PO1BRI: British Society

Module code: PO1BRI

Module provider: Politics; School of Philosophy, Politics and Economics

Credits: 20

Level: Level 1 (Certificate)

When you'll be taught: Semester 2

Module convenor: Dr Dawn Clarke, email: d.clarke@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: Yes

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 28 October 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

The module draws on theories and approaches from Politics, Sociology, Psychology, History and Philosophy to consider some of the main contours of contemporary British Society. The module will explore a number of images of Britain including: Multicultural Britain and Britain as a class society. It will also explore crime and deviance in Britain, the role of the mass media and the increasing power of the food industry.

The purpose of the module is to help students acquire a critical understanding of some key changes in British society since the Second World War and the reasons for them.

To understand and analyse the changing relationship between the state, social institutions and citizens and their behaviour and to understand how these changes are influenced by factors both at home and globally.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to:

1. Understand the key trends in Britain since 1945.
2. Make a critical analysis of secondary texts.
3. Effectively use empirical data such as official statistics, official documents, and research studies to develop theoretically informed, evidence-based arguments.
4. Conduct an analysis of media sources, such as newspapers, advertisements, film, and visual imagery.

Module content

The following module content is indicative and may be subject to change: 
 
The module examines social and political changes in Britain from the end of the Second World War to the present day. It examines the historical background to these changes and sets them into a wider global perspective. The module begins by looking at the changing nature of British culture since 1945 and shows the significance of a number of cultural revolutions including the sexual revolution and the relationship between law and social change, with reference to abortion and divorce. The module examines the power of the mass media in Britain and the relationship between censorship, freedom and control. We shall be looking at the relationship between crime, inequality and society and how moral panics are constructed. The module will also look at Britain in postmodernity, with an emphasis on the power of the food industry, and the increasingly important issues of consumerism, identity and risk. 

Topics which will be studied: 

1. Ethnicity, immigration and multiculturalism 
2. Social class in Britain 
3. Gender and Sexuality 
4. Mass Media 
5. Crime and Deviance 
6. Food Industry 
7. Risk and Moral Panics 

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

The module consists of 11 lectures and 11 seminars. 

The lectures will focus on the key topics within the module, outline the important underlying theories and introduce key data such as academic research findings, official statistics and government reports.  The lectures are interactive and allow students to ask and answer questions. 

The seminars will be discussion based and which allow students to search media and other sources for data to bring into the discussions.   A small experiment will be run in one of the seminars.  The seminars will allow students to expand their knowledge of the topics and delve deeper into areas of particular interest to them.     

In addition students are expected to read books, academic articles and government and media reports to widen their knowledge of the subject matter of the module.

Study hours

At least 22 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 40% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Students will be able to discuss the structure of their assignments prior to submission. Generic feedback on the first assignment will be available on Blackboard after the results are published.

Students can speak to the Module Convenor during Feedback and Consultation hours or make appointments for one-to-one advice and feedback.

Reassessment

Additional costs