Course Details in 2025/26 Session

Module Title	LC The Sociological Imagination
School	School of Social Policy
Department	Soc Policy, Sociology & Crimin
Module Code	08 30172
Module Lead	Neil Stephens
Level	Certificate Level
Credits	20
Semester	Semester 1
Pre-requisites
Co-requisites
Restrictions	None
Contact Hours	Lecture-20 hours Seminar-20 hours Guided independent study-160 hours Total: 200 hours
Exclusions
Description	This module is designed to introduce students to the discipline of sociology by exploring the questions that define the discipline. The module has three blocks which are: What is Sociology?, What is Society? and The Structure - Agency Problem. In the first block students are introduced to the debates about the purpose of sociology and whether or not it can be a science of society. The second block students are introduced to the way the concept of society developed as a distinctly modern concept discussed by philosophers, political theorists and social scientists. In the third block, students are introduced to the structure - agency problem and the way in which sociologists have focused on the micro level, the macro level and their possible integration.
Learning Outcomes	By the end of the module students should be able to: identify and account for major mechanisms in contemporary society; have a critical sense of sociology as a discipline and its contribution to the understanding of key social issues; relate sociological argument and empirical evidence.
Assessment	30172-01 : Summative Essay : Coursework (80%) 30172-03 : 1 Hour MCQ Exam : Coursework (20%)
Assessment Methods & Exceptions	2000 Word Essay (80%), 1 hour Canvas Exam (20%). Reassessment by failed component
Other
Reading List