MCH1027 : Social and Cultural Studies
- Offered for Year: 2024/25
- Module Leader(s): Dr Sarah Hill
- Lecturer: Dr Joss Hands, Dr David Bates
- Owning School: Arts & Cultures
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
| Semester 2 Credit Value: | 20 |
| ECTS Credits: | 10.0 |
| European Credit Transfer System | |
Aims
To enable students to investigate culture and society from a critical perspective.
2. To give students the intellectual tools to analyse the means by which culture is interpreted, analysed and used in a variety of social and political settings.
3. To provide students with a critical platform to evaluate how power shapes culture, society, identity, subjectivity, media, place, and representation.
This module explores the practice, politics, and ethics of Social and Cultural Studies as an interdisciplinary field of study. The module examines ways that culture is understood, analysed and mobilised through analysis of a diverse range of texts and issues. Some of the main topics and issues talked about may relate to the study of media in connection to race, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, immigration, class, fashion, food, sport, subcultures, and the posthuman.
Outline Of Syllabus
1.This module is aimed at students who are new to the field of social and cultural studies and/or who have some initial knowledge of the field. The module will encourage students to critically engage with some of the key terms, concepts, ideas, and approaches from this field.
2. The module will deal with foundational material about associated theory, and will offer some answers to the questions: 'what is culture?'; “how does culture happen?”
3. In addition, the module will consider and discuss contemporary examples. The module places a strong emphasis on understanding how to link ideas and theories to living with and through everyday texts, practices, institutions, and identities.
4. Lectures and seminars will show students how to analyse cultural life: practices, texts, institutions, beliefs, values, power.
5.The module involves discussion of local, national and transnational perspectives.
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 70:00 | 70:00 | Assessment 1: See assessment section for details |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 2 | 20:00 | 40:00 | Assessment 2: See assessment section for details |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 11 | 2:00 | 22:00 | Learning lectures on campus. These lectures can be delivered online, if necessary. |
| Guided Independent Study | Directed research and reading | 10 | 2:00 | 20:00 | N/A |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 11 | 1:00 | 11:00 | Weekly seminars designed to enhance knowledge and understanding. On campus but can move online. |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 1 | 37:00 | 37:00 | N/A |
| Total | 200:00 |
Jointly Taught With
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| MCH1026 | Social and Cultural Studies |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
Social and Cultural Studies introduce a different way of looking at the world. Given that the majority of the students come from a wide disciplinary background, close and sustained support is required. Thus the lecture materials will provide formal approaches to the areas that are being looked at whilst students in synchronous discussions groups consider some of the more challenging aspects of the programme in more depth.
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | 2 | A | 100 | Students must answer an essay question from the list provided (2000 words) |
Formative Assessments
Formative Assessment is an assessment which develops your skills in being assessed, allows for you to receive feedback, and prepares you for being assessed. However, it does not count to your final mark.
| Description | Semester | When Set | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Written exercise | 2 | M | Essay plan (max 500 words) |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
The formative essay plan assessment will enable students to plan and get feedback on their essay ideas before the final assessment. The final essay assessment will enable students to demonstrate that they can meet the intended knowledge and skills outcomes listed above.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- MCH1027's Timetable