Societal Problems: Classic Debates And Archival Research
This core module examines historical, sociological social problems and societies reactions to them. A key concern of this module is to examine the socio-cultural and historical circumstances in which these different social problems emerged, doing so will illustrate how these different social problems or more specifically, particular social groups emerged as social problems or deviants to be managed by society. Students will be introduced to classical sociological theoretical debates about the consequences of disrupting social order, inequalities, power, oppression and social problems.The module gives students the opportunity to develop first-hand knowledge of some of these social problems with the use of primary archival sources. Some of the social problems encountered on this module are likely to include: managing violations of gender roles and sanctioning domestic violence in the marital relationship; the problem of independent women and witch hunts; the evils of early industrial Britain; creating a workforce, stigmatising state dependency, the exploitation of child apprentices; managing the birth rate: infanticide and baby-farmers; middle-class philanthropy, intervening in working-class womens lives, tackling poverty in infancy; appealing to the responsible mother in the 1920s; managing disability; homosexual lives post decriminalisation; the end of the male breadwinner, de-industrialisation and managing the miners strike (1984-85).
Module code: SOCY70513