General Reading and Learning Strategies
We are keen that this course is both "post A Level" and also accessible to those
without previous knowledge of social studies. Accordingly we are trying to
introduce you to a wide range of readings and first hand research studies. We do
not make the course dependent on a single textbook. You will be asked to read a
variety of pieces each week that will be the basis of the discussions in the
seminars. However, it would be advisable for you to have at least one textbook to
guide your studies, particularly if you have not taken social studies before. The
textbook we recommend is:
Macionis, J. and Plummer, K. (2008) Sociology: A Global Introduction, 4th
ed. Harlow: Pearson.
There are many other textbooks that could prove useful, for example:
Abbott, P., Wallace, C. and Tyler, M. (2005) Introduction to Sociology: Feminist
Perspectives, 3rd ed. London: Routledge.
Bennett, T. and Watson, D. (eds.) (2002) Understanding Everyday Life, Oxford:
Blackwell.
Cohen, R. and Kennedy, P. (2007) Global Sociology, 2nd ed. Basingstoke:
Palgrave.
Fulcher, J. and Scott, J, (2007) Sociology, 3rd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Giddens, A. (2009) Sociology, 6th ed. Cambridge: Polity
Hamilton, P. and Thompson, K. (eds.) (2002) The Uses of Sociology, Oxford:
Blackwell.
The following books are not conventional textbooks, but contain interesting
perspectives on the nature of social studies:
Bauman, Z. and May, T. (2001) Thinking Sociologically, 2nd ed. Blackwell: Oxford.
Lemert, C. (2008) Social Things: An Introduction to the Sociological Life, 4th ed.
Lanham: Rowman and Littlefield.
You will quickly discover that social science has a distinctive vocabulary. You may
find it useful to consult a sociology dictionary, for example:
Bruce, S. and Yearley, S. (2006) The Sage Dictionary of Sociology, London: Sage.
Jary, D. and Jary, J. (2000) Collins Dictionary of Sociology, Glasgow: Harper
Collins.
Scott, J. and Marshall, G. (2005) The Oxford Dictionary of Sociology, Oxford:
Oxford University Press.
Turner, B. (2006) The Cambridge Dictionary of Sociology, Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press.
Preparing for Seminars
The weekly seminars with your personal tutor are an integral part of the module
and attendance should be regarded as compulsory. Each week you will be asked
to prepare some reading and come equipped to the seminar to speak on topics
related to the reading and the lecture.
It is vital for your performance in the first year that you follow the guidance of
your seminar leader (which may provide the seminar leader’s own
perspective on the module and go beyond the reading list suggestions)
and devote several hours each week to seminar preparation. The essays on this
module require considerable preparation and reading around the subject. Failure
to attend and failure to prepare as you go through the module will lead to lower
marks.
In the seminar discussions themselves you should endeavour to:
- listen with respect to others’ contributions
- offer thoughts and discussion of your own grounded in the academic literature
you have been recommended
- use the time to good effect to ask for clarifications relating to the subject matter
and forthcoming assessments. As your seminar leader will be marking your
essays on this module, they should be the initial person to whom you should
direct questions.