Semester 2, optional modules (choose two):
Mind, Body and Health Inequalities (30 credits)
What are the physical and mental health inequalities faced by people across the course? Examine historical and current inequalities in both physical and mental health in the UK and globally. Focus on how inequality is treated from the perspective of the effects of social class, gender, ethnicity and other factors, as well as the interrelationship between them. Complete an essay which will develop your analysis of health inequalities at a local or global level, which is ideal for those wanting to work in the statutory, public and charity sector working to address health inequalities at all stages throughout the life course.
Fear of a Queer Planet? Sexuality and Inequality (30 credits)
What does it mean to be LGBTQI+ (or ‘queer’) today in the social world? What are the structural barriers and inequalities faced by queer people across the globe? Why does global homophobia, biphobia and transphobia exist? Probe these questions which will form the basis of this module as struggles over LGBTQI+ identity politics, human rights and inequalities have become more prominent in world politics. Examine key debates, movements and changes around an increasing awareness of sexuality and gender identity and explore the issues faced by queer lives, communities, cultures and societies both locally and across the globe. Finish the module by completing a research report for the United Nations Independent SOGI Expert, which is ideal for those wanting to work for national or global bodies in human rights, charity work, international development and social justice campaigns.
Identities, Inequalities and Exploitation in the Media: Exploring the Digital Divide (30 credits)
Develop your understanding of the ways in which new technological advances can produce, perpetuate or counteract social and structural inequalities. Consider the role technology plays in criminal acts and evaluate the uses of digital media in the development of new crime, victimisation and law enforcement. Explore a variety of theoretical perspectives to explain the digital divide and evaluate their impact on global development. Use media analysis to gain an understanding of mediated identities / ideologies and examine the ways micro-interactions can facilitate macro-level interventions. Finish the module by producing an e-resource which will support those seeking to work in the digital industries, third sector service provision or social justice campaigning.
Global Childhoods (30 credits)
Develop your understanding of the ways in which notions of childhood can produce, perpetuate or counteract social and structural inequalities. Consider the role of children within families and families themselves contribute to inequality within our societies and from local, national, and global perspectives. Explore a variety of theoretical perspectives to explain differences and divides between children’s experiences and evaluate the impact of globalism on childhood. Use the concept of agency to gain an understanding of mediated identities/ideologies. Finish the module by producing a comparative analysis of children’s lives using a local, national, and global perspective.
A Troubled World? Activism, Resistance and Social Justice (30 credits)
Develop your knowledge of why activists, social justice and resistance groups develop as a site of resistance against wider forms of inequality and discrimination. Develop your knowledge of theories of social change and the movements and campaigns seeking to achieve this change, including their own impacts, successes and failures. Focus on local to global issues as you explore case studies of movements using examples such as the Arab Spring, #MeToo, migrant rights, climate change activists, anti-poverty, FairTrade and human rights. Distinguish the forces working to curtail and oppress activist and social justice networks and their levels of success in doing this. Finish the module with developing a skills toolkit in exploring how activism methodologies work and through writing a campaign pack for an activist or social justice movement which is ideal for those seeking to work in campaigning, social justice, human rights and advocacy of oppressed voices.
Wealth and Worth in a Neoliberal Society (30 credits)
Explore the ways in which the concepts of wealth and worth frame the organisation of contemporary social life. Interpret and evaluate how sociological theory and research have made sense of increasing wealth inequality through the notions of neoliberalism and the embedding of competition into every sphere of social life. Develop and apply your knowledge by exploring case studies on the impacts of wealth management policies and evaluations of people's "worth" across a range of social contexts. Apply critical evaluative skills through engagement with theoretical concepts, current research data, policy documentation, and public/political commentary on issues relating to wealth distribution, social inclusion/exclusion, and economic crises.
Sex, Gender and Sexuality: Citizenship, Choice and the State (30 credits)
What is the relationship between sex, gender, citizenship and the state? Examine how we live in societies and nation states with differing legal frameworks which shape our everyday interactions. Explore the politics of gender in our global world and some of the most pressing social issues, such as human trafficking, sex work, transgender identities, pornography and gender-based violence. Investigate theoretical approaches to gender such as masculinities, post-structuralism, black feminism and materialist feminist theories. Complete an academic poster review assessment and finish the module with a firm grasp of gender-based issues and human rights, which is ideal for those seeking to work in fields such as global and local human rights, gender-based issues, international development and working in the Third Sector.
‘Race,’ Ethnicity and Racism(s) (30 credits)
Develop a critical approach to the understanding of ‘race’ and assess the social implications of contemporary practices of racism, and persistent racial and racist ideas. Explore theoretical approaches to notions of ‘race’ and ask key questions, such as: How are racial ideas conceptualised and justified through a variety of biological, social, and cultural discourses? How did ‘race’ and ethnicity come to be defined and embedded in the context of colonial and post-colonial rule? What are the often-complex relations between ideas of ‘race’, the production of difference and identity, and the pervasiveness of social exclusion? Why does ‘race’ remain such a powerful determinant of individual and collective identities, in the UK and globally? Explore indicative topics such as, multiculturalism, caste, the construction of the ‘migrant,’ decolonisation, xenophobia, Islamophobia and Afrophobia. Finish the module by producing an anti-racism(s) pack to add to your employability skills, which is ideal for those who wish to work in education, the Third Sector, equality and diversity work, and social justice campaigns.
Empowerment and Ability: Understanding a Disabling Society (30 credits)
The study of the body in its many forms continues to develop as an interdisciplinary knowledge base. As we continue to push for acceptability of diversities and broader equality, the ‘othering’ between the impaired and the ‘able-bodied’ still stands. This module will allow you to develop existing knowledge of disability, illness, and impairment, using a variety of theoretical frameworks that stand outside of the dominant healthcare model. By exploring the use of institutions as a mode of social control and a way to perpetuate ‘othering’, this module creates a space to consider alternative explanations of disability and impairment by empowering the voices of those with lived experience. Finish this module by preparing a case study based around lived experience and participatory methodologies, then proposing alternative means of how to tackle the social phenomena at the heart of your case study.