2021/22 Undergraduate Module Catalogue

SLSP1170 Understanding and Researching Contemporary Society

20 creditsClass Size: 185

Module manager: Dr Carly O'Neill-Barrett
Email: C.ONeill.Barrett@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable

Year running 2021/22

Module replaces

SLSP1145 Social Science Skills

This module is not approved as a discovery module

Module summary

This module will provide students with the skills to enable them to consolidate their study at undergraduate level. This module introduces key knowledge and training in the social sciences by teaching students the underpinnings of social research, how to undertake ‘real world’ research and think critically about the social world around them and their own everyday life. In addition it provides essential scholarly skills (essay writing, exam revision, referencing). Students’ will be encouraged to think critically in a way that goes beyond common sense and in a manner that puts social relations at the heart of understanding social phenomena. Students will be encouraged to be curious about their everyday lives concentrating on how this links to key concepts in social theory and how these might be researched in a social scientific way. Students will be also provided with the core academic and research skills to enable them to engage with social issues and social research.

Objectives

By exploring key themes and debates in the study of sociology and social policy, students should be better able to:
- Think critically about complex social issues
- Apply a sociological way of thinking, and sociological concepts, to a diversity of topics
- Effectively analyse information to evaluate the key aspects of social life
- Have the core academic skills to enable them to effectively complete a range of assessments and academic tasks.
- Distinguish between different stages of the social research process;
- Demonstrate an awareness of a variety of research methods;
- Begin to evaluate research methodologies
- Begin to evaluate the impacts social science can have in society

Learning outcomes
On completion of the module students should have provided evidence of being better able to:
- demonstrate a familiarity with sociological concepts and social research methods, traditions and basic concepts
- exhibit an ability to make connections to social theory, social research and everyday life and issues.
- understand the fundamental principles of scholarly practice in referencing, presentation, literature searches, and assignment-writing.
- display critical thinking abilities and reflection skills which are generic and subject specific
- evaluate the appropriateness of different approaches associated with the discipline of Sociology and Social Policy in the area of research methods and urban sociology and evaluate the impact of social research on the world around us

Syllabus

This module provides key knowledge and training in social science by teaching students the underpinnings of social research, how to undertake real world research and think critically about the social world around them, their own everyday life and essential scholarly skills (essay writing, exam revision, referencing.

The beginning of the module will elaborate the meaning of social research its traditions and philosophical underpinning and its relationship to social theory through a series of lectures. Students will then be introduced to a range of substantive topics, in later weeks which support the Level 1 syllabus content. They will explore these critically and curiously thinking about how they might be researched, their resonance in everyday life and how they link broader social theories and analysis.

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Lecture	11	1.00	11.00
Tutorial	10	1.00	10.00
Independent online learning hours			40.00
Private study hours			139.00
Total Contact hours			21.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			200.00

Private study

For each week, students are expected to undertake around 15 hours of private study or independent learning (total of 178 hours for the module) This will mainly entail keeping up to date with the relevant readings for the week, but also researching the topics in class through library and internet searches. Students are encouraged to think about everyday processes and issues and connect them with social theory and concepts and think about the use of data and research.
99 hours preparation for lectures and tutorials
40 hours preparation for assessment
40 hours on completion of online task exercises

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Contribution at tutorials

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Oral Presentation	5-minute presentation of a research design	60.00
In-course MCQ	Referencing Test	10.00
In-course MCQ	Secondary Data Test	30.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		100.00

The oral presentation will be a 'PechaKucha' presentation, in which students are permitted to show 10 slides for 30 seconds each, presenting a proposed idea for social research and the research design you would come up with. You will record the presentation as a slideshow with audio and upload the presentation as an online submission. Note – The presentations are not done in class. You can record them and upload them once you are happy with the submission.

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 06/08/2021

Disclaimer

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