166-130 Globalisation, the Social and Identity

Formerly available as 166-080. Students who have completed 166-080 are not eligible to enrol in this subject.

This subject explores the contemporary social world through the lenses of identity and social change. Overcome by global flows, national identity appears to have become less of a foundation for social life. Stable identities such as family and class are giving way to new and difficult-to-chart experiences. New technologies are redefining whom we are, work patterns are continually changing, and new social problems are emerging. As a result, selfhood‐ understood as both the way in which we relate to ourselves and the way we relate to others‐ is in a process of rapid and uncertain transformation. These changes in society create new forms of power, conflict and creativity and also lead to new questions for sociology. Globalisation, the social and identity explores these questions through the study of a number of key concepts. These are: · Risk · Uncertainty · Identity · Individualisation · Networks · Power and conflict · Inequality · The symbolic · Embodied experience. Drawing on these key concepts, Globalisation, the social and identity explores the relationship between the individual and the social in the context of globalisation. It looks closely at the following key themes in the contemporary social world: · Population and migration · Power, difference and Otherness · New family forms · Emerging patterns of work · Media, communications and other technologies · Religion, sport and dance cultures · Consumption and identity · Deviance and subcultures · New social movements

• Have an introductory knowledge of sociological approaches to contemporary social change with a key focus on globalization, the social and identity;

• Have an introductory knowledge of main frameworks in contemporary sociology;

• Have an introductory ability to analyse evidence and construct a short essay and a research essay;

• Have an introductory ability to use the Internet for social science research.

A 500 word essay, 15%; tutorial Quizzes (5 quizzes, amounting to no more than 500 words) 15%; a research essay of 2,000 words, 40%; a take-home test of 1000 words, 30.

A subject reader will be available.