Global Transformations

Learning Outcomes

Learning Outcomes

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Reflect on your own experiences as well as media reports of social, political and economic change, travel and migration, globalisation, risk and travel in an theoretically and empirically informed way.
• Critical thinking skills
• Essay writing skills
• Identify the key sociological concepts of social change
• Synthesise the major transformations of ‘modernity’
• Review everyday social processes using a range of theoretical accounts

The modern world is marked by constant and rapid social change. For some, these transformations indicate a runaway world spinning beyond our control. But how did this state of affairs come about? And how can we understand it? This unit looks at the emergence of ‘modern’ society and provides key concepts to understand the continuing social transformations of modernity. Looking at topics such as the tyranny of ‘experts’, the modern city, fashion, and global tourism, the unit examines the key processes of modernisation and how these have shaped the everyday lives of individuals. By examining the rise (and fall) of mass urban, industrial society, the unit shows how consumption and culture, space and nature, and individual self-identity have all been transformed by modernity. Attention is given to class, gender, race and ethnicity.

two hour lecture on a weekly basis; one hour seminar every other week

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.