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01/10/24 Fundamentals of Sociology | University of Kent
Fundamentals of Sociology View Online
140 items
For student purchase (4 items)

We recommend that you buy a copy of this book. Chapters from this will be highlighted as
key readings for each week of the course. The follow-on course to this, The Sociology of
Everyday Life (SO336), is also based on this textbook.
Sociology: a global introduction - John J. Macionis, Kenneth Plummer, 2012

Book | Core (Must Read) | E-Book

Book | Core (Must Read) | E-Book
Sociology: a global introduction - Macionis, John J., Plummer, Kenneth, 2012

Book | Suggested for student purchase
Sociology: A global introduction, fifth edition

Webpage | This contains lots of links to useful sociological resources. We strongly
recommend that you spend some time acquainting yourself with these.
1. Asking Questions, Finding Answers (9 items)

Sociology is the study of human society. Most sociologists would agree that ‘being a
sociologist’ involves a distinct approach to thinking about people ; and further, that
sociology has a great deal to contribute to our understanding of who we are and how we
are made to live. Much debate, however, surrounds the definition of human society and
how it might be made an object of study. In this regard, the identity, practice and purpose
of sociology are also open to question. This lecture provides an introduction to the
discipline of sociology. It outlines contrasting approaches to sociological thinking and
research proceeding from the most basic process of identifying social questions to which
we want to find answers, and then how we set about trying to provide them through
organising different types of research.
Required Seminar Reading (4 items)

Book | Core (Must Read) | E-Book Chapter 1


Book | Core (Must Read) | Chapter 1.
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The sociological imagination - Mills, C W., 1970

Book | Core (Must Read) | chapter 1 (available via moodle)
Further Reading (5 items)

An introduction to sociology: feminist perspectives - Abbott, Pamela, Wallace, Claire, 1990
Book | Background (Could Read)
Thinking sociologically - Bauman, Zygmunt, May, Tim, 2001

Invitation to sociology: a humanistic perspective - Berger, Peter L., 1966, c1963

Social things: an introduction to the sociological life - Lemert, Charles C., 2002
Sociology: the basics - Plummer, Kenneth, 2010

Book | Background (Could Read) | E-Book
2. Suicide: A Classic Sociological Study Updated (8 items)

The textbook by Macionis and Plummer suggests that perhaps the most intriguing example
of how social forces can affect human behaviour is found in the study of suicide. Why?
Because nothing seems a more personal choice than taking one’s own life. Yet Emile
Durkheim’s study of suicide stands as a sociological classic in beginning to understand the
distinctive patterns of suicide among different genders, nationalities, religions and cultures
suggesting far more than a purely subjective process of individual choice. Writing at the
end of the 19th Century Durkheim set out to explain the dizzying rise in suicide rates and
their distinctive patterns that accompanied industrialization in France. Some trends he
identified remain similar even over a century later, such as the higher rate among males
than females (despite dramatic changes in their social positions). But much has also
changed since Durkheim’s time and this topic provides an opportunity to consider the
extent to which classic studies about the impact of the forces of modernity upon the
individual remain relevant today. One striking trend is that it was the middle class that
were more vulnerable to suicide in Durkheim’s time as it appeared that ‘poverty tended to
protect’. But that trend seems to no longer be the case today in Western societies.

Book | Core (Must Read) | ‘Individuality in Social Context: the Strange Case of suicide’
Chapter 1, The Sociological Imagination pp 6-8

Suicide The Hidden Side of Modernity - Roger Establet Christian Baudelot
Book | Recommended (Should Read)
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Suicide: a study in sociology - E. Durkheim, George Simpson, 1952

The Sociology of Suicide - Matt Wray, Cynthia Colen, Bernice Pescosolido, 2011-08-11
Article | Recommended (Should Read)
Suicide: a European perspective - Nils Retterstøl, 1993

Suicide -
E
́
douard
Leve
́
, c2008
Suicide - J P. Gibbs, 1968

Suicide: the ultimate rejection?: a psycho-social study - Colin Pritchard, 1995

3: Social Life in Industrial Societies (9 items)

Social life was transformed by industrialisation and in many ways the sociological project is
still attempting to understand the impact of these changes. The transition from traditional
to industrial societies witnesses the rise of large urban centres and the concentration of
work in factories, mills and other new workplaces. Industrialisation created new forms of
social relationships and especially class divisions as a result of large scale organisations
needed by the new capitalist economy. This session will look at questions of the greater
division of labour, rationalisation of work and the attachment workers had with their
co-workers and the jobs.

Book | Core (Must Read) | E-Book ch.15

Book | Core (Must Read) | E-Book chapter 15

Book | Core (Must Read) | ch.15

The politics of working life - Paul Edwards, Judy Wajcman, 2005
Book | Background (Could Read) | Chapter 1
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The sociology of work: continuity and change in paid and unpaid work - Stephen Edgell,
c2012
Book | Background (Could Read) | Chapter 1.
The thought of work - John W. Budd, 2011

Book | Background (Could Read) | Introduction
Keywords: a vocabulary of culture and society - Raymond Williams, 1988

Book | Background (Could Read) | ‘Work’
Capital - Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, Samuel Moore, Edward B. Aveling, 1974
Book | Background (Could Read) | Volume 1 especially chapters 10, 14 and 15
Work and society: sociological approaches, themes and methods - Tim Strangleman,
Tracey Warren, 2008
On the Web
Guardian newspaper article with useful links
www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2012/may/22/social-mobility-data-charts
LSE article on Social Mobility
cep.lse.ac.uk/pubs/download/CP172.pdf
House of Commons Health Committee Report on Health Inequalities

www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmselect/cmhealth/286/286.pdf
Child Poverty Action Group Facts & Figures
www.cpag.org.uk/child-poverty-facts-and-figures
Institute for Fiscal Studies Report on Living Standards, Poverty and Inequality in the UK
www.ifs.org.uk/comms/comm124.pdf
WHO 2008 Report by Commission on Social Determinants of Health
www.searo.who.int/LinkFiles/SDH_SDH_FinalReport.pdf
4. Social Life in Divided and Unequal Societies (13 items)

We are living through the most socially divided period of world history for which we have
record and the United Kingdom is one of the most economically and socially unequal
societies in Europe. The social class position into which we are born exerts a heavy
influence over the quality of our health (both physical and mental), levels of educational
attainment and employment prospects. Many studies suggest that there are also very low
levels of social mobility in the UK, which suggests that there is very little that individuals
can to change their socio-economic circumstances and life chances. For these reasons, the
study of “social class” and systems of “social stratification” is a central sociological
concern. This lecture is designed to introduce students to sociological traditions of class
analysis as well as some of the key facts about the experience of inequality in the UK. It
also offers outlines some of the ways in which global inequalities are measured and
explained.

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Book | Core (Must Read) | Chapters 8, 9 & 10

Sociology - Anthony Giddens, Philip W. Sutton, 2013
Class and Status: The Conceptual Distinction and its Empirical Relevance - T. W. Chan, J. H.
Goldthorpe, 2007-08-01
A New Model of Social Class? Findings from the BBC's Great British Class Survey
Experiment - M. Savage, F. Devine, N. Cunningham, M. Taylor, Y. Li, J. Hjellbrekke, B. Le
Roux, S. Friedman, A. Miles, 2013-04-01
Health inequality: an introduction to theories, concepts, and methods - Mel Bartley, 2004
Class and stratification: an introduction to current debates - Rosemary Crompton, 1998

Injustice: why social inequality persists - Daniel Dorling, 2011

Chavs: the demonization of the working class - Owen Jones, 2012

Inequality: Causes and Consequences - Kathryn M. Neckerman, Florencia Torche, 2007-08

Understanding health inequalities - Hilary Graham, 2000

Health inequalities: lifecourse approaches - George Davey Smith, 2003

Globalization and inequalities: complexity and contested modernities - Sylvia Walby, 2009
The spirit level: why equality is better for everyone - Richard G. Wilkinson, Kate Pickett,
2010
5 READING WEEK
6. An Introduction to Identity (8 items)

A sociological approach to self and identity begins with the assumption that there is a
reciprocal relationship between the self and society. The self influences society through
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the actions of individuals thereby creating groups, organizations, networks, and

institutions. And, reciprocally, society influences the self through its shared language and
meanings that enable a person to take the role of the other, engage in social interaction,
and reflect upon oneself as an object. The latter process of reflexivity constitutes the core
of selfhood. In this lecture we will use some contemporary examples of national identity to
explore how sociology understands the making of who and what we are. This class will
explore what “social identity” can be, where social identities might come from, and how
they influence individuals, groups and large communities. British national identity provides
a timely example for these questions, as it is related to current debates on Scottish
national identity and Britain’s relationship with the rest of Europe.
Required Reading (2 items)

Book | Core (Must Read)
National identity - Exploring Britishness - Kiss, Zsolt, Alison Park

Chapter | Core (Must Read)
Recommended Reading (6 items)

National identity and vernacular mobilisation in Europe - ANTHONY D. SMITH, 2011-04
Article | Recommended (Should Read) | first 10 pages
Birth, blood and belonging: identity claims in post-devolution Scotland1 - Richard Kiely,
Frank Bechhofer, David McCrone, 2005-03-02
National Identity and Support for the Welfare State - Richard Johnston, Keith Banting, Will
Kymlicka, Stuart Soroka, 2010-6
Are there Good and Bad Nationalisms? - David Brown, 1999-04

Three Faces of Identity - Timothy J. Owens, Dawn T. Robinson, Lynn Smith-Lovin, 2010-06
Social Psychology of Intergroup Relations - H Tajfel, 1982-01

7. Sociology of the Family (16 items)

The family remains at the centre of most people’s lives, but also a key social institution.
Far from being natural and unchanging today’s families continue to be shaped by changing
values and social and economic pressures. At least in many Western societies it has
become more diverse and less shaped by wider obligation. A particular focus will be
renewed concern that families without marriage appear less stable and even call into
question the families future. Many young people in Western urban centres now opt to live
as ‘singletons’ without any form of permanent relationship, let alone marriage. We will look
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at the kinds of things that family sociologists look at today and how it’s changed from the
past. No longer so interested in the function of the family, today’s sociologists are more
interested in its ‘practices’ and how it manages to navigate often complex arrangements
and still remain a family.
Required Reading (1 items)

Book | Core (Must Read) | Chapter 18
Recommended Reading (15 items)

Key concepts in family studies - Jane Ribbens McCarthy, Rosalind Edwards, 2011
Families and Social Capital Research Group

The sociology of the family: a reader - Graham Allan, 1999

Families, households, and society - Graham Allan, Graham Crow, 2001

Gender, family and society - Faith Robertson Elliot, Jo Campling, 1996

The family in question: changing households and familiar ideologies - Diana Gittins, 1993
Family connections: an introduction to family studies - D. H. J. Morgan, 1996

The anti-social family -

Miche
̀
le Barrett, Mary McIntosh, 1991
Seven years in the lives of British families: evidence on the dynamics of social change
from the British Household Panel Survey - Richard Berthoud, Jonathan Gershuny, British
Household Panel Survey, Institute for Social and Economic Research, 2000
Analysing families: morality and rationality in policy and practice - Alan H. Carling, Simon
Duncan, Rosalind Edwards, 2002
Gender and domestic life: changing practices in families and households - Tony Chapman,
2004 [ie. 2003
7/14
Young, free, and single?: twenty-somethings and household change - Sue Heath, Elizabeth
Cleaver, 2003
Social identities across the life course - Jennifer Lorna Hockey, Allison James, 2003
Age and generation in modern Britain - Jane Pilcher, 1995

The 'new' family? - Elizabeth Bortolaia Silva, Carol Smart, 1999

8. Social Life in Gendered Societies (18 items)

Gender is one of the major divisions in social life: it profoundly shapes who we fall in love
with, what kind of job we are likely to have, how we cut our hair and how much we earn.
The influence of gender on social is so every day that it can seem natural, yet sociologists
and feminists have firmly shown that gender is much more complex. This lecture explores
the ways in which sociologists have accounted for gender and gendered inequalities.

Book | Background (Could Read) | E-Book ch.12

Book | Background (Could Read) | E-Book ch.12

Gender - R. W. Connell, 2002

Book | Core (Must Read) | chapter 1

Gender and power: society, the person and sexual politics - Connell, R W., 1987
Gender: in world perspective - Raewyn Connell, c2009

Reclaiming the F word: feminism today - Redfern, Catherine, Aune, Kristin, 2013
Book | Background (Could Read) | E-Book
How to be a woman - Moran, Caitlin, 2012

Book | Background (Could Read) | (A contemporary feminist biography)
Working conditions in the European Union: the gender perspective
8/14
Webpage | Background (Could Read)
Gender and power: society, the person and sexual politics - R W. Connell, 1987
Reclaiming the F word: feminism today - Catherine Redfern, Kristin Aune, 2013
How to be a woman - Caitlin Moran, 2012

Working conditions in the European Union - European Foundation for the Improvement of
Living and Working Conditions, 1997
The Second Sex (Vintage Classics) eBook: Simone de Beauvoir: Amazon.co.uk: Books - 5
Jun. 2014
Webpage | Recommended (Should Read)
The feminine mystique - Betty Friedan, 1970

The female eunuch - Germaine Greer, 1991

The beauty myth: how images of beauty are used against women - Naomi Wolf, 1991
The second shift: working families and the revolution at home - Arlie Russell Hochschild,
Anne Machung, 2012
9. The Medicalization of Society (10 items)

The advancement of modern medicine is essential to the ‘Project of Modernity’. Improved
sanitary conditions, prolonged average life expectancy and the increasing availability of
‘biomedical enhancements’ of the body have not only enhanced our life qualities, but also
fueled social and economic development. However, some argue that modern medicine not
only provides new cures to old diseases, but also ‘creates’ new types of illness which may
lead to excessive treatment. For example, some claim that ADHD seems to be the new
name for ‘a naughty child’, and an increasing number of people seem to turn to
antidepressants to deal with ‘normal sorrow’. This lecture explores how medical, social and
political influences shape our understanding of normality and our modern pursuance of
health. It focuses on the concept of ‘medicalization’ and investigates the process in which
certain physical or psychological conditions are being problematised as an ‘illness’ or
‘abnormality’ that requires interventions from health as well as social authorities.
Required Seminar reading (3 items)

9/14


Further reading (7 items)

Self-Help Literature and the Making of an Illness Identity: The Case of Fibromyalgia
Syndrome (FMS) - Kristin Barker, 2002-08
Article | Background (Could Read)
Health - Mildred Blaxter, 2010

The medicalization of society: on the transformation of human conditions into treatable

disorders - Peter Conrad, 2007
Medicalization, Markets and Consumers - Peter Conrad, Valerie Leiter, 2004

The Social Construction of Illness: Key Insights and Policy Implications - P. Conrad, K. K.
Barker, 2010-11-01
Sociological approaches to health and medicine - Myfanwy Morgan, Michael Calnan, Nick P.
Manning, 1985
DISCIPLINING DOMESTICITY: Framing the ADHD Parent and Child - Adam Rafalovich,
2001-07
10. Digital Culture and Power (14 items)

This lecture explores issues of sociality, participation and power in new media and digital
culture focusing on the concepts of ‘networked publics’ and ‘participatory culture’.
Attending to intersections of gender, race, sexuality and class, we will examine to what
extent various forms of digital culture have affected and transformed contemporary social
relations and modes of participation in culture and political life. We will also consider
some of the tensions between individual cultural participation and corporate media
ownership.

Book | Core (Must Read)
10/14

Race after the Internet - Lisa Nakamura, Peter Chow-White, 2012
Book | Recommended (Should Read) | White Flight in Networked Publics: How Race and
Class Shaped American Teen Engagement in MySpace and Facebook
Spreadable media: creating value and meaning in a networked culture - Henry Jenkins,
Sam Ford, Joshua Green, 2013
Book | Recommended (Should Read) | Introduction
It's complicated: the social lives of networked teens - danah boyd, 2014
New media: an introduction - Terry Flew, 2005

Book | Recommended (Should Read) | pages 1-17
Cultural studies: the basics - Jeff Lewis, 2008

Book | Recommended (Should Read) | Chapter 11: New Media Cultures’
Digital media and society: an introduction - Adrian Athique, 2013

New media: a critical introduction - Martin Lister, 2009

The cybercultures reader - David Bell, Barbara M. Kennedy, 2007

Understanding digital culture - Vincent Miller, 2011

Reading digital culture - David Trend, 2001

Creating second lives: community, identity, and spatiality as constructions of the virtual -
Astrid Ensslin, Eben J. Muse, 2011
Digital sociology: critical perspectives - 2013

Book | Recommended (Should Read) | Chapter 1
A networked self: identity, community and culture on social network sites - Zizi
Papacharissi, 2011
11. Sociology in a Scientific World (11 items)

In 2009, the UK’s Royal Academy of Engineering envisioned the dawn of a ‘new industrial
revolution’, in which emerging sciences (e.g. synthetic biology and nanotechnology)
deliver an unrivalled set of technological solutions to a wide range of social issues. Yet
scientific advancement may also prompt new phenomena and impel social changes in
11/14
unexpected ways. For example, the growing community of ‘biopunks’, which refer to
individuals purchasing DNA sequencing equipment from eBay and conducting genetic
experiments at home; or, the rise of ‘Hackerville’, a remote town in Romania nicknamed
for its home as a global cybercrime hotspot.
This lecture takes a sociological perspective in mapping out the main debates of modern
science and technology and their impact on everyday life. It highlights the value of
empirical research in the development of a social understanding of science and explores
arguments made by both science and social science communities. It invites students to
reflect on the mutual influence science and society have on each other, and the ways in
which social sciences can be constructive in understanding and steering scientific
developments.




Global issues: Make social sciences relevant - Luk Van Langenhove, 2012-4-25
Living in the world risk society - Ulrich Beck, 2006-08

Article
Biology is technology: the promise, peril, and new business of engineering life - Robert H.
Carlson, 2011
Human futures: art in an age of uncertainty - 2008

CyberSociety 2.0: revisiting computer-mediated communication and community - Steve

Jones, 1998
What technology wants - Kevin Kelly, Penguin Books

Biological Citizenship - N Rose, C Novas

Chapter | Recommended (Should Read)
The two cultures - C. P. Snow, American Council of Learned Societies, 2008, c1998
12/14
12: Beyond a Eurocentric Sociology (10 items)



Rethinking modernity: postcolonialism and the sociological imagination - 1974- Bhambra,

Gurminder K., 2007

Varieties of second modernity: the cosmopolitan turn in social and political theory and
research - Ulrich Beck, Edgar Grande, 2010-09-14
Stark Realities and Eurocentric/Androcentric Bias in the Sociology of Religion - Michael P.

Carroll, 1996-23
TOWARD A GLOBAL SOCIOLOGY?. Evaluating Current Conceptions, Methods, and Practices

- William G. Martin, Mark Beittel, 1998-01
Sociology, Eurocentrism and Postcolonial Theory - G. McLennan, 2003-02-01

Modernity: a non-European conceptualization - Nicos Mouzelis, 1999-03

Future of Sociology in South Asia: Challenges and Prospects - Chandan Sengupta, 1997
Appendix: Advice on Taking Notes and Essay Writing (10 items)

Good essay writing is an acquired skill. In order to do well on this course you should make
every effort to learn this skill. The highest marks will be awarded to those who write their
essays as a sociologically informed argument. There are a number of publications that are
designed to help you achieve this:
Successful study for degrees - Barnes, Rob, 1992

Book
13/14
How to argue - Bonnett, Alastair, 2011

Book
How to study: a practical guide - Casey, Francis, 1985

Book
How to write about the social sciences - Cuba, Lee J., Cocking, John, Cuba, Lee J., 1997
Book
Studying for a degree in the humanities and social sciences - Dunleavy, Patrick, 1986
Book
How to write essays - Lewis, Roger, National Extension College, c1993

Book
The good study guide - Northedge, Andrew, 2005

Book
How to think like a social scientist - Pettigrew, Thomas F., c1996

Book
Argument and evidence: critical analysis for the social sciences - Phelan, Peter, Reynolds,
Peter J., 1996
Book
Critical reasoning: a practical introduction - Thomson, Anne, 1996

Book
14/14

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01/10/24 Fundamentals of Sociology | University of Kent

Fundamentals of Sociology View Online

For student purchase (4 items)

Sociology: a global introduction - John J. Macionis, Kenneth Plummer, 2012

Sociology: a global introduction - John J. Macionis, Kenneth Plummer, 2012

Sociology: a global introduction - Macionis, John J., Plummer, Kenneth, 2012

Sociology: A global introduction, fifth edition

1. Asking Questions, Finding Answers (9 items)

Required Seminar Reading (4 items)

Sociology: a global introduction - John J. Macionis, Kenneth Plummer, 2012

Sociology: a global introduction - Macionis, John J., Plummer, Kenneth, 2012

The sociological imagination - Mills, C W., 1970

Further Reading (5 items)

Thinking sociologically - Bauman, Zygmunt, May, Tim, 2001

Invitation to sociology: a humanistic perspective - Berger, Peter L., 1966, c1963

Sociology: the basics - Plummer, Kenneth, 2010

2. Suicide: A Classic Sociological Study Updated (8 items)

Required Seminar Reading (1 items)

Further Reading (7 items)

Suicide: a study in sociology - E. Durkheim, George Simpson, 1952

Suicide: a European perspective - Nils Retterstøl, 1993

Suicide - J P. Gibbs, 1968

Suicide: the ultimate rejection?: a psycho-social study - Colin Pritchard, 1995

3: Social Life in Industrial Societies (9 items)

Required Seminar Reading (3 items)

Sociology: a global introduction - John J. Macionis, Kenneth Plummer, 2012

Sociology: a global introduction - Macionis, John J., Plummer, Kenneth, 2012

Further Reading (6 items)

The thought of work - John W. Budd, 2011

Keywords: a vocabulary of culture and society - Raymond Williams, 1988

House of Commons Health Committee Report on Health Inequalities

4. Social Life in Divided and Unequal Societies (13 items)

Required Seminar Reading (1 items)

Book | Core (Must Read) | Chapters 8, 9 & 10

Further Reading (12 items)

Class and stratification: an introduction to current debates - Rosemary Crompton, 1998

Injustice: why social inequality persists - Daniel Dorling, 2011

Chavs: the demonization of the working class - Owen Jones, 2012

Inequality: Causes and Consequences - Kathryn M. Neckerman, Florencia Torche, 2007-08

Understanding health inequalities - Hilary Graham, 2000

Health inequalities: lifecourse approaches - George Davey Smith, 2003

6. An Introduction to Identity (8 items)

the actions of individuals thereby creating groups, organizations, networks, and

Required Reading (2 items)

National identity - Exploring Britishness - Kiss, Zsolt, Alison Park

Recommended Reading (6 items)

Are there Good and Bad Nationalisms? - David Brown, 1999-04

Social Psychology of Intergroup Relations - H Tajfel, 1982-01

7. Sociology of the Family (16 items)

Required Reading (1 items)

Recommended Reading (15 items)

Families and Social Capital Research Group

The sociology of the family: a reader - Graham Allan, 1999

Families, households, and society - Graham Allan, Graham Crow, 2001

Gender, family and society - Faith Robertson Elliot, Jo Campling, 1996

Family connections: an introduction to family studies - D. H. J. Morgan, 1996

The anti-social family -