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SOC-10039 - Module Specification
School of Humanities and Social Sciences
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

For academic year: 2025/26 Last Updated: 04 December 2025

SOC-10039 - Society, People, Place: Global Issues and Local Realities
Coordinator: Emma Head Room: CBC0.012 Tel: +44 1782 7 33898
Lecture Time: See Timetable...
Level: Level 4
Credits: 30
Study Hours: 300
School Office:

Programme/Approved Electives for 2025/26

None

Available as a Free Standing Elective

No

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2025/26

This module explores the theories and methods used by sociologists for analysing culture and society. You will learn how global and local processes interact through a consideration of North Staffordshire, which becomes the backdrop for thinking about contemporary social concerns such as the housing crisis, generational conflict, and the effects of deindustrialisation. Beyond examining local expressions of wider global problems, we also address the work of frontline community organisations to learn how culture and community can deliver ethical change.

Aims
- To introduce theories and methods for analysing culture and society, with an emphasis on understanding how global and local issues intersect.
- To foster an awareness of the social, economic, and cultural challenges and opportunities facing communities in North Staffordshire after deindustrialisation.
- To encourage engagement with community-driven solutions by examining the roles of local organisations in addressing social challenges and promoting ethical change.
- To enable students to recognise where sociological knowledge can be applied to real-world contexts through practical case studies.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Identify and describe the theories and methodological approaches used by sociologists for investigating culture and society: 3
Describe and analyse the social, cultural, and economic impacts of deindustrialisation on local communities: 2
Explain how global social issues manifest locally using North Staffordshire as a case study: 1,2
Identify where sociology can be mobilised into practice through community engagement: 2
Apply relevant theories and connect broader global issues to specific community experiences: 2
Demonstrate introductory skills in analysing qualitative and quantitative data in relation to a local social issue: 2,3

Study hours

Active learning hours:
48 contact hours - 22 lectures; 22 seminars; 4 hours of assessment consultation and supported assessment work.
48 asynchronous learning hours - to include guided online activities, e.g. reading, videos, podcasts.
Independent study hours:
204 hours seminar and assessment preparation - includes engaging with additional readings, note-taking, planning, drafting and revising work.


School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment

1: Project weighted 20%
500 word project plan
You will develop a preliminary project plan for your case study of a selected social issue from a list provided and covered on the module. The plan will include 1) a brief outline of the social issue to be discussed, 2) an overview of the key debates / areas for discussion, and 3) an indication of the sources to be used in the final project.

2: Project weighted 40%
1250 word project
Building on the project plan, you will produce a case study of a selected social from the list provided and covered on the module. The project should include a discussion that connects local impacts with broader global issues and shows an awareness of community-driven solutions, supported by relevant sociological sources and other literature, such as policy documents.

3: Research Report weighted 40%
1250 essay
You will write a 1250 word essay chosen from a list provided and related to the second half of the module. Your essay will included discussion of qualitative and quantitative data and discussion of key studies in sociology.

The University undertakes a continuous review of its teaching and research provision to ensure programmes are of a high quality and changes may be made to modules where it is necessary and reasonable to do so. Please be aware that minor changes to modules, such as a change to an individual assessment, can occur up until enrolment, although we endeavour to give you as much notice as possible of any changes. Details about the circumstance in which changes are made to programmes can be found in the Student Agreement, available at: https://www.keele.ac.uk/legalgovernancecompliance/governance/actcharterstatutesordinancesandregulations/studenttermsconditions/

Last Updated: 04 December 2025