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DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2024/2025

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Social and Political Science : Sociology

Undergraduate Course: Sociology 1a: The Sociological Imagination (SCIL08016)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Social and Political Science CollegeCollege of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 8 (Year 1 Undergraduate) AvailabilityAvailable to all students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryThis course is only available to students on named Sociology degree programmes and the MA Hons Sustainable Development programme. Students considering a transfer to a Sociology degree may substitute this course with Invitation to Sociology (SCIL08017) .

The course is designed to provide a broad introduction to key themes, concepts, theories, approaches, and methods in sociology, as well as foundational skills in critical thinking, evaluation of evidence, and application of concepts.
Course description This course draws inspiration from The Sociological Imagination, a classic work in the field by sociologist C. Wright Mills. Mills wrote: "Neither the life of an individual nor the history of a society can be understood without understanding both." The quote captures the duality of sociological thinking: one the one hand individual lives can only be understood in the context of social structure, while on the other an understanding of lived experience and social meaning is critical to grasping social structure. Course sessions explore this core insight from different perspectives.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Students MUST NOT also be taking Invitation to Sociology (SCIL08017)
Other requirements None
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesNone
High Demand Course? Yes
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2024/25, Not available to visiting students (SS1) Quota:  0
Course Start Semester 1
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 200 ( Lecture Hours 20, Seminar/Tutorial Hours 10, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 166 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 55 %, Coursework 45 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) Written Exam 55 %
Short written assessment (500 words) 15%
Skills portfolio (1500 words) 30%
Feedback Feedback on all assessed work shall normally be returned within three weeks of submission. Where this is not possible, students shall be given clear expectations regarding the timing and methods of feedback.
Exam Information
Exam Diet Paper Name Hours & Minutes
Main Exam Diet S1 (December)Exam:120
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Demonstrate knowledge of major sociological perspectives
  2. Utilise key sociological concepts to examine social life
  3. Contrast diverse sociological theories on defining features of society
  4. Apply foundational skills used in the craft of social research
  5. Relate sociological perspectives and concepts to topics in public discourse that they encounter in their civic life
Reading List
None
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Not entered
KeywordsNot entered
Contacts
Course organiserDr Tod Van Gunten
Tel: (0131 6)50 4637
Email: tvangun@exseed.ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMiss Karen Leung
Tel:
Email: Karen.Leung@ed.ac.uk
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