Course Details in 2025/26 Session

Module Title	LH Divided Publics?
School	School of Social Policy
Department	Soc Policy, Sociology & Crimin
Module Code	08 30184
Module Lead	Dr Andrew Knops
Level	Honours Level
Credits	20
Semester	Semester 1
Pre-requisites
Co-requisites
Restrictions	School of Social Policy students only
Contact Hours	Lecture-20 hours Seminar-20 hours Guided independent study-160 hours Total: 200 hours
Exclusions
Description	This module examines what the very idea of a ‘public’ might mean in the light of entrenched marginalisation and conflict in contemporary Western democracies. In the face of these divisions, how can such societies claim public support for collective policies? The first part of the module traces the development of the notion of ‘the public’, through liberal and republican formulations to contemporary models based on communication and the need to recognise difference and diversity. These are critically assessed for their capacity to address entrenched divisions, alienation and hostility. Models are introduced in lectures, and further interrogated in seminars. The review undertaken in the first part of the module provides a conceptual framework which is deployed in the second part to analyse how these issues play out in the real world. Contemporary case-studies are presented in lectures. Guided by these, students choose their own subject to investigate.
Learning Outcomes	By the end of the module students should be able to: Give a critical account of the different models of the public advanced in debates about contemporary Western democracies. Give a critical account of the difficulties these models face in coping with deep societal divisions, marginalisation and conflict. Apply this theoretical understanding to the critical analysis of contemporary examples of such struggles, in a way that illuminates the causes and potential responses to such issues.
Assessment	30184-02 : Summative essay : Coursework (100%)
Assessment Methods & Exceptions	Assessment: 4000 word coursework
Other
Reading List