, the educational aims of the module are:
- To introduce students to core sociological concepts and theories in the study of politics and political behavior;
- To introduce students to the range of methodologies available to sociologists in approaching ‘political’ questions;
- To ensure that students have a strong foundation in sociological perspectives on individuality, identity, community formation, mobilization and conflict;
- To expose students to the key theoretical and empirical debates shaping political sociology historically and currently; and
To help students pursuing other social science and humanities disciplines – including economics, political science, international relations, history and others – identify opportunities to integrate sociological perspectives in the inter-disciplinary study of the world.
Learning outcomes
By the end of this module, students should be able to:
- Demonstrate a knowledge of a range of sociological theories, methods and concepts as applied to the study of politics;
- Demonstrate a general familiarity with the discipline of sociology and its place in the social sciences;
- Apply core sociological concepts, methods and theories to the exploration of political phenomena;
- Integrate sociological approaches into the study of politics in other academic contexts;
- Demonstrate the ability to generate original answers to unfamiliar questions, drawing on sociological concepts and theories;
- Demonstrate the capacity to engage critically with straightforward causal arguments involving complex social interactions in political contexts; and
Move towards the ability to critically and creatively apply theoretical knowledge in the sociological study of politics.