Social Bodies

Module Identifier
GSM9920
Module Title
Social Bodies
Academic Year
2027/2028
Semester
Semester 1
Co-ordinator
Dr Emma Sheppard
Reading List
View on Aspire
Other Staff
Dr Yvonne Ehrstein
Dr Sinead O'Connor
Dr Elizabeth Gagen
Professor Mark Whitehead

Assessment

Assessment Type

Assessment details

Proportion
Semester Assessment Scrapbook: Equivalent to 3500 words. Students will submit a scrapbook, relating to weekly seminar topics and a 200-word summary reflection (included in word count equivalent). 70%
Semester Assessment Annotated Bibliography: The annotated bibliography will cover students’ reading on/around the module content. 1500 Words 30%
Supplementary Assessment Annotated Bibliography: The annotated bibliography will cover students’ reading on/around the module content. 1500 Words 30%
Supplementary Assessment Scrapbook: Equivalent to 3500 words. Students will submit a scrapbook, relating to weekly seminar topics, and including a 200-word summary reflection). 70%

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:

  1. Engage critically with ideas and concepts about bodies and embodiment, from a range of sociological perspectives
  2. Reflect on their own embodied experiences and those of others, applying sociological perspectives and analysis to lived experience;
  3. Engage in active learning within seminars, exploring the role of creativity in sociological research.
  4. Demonstrate key skills around searching for, identifying, and summarizing relevant academic literature.

Brief description

This module engages students in sociological thinking around the body and, embodiment, and pushes them to engage creatively and critically with new ideas. This module will build on sociological concepts encountered at undergraduate level, but will be of interest to students studying at Masters level in related disciplines.,

This module will be of particular interest to students interested in ideas such as what it means to have a body, how sociocultural concepts and structures shape how we understand our embodied selves, and the interaction of bodies with virtual/ digital spaces.

This module will reflect research and teaching interests within the sociology team and beyond, and thus is designed to engage a range of approaches and perspectives.

Content

Possible topics to include (but not limited to):
- Body and mind or bodymind: what does it mean to be embodied?
- Health, illness, and care;
- Body politics
- Bodies and digital worlds;
- Beyond the body – embodied futures.

Module skills

Skills type

Skills details
Adaptability and resilience Adaptability: flexibility and willingness to explore alternative methods of expression and communication - particularly around engagement with the scrapbook making itself, in which students could be engaging with ways of expressing their learning and critical thoughts which they haven't considered before.
Critical and analytical thinking Incluiding the role of critical creativity in research - this may be useful for students looking at future research careers (or research-adjacent)
Reflection reflexivity (as a part of research methods, sociological thinking) and reflection on learning/engagement - assessed through reflection on sketchbook
Subject Specific Skills reflected in annotated bibliography and seminar discussion - developing and using sociological knowledge

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 7