Undergraduate Course: Access Social Sciences 2 (AACE07004)
Course Outline
| School | Centre for Open Learning |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 7 (Year 1 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | Access Social Sciences 2 is a supportive and intellectually challenging continuation of the work covered in Access Social Sciences 1. Building on the confidence and skills gained in Access Social Sciences 1, this course stresses the multi-disciplinary nature of doing Social Science, by responding to three related questions: 'how is society made?', 'how and why is society divided?', and 'how is society changed?'. These questions will be addressed via an exploration of representative texts, case studies and data taken from Geography, Law, Politics, Psychology and Social Policy. |
| Course description |
1) Academic Description
This course is offered as part of the Access Programme (Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences). The Access Programme aims to prepare students for undergraduate study by introducing them to a range of essential skills and encouraging them to employ these
skills in a confident and flexible way.
Having established a strong foundation through semester 1 courses, semester 2 courses will adopt a more in-depth scholarly approach, preparing students for progression to undergraduate study.
This semester 2 course aims to build on the core study and academic skills covered in Access Social Sciences 1, further developing skills of academic reading and writing and using numerical and visual data. Additional skills will be promoted, including skills of research and enquiry, revision and exam techniques, use of digital resources, and presenting and debating ideas.
2) Outline Content
The course will adopt a multidisciplinary approach, allowing new subjects (e.g. Geography, Law, Politics) to be brought to students' attention whilst deepening their understanding of those previously covered (e.g. Anthropology, Economics, Psychology, Social Policy, Sociology).
The course content is divided into three equal sections relating to three key questions: 'how is society made?', 'how and why is society divided?', and 'how is society changed?'. These questions will be addressed through a number of well-known social scientific case studies, research projects, and published papers. Students will be encouraged to research the definitional and analytical complexity of each question, and will gain an understanding of the commonalities and differences in approaches taken by various disciplines.
The content will offer also students the opportunity to apply their conceptual knowledge to concrete examples, thereby promoting confidence in the use of theories and their own analytical powers.
3) Student Learning Experience
Class work will be accompanied by independent study. Students will be introduced to the various resources - both digital and conventional - which are available, and will be encouraged to become independent learners, and to develop the skills of research and enquiry which are necessary for successful undergraduate study.
Research tasks will be followed by seminar work, in which students' ability to make and defend an argument, and to critically appraise the arguments of others, will be developed.
The course will include both formative and summative assessment components. Formative assessments will consist of essay plan/ referencing tasks and a mock exam. Summative assessment will consist of two essays and a final examination. Marks will be awarded for tutorial participation.
In addition to support and feedback at course level, all students on the Access Programme will engage via an online learning journal, where they will be prompted to reflect on their learning experience, feedback and progress and will receive personalised guidance and support from their Personal Tutor.
Students will also participate in a range of cultural and social engagement activities which are intended to complement their studies, increase cultural capital, encourage engagement with peers and communities, and build a sense of belonging.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
Students MUST have passed:
Access Social Sciences 1 (AACE07003)
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Display knowledge of the contribution of the Social Sciences in our understanding of how society is made, divided, and changed;
- Make effective use of primary texts, including numerical data, and of associated secondary literature;
- Demonstrate critical, discursive and analytical skills associated with the Social Sciences;
- Demonstrate research capacities, and related skills associated with use of digital technology;
- Exhibit effective skills of seminar presentation and participation.
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Reading List
This is an indicative reading list. A full reading list will be provided via Leganto prior to the course start.
- Essential
Garner, R., 2016. An Introduction to Politics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Johnston, H., 2013. States and Social Movements. Oxford: Wiley.
Ridley, M., 1997. The Origin of Virtue Harmondsworth: Penguin Books.
- How is society made?
Blythman, J., 2007. Shopped: The Shocking Power of British Supermarkets London: Harper Perennial.
Boychuk, G. W., 2008. Extravagant Americans, healthier Canadians: the bottom line in North American health care, in Thomas, D.M. & Torrey, B.B., eds. 2008. Canada and the United States : differences that count 3rd., Peterborough, Ont.: Broadview Press.
Cherry, K. M., 2012. Plato, Aristotle, and the Purpose of Politics, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Tuck, R., 2002. Hobbes : a very short introduction, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Wolch, J., Dear, M. & Allen, J., 1990. The power of geography, how territory shapes social life. International journal of urban and regional research, 14(2), p.365.
- How and why is society divided?
Boudreaux, D., 1997. Matt Ridley (1997) The Origins of Virtue. Constitutional Political Economy, 8(4), pp.359'361.
Freud, S., Strachey, J. & Freud, Anna, 1961. The standard edition of the complete psychological works of Sigmund Freud / Vol.15, Introductory lectures on psycho-analysis: parts 1 and 2 : 1915- 1916., London: Hogarth Press and the Institute of Psycho-analysis.
Hardin, G., 1968, 'The tragedy of the commons', Science Vol. 162 Issue 3859, pp.1243-1248. PDF available at: http://science.sciencemag.org/content/162/3859/1243
- How is society changed?
Kuppers, P., 2004. Disability and contemporary performance : bodies on edge, New York: Routledge.
McKay, G., 1996. The culture(s) of resistance, in McKay G., Senseless Act of Beauty: Cultures of Resistance since the Sixties London: Verso Press.
Patrick, K., 2012. Barriers to whistleblowing in the NHS. British Medical Journal, 345(7878), p.7.
Yeomans, H., 2013. Blurred Visions: Experts, Evidence and the Promotion of Moderate Drinking. The Sociological Review, 61(2_suppl), pp.58'78.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Employability awareness will be enhanced through the development of skills on the Access Programme. The holistic nature of the skills included in the programme design will enhance students' readiness to develop both graduate attributes and the social and cultural capital that will enable them to make the most of their undergraduate studies. Those with alternative exit routes will be able to draw on the skills inculcated in the Access Programme for future employment or study. |
| Keywords | Social science,Psychology,Economics,Sociology,Anthropology,Social Policy,Politics,social work |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Mr Gisli Vogler
Tel:
Email: gvogler@exseed.ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mr John Ethcuit
Tel: (0131 6)50 3409
Email: jethcuit@exseed.ed.ac.uk |
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