Undergraduate Course: Studying Society (FNDN07008)
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 | The course introduces you to how to study research topics in the social sciences using relevant social theories and methods. |
| Course description |
This course is recommended for students on the International Foundation Programme Humanities & Social Sciences Pathway who wish to progress to degrees in humanities and social sciences subjects and is also an option for students on the Art & Design Pathway.
The course will introduce you to how social scientists describe, define, measure, and explain social phenomena and behaviour, for instance crime or what products people buy, and debates on how knowledge is produced in the social sciences. Through coursework, in-class discussions and independent study, you will develop academic skills relevant to different social science disciplines. These skills include formulating a simple research question, synthesising and evaluating information, applying concepts and theories to case studies, and identifying and advocating recommendations to address contemporary social issues, such as poverty, climate change, and violent conflict.
The course will take an interdisciplinary approach and cover different concepts, theories, and methods relevant to the study of individuals and their social contexts. It will draw on examples from across the social sciences, with a focus on what different subjects have in common. You will be encouraged to engage with social scientific research from different parts of the world on social, economic, and environmental issues of local and global significance, and explore how processes of colonisation and decolonisation shape this research. The course is structured around the three key themes of how social scientists (1) describe and define, (2) measure, and (3) explain social phenomena.
You will attend two weekly lectures which introduce foundational aspects of social scientific research. In addition, you will be expected to prepare for, and actively participate in, a weekly tutorial. Guided by your course teacher, you will choose a topic for a small study project at the start of the course and work towards an end-of-term project report. There will be multiple opportunities to receive feedback on your progress from your teacher and peers.
|
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Academic year 2025/26, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
|
Quota: 90 |
| Course Start |
Flexible |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 32,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 32,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
132 )
|
| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Study project consisting of:
1,000-word literature review (40%)
Oral research presentation (20%)
Final 1,000-word project report (40%) |
| Feedback |
As the course is built around the students¿ study projects, students will have regular opportunities to develop their knowledge and learning in relation to the subject matter and their assessments. Tutorials will contain interactive exercises focused on developing relevant skills and gaining peer- and course teacher-based feedback, specifically after individual presentations of their study projects.
Students will receive written and/or verbal feedback on the first three (formative and summative) assessments in preparation for the final project report. Feed-forward will highlight areas of improvement and what work is required to meet the course learning outcomes.
Students will receive a final assessed mark/grade on completion of the summative assessment. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Present some of the academic discussions associated with a chosen social topic
- Draw on the diversity of perspectives and approaches that characterises debate within the social sciences to describe, measure and explain a contemporary issue
- Develop a research question and use basic methodological frameworks to gather and analyse relevant secondary data
|
Reading List
Essential (will be available on DiscoverEd):
Connell, R., (2007) Southern Theory: The Global Dynamics of Knowledge in the Social Sciences. Sydney: Taylor & Francis Group.
Punch, K. F., (2013) Introduction to Social Research: Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches. Third Edition. London: SAGE Ltd.
Walliman, N., (2011) Research Methods: The Basics. 2nd ed. London: Taylor and Francis. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Students will gain key professional and personal skills including working collaboratively and communicating in a structured and concise manner to different audiences, researching key social issues using rigorous methods. They will additionally gain important cultural and social resources that will help them to succeed in their chosen undergraduate studies. |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Ms Liz MacDougall
Tel:
Email: emacdou3@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mr James Cooper
Tel: (0131 6)50 4400
Email: jcooper6@ed.ac.uk |
|
|
University Homepage