SSC-10004 - Module Specification
School of Social Sciences
Faculty of Business, Law, Humanities & Social Sciences

Programme/Approved Electives for 2026/27

Available as a Free Standing Elective

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

No

Barred Combinations

No

Description for 2026/27

Why do inequalities persist in modern societies and what can be done to change them? This module explores how power, privilege, and exclusion shape everyday life across class, gender, race, sexuality, ability, and global location. Bringing together sociological and political approaches, it equips you to think critically about the structures, ideologies, and institutions that reproduce inequality and the ideas and movements that challenge them.
Through an engaging mix of lectures, seminars, and group work, you will connect classic social theories with contemporary realities—from Marx and Weber to the gig economy, culture wars, and global precarity. You will develop the analytical tools to interpret how inequalities emerge, intersect, and endure across different societies and life stages, and to imagine possibilities for social and political change.

This module introduces students to the study of social and political inequalities, combining empirical analysis with theoretical exploration. It aims to:
- Equip students with the ability to apply sociological and political thinking to understand and analyse persistent social divisions and inequalities across different societies and historical contexts.
- Introduce foundational and contemporary sociological and political theories that explain the origins, reproduction, and transformation of social inequalities.
- Examine how key social categories—such as class, race, gender, sexuality, and ability—are constructed, maintained, and contested in diverse cultural and political contexts.
- Engage critically with the causes and consequences of discrimination and exclusion, and assess how different theoretical perspectives explain the persistence of these inequalities.
- Explore the relationship between social inequalities and political power, examining how political institutions, ideologies, and movements both sustain and challenge inequality.
- Apply theoretical insights to current social and political issues, developing analytical tools to understand inequality and pathways to social change.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Describe and analyse the relationship between social inequalities and political power.: 1,3
Explain how inequalities are reflected and reproduced through social structures and political institutions.: 1,3
Apply sociological and political theories to explain the persistence and transformation of inequality across different contexts.: 3
Evaluate the impact of discrimination and exclusion on social and political outcomes.: 1,3
Demonstrate understanding of how political ideas and actions can challenge or reinforce inequality.
: 1,3
Apply theoretical frameworks to contemporary social and political issues, showing awareness of their empirical manifestations and implications.: 3
Reflect critically on their individual contributions to the group work and presentation process.: 2

Study hours

Active learning hours:
48 contact hours - 22 lectures, 22 tutorials and 4 hours assessment consultations.
Independent study hours:
252 hours tutorials and assessment preparation - includes engaging with additional reading, note-taking, planning, drafting and revising work:
- Engaging with additional reading ~75 hours (weekly reading of core texts and journal articles).
- Note-taking & consolidation ~50 hours (e.g. reviewing lecture/tutorial notes)
- Planning & research for assessments 50 hours (e.g. identifying relevant sources for essays/presentations; developing outlines and research questions).
- Drafting written work ~50 hours (writing initial drafts of essays or reflective pieces, structuring arguments and integrating sources).
- Revising & editing ~27 hours (e.g. proofreading and refining drafts, checking referencing and formatting, and practising presentation delivery).

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment