Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Handbook 2018-19
Unit Leader
LECTURES
One-page Summary of Lectures 08
Lecture-by-Lecture Guide 09
WRITING TIPS
Guidance on Writing 19
University Rules on Plagiarism 21
Guidance on Harvard Referencing 22
Unit Delivery
You will have a 1.5 hour lecture and a 1.5 hour seminar each week. Generally speaking the lecture
is where you will be introduced to the week’s topic and the seminar is more interactive, as you will
complete work in small groups and have an opportunity to ask questions. Material will be delivered
in spoken, written and visual forms using short films where appropriate. There is also a strong
online element to this unit.
Unit Resources
You will have access to a virtual learning environment (which is named ‘Moodle’) where materials
such as lecture slides, readings and announcements will be posted on a weekly basis. You are
expected to complete the weekly reading for each session in order to contribute fully to the face-to-
face sessions.
Students are expected to attend all lectures and seminars on this Unit. If you are unable to attend
seminar classes, you should notify your Principles and Debates tutor of the reasons for this.
1. To theorise ontological and methodological positions relevant to the design and conduct of
social scientific research.
2. Debate the political influences and ethical deliberations contributing to research design and
conduct.
3. Define and formulate research questions, while analysing the issues and challenges involved
in the transformation of interesting problems into researchable projects.
4. Select and justify an appropriate research design, based on a range of factors, to address a
specified research project.
Skills Developed
1. The ability to gather, organise and deploy ideas and information in order to formulate
arguments coherently, and express them effectively in written, oral or other forms
2. The ability retrieve and generate information, and evaluate sources, in carrying out
independent research
3. The ability to deliver work to a given length, format, brief and deadline, properly referencing
sources and ideas
4. The ability to put to use a range of information communication technology (ICT) skills from
basic competencies such as word-processing to more complex skills using web-based
technology or multimedia
There will also be an opportunity each term to submit draft essay plans for each piece of assessed
work. Please get in touch with your seminar tutor with regards to when they expect to see your
draft essay plans.
Crotty, M. 1998.
The Foundations of Social Research:
Meaning and Perspective in the
Research Process (Sage: London)
TEXTBOOK
Crotty, Chapter 1, p.1-17.
Greener, Chapter 1, p.1-20.
Also see Williams, ‘Causality’, p.11-16, ‘Ontology’, p.154-159 and ‘Induction’, p.106.
TEXTBOOK
Crotty, Chapter 2, p.18-41
Also see Williams, ‘Generalisation and Laws’, p.82-87, ’Positivism’, p.160-165, ‘Realism’, p.
190-196.
TEXTBOOK
Crotty, Chapter 3, p.42-65.
TEXTBOOK
Crotty, Chapter 4, p.66-86.
TEXTBOOK
Crotty, Chapter 6, p.112-138.
TEXTBOOK
Crotty, Chapter 8, p.160-182.
Postmodernism describes a movement of thought that developed in the late 20th century across
philosophy, the arts, architecture, and literary criticism, which marks a radical departure from
modernism. It is typically defined by an attitude of skepticism or distrust towards grand narratives,
ideologies or notions of ‘truth’. In this week’s lecture, students will reflect on the works of Michel
Foucault and Francois Lyotard to consider the epistemological implications of postmodernism,
particularly for the study of language (hermeneutics) and power. Students will explore the role that
the deconstruction of discourse plays in making sense of an increasingly fragmented or fluid social
reality.
TEXTBOOK
Crotty, Chapter 9 and 10, p.183-216.
TEXTBOOK
Clough, Chapter 1, p.1-33.
Also see, Ahmed, ‘Happy Objects’, The Affect Theory Reader, p.29-51. (TBC)
09: (Self-)Reflexivity
Personal reflexivity is not only a vital part of being human but it also plays a pivotal role in social
research projects. This lecture considers sociological accounts of reflexivity, viz. Antony Giddens,
Pierre Bourdieu and Margaret Archer, and its relationship to social research. In particular, it will
introduce students to the ‘structuration debate’ within the social sciences, and how reflexivity is
offered as an issue and solution to the problem of structure and agency. Relatedly, the lecture will
also consider rationales for the importance of thinking reflexively when undertaking research and
offer a guide to doing reflexivity within their own projects.
TEXTBOOK
Archer, ‘Reflexivity as the Unacknowledged Condition of Social Life’, in Brock et al., p. 165-183.
Also see, Brock et al., ‘Introduction’, xiii-p.1 and ‘Annotated Bibliography’ p.310-311.
10: Posthumanism
Social science tends to be seen as a ‘humanist’ discipline, such that its conceptual and empirical
focus is on human individuals, thought processes, and their interactions with one another, groups
and social structures. This lecture introduces students to theorists who attempt to ‘decentre’ the
human and argue that our entanglement with ‘things’ (machines, instruments, animals, nature) are
of equal importance to our analysis of life. The figure of the cyborg (part-human, part-machine) is
held out as an example of such co-evolution and this lecture considers some of the moral and
political implications that emerge from thinking about humans in this manner. Indeed, this lecture
intends to provoke students into thinking radically about the future position that humans will hold in
the world.
TEXTBOOK
Haraway, ‘A manifesto for Cyborgs’, p.65-107.
Pickering, 2010, Chapter 1, p.1-16.
You will know by now that we use a feedback form that allows us to assess coursework on the
basis of a number of criteria. It will be a good idea as you write your essay to keep in mind that
these are all important. Here are some things – some very basic – that you need to keep in mind:
This is important in allowing us to assess how well you understand the question, and how well-
developed your thinking is. I would encourage you to use section sub-headings within an essay or
project—this can help you to avoid rambling too long on one point at the expense of others, and
thus to achieve balance in your essay.
We tend to often think of an essay structure in terms of the introduction, the main body and a
conclusion. But you can go further than this: in an essay of 2500 words you might, for instance,
use 600-800 words on the introduction and conclusion (i.e., 300-400 each). That would leave you
1,700 to 1,900 words for the main body. Whatever question you have chosen your answer will
have to be based on decisions you make as to what to include (e.g., what points and examples to
discuss). You can’t —and shouldn’t try to— just cram in every example that you think is relevant.
Focus on three or four broad categories of themes / points and examples, and use section-
headings for these. That would mean you have sections of 500-600 words or so.
Thinking along these lines can help make your essay manageable (as well as allowing you to
attain a well-balanced structure) —you might find that something that seems quite daunting to
begin with suddenly becomes do-able.
To show your knowledge of the topic / question, you need to make sure you explain your
understanding of key terms, concepts and be clear on the significance of key thinkers (and
represent their positions correctly when, for instance, when you summarise their arguments). You
should never use complex ideas or concepts and assume that because I will know what these are
that you don’t need to explain them.
It is a good idea to assume that you need to explain everything, and that the reader of your essay
is not an expert—simplifying complex arguments, or putting ideas and theories into your own
words (as well as using quotations from the original sources) is a skill you should be developing as
part of your more general ability to convey and explain how well you have mastered a particular
subject area.
This is also related to the previous criterion. What you have to do is demonstrate that you can see
how the points made in a text or an argument / position connects to other sources of knowledge. In
a sense you are weighing up the evidence for a point of view, which might involve looking at the
pros and cons of a thinker, text or idea / theory. Being ‘critical’, in this sense, does not just mean
pointing out flaws in an argument, a text or a theory. In analysing something—an idea or concept—
you should be breaking it down into what you see as its core features / elements, and suggesting
ways that it can be understood.
You can draw out analysis by making contrasts and comparisons— e.g., two or more sources
might offer differing points of view on a particular idea. Looking at these, and considering their
Style / Presentation
The construction of sentences and paragraphs is important —always remember that whenever
someone reads your essay they are trying to assess whether or not you understand ideas,
concepts, arguments, and so on. If you don’t express yourself clearly in writing, then it hinders your
ability to convey your understanding. So, the advice here is to take care over style and
presentation.
The best way to correct errors and oversights is to read your essay ALOUD to yourself before you
finish with it— only reading aloud will allow you to notice when and what punctuation is appropriate
/ when you need to begin a new sentence or paragraph. When we sight-read we always skim over
the content, simply because we have been looking at it over and over again. With reading aloud
you notice everything about what you have written.
Use of Sources
What you really need to demonstrate in an essay is that you have read around the question, and
have consulted a variety of sources to look for evidence and support for your answer. The skill in
essay writing is in bringing sources into use as your evidence—i.e., summarising arguments and
ideas, choosing and using quotations from different authors, and comparing and contrasting ideas,
and interpretations of salient points, arguments, and so on. This gives depth and sharpness to
arguments.
These should primarily be academic sources from books and journals (of the kind you will find on
WebCT and in the library). Don’t quote from Wikipedia— you might use it as a starting point for
digging up academic sources, but not as an authoritative source on anything itself (the reason is
simple—anyone can go to Wikipedia and change the entries / insert incorrect or false information).
You need to be engaging with academic material. Internet sources that you can use include
Google Books and newspaper websites, where relevant to your examples. During the unit I use a
number of film clips to illustrate ideas and so on—if you want to discuss material of that kind, then
by all means feel free to do so.
Referencing
See also the fuller guide to Harvard referencing (below). One thing I will say here that is not
mentioned in the above guide is that sources from Google Books should be referenced as you
would reference the original source (and not as a website with the web address). It is important
that you take care over your referencing. Make sure that every reference that appears in your
essay is also in your list of references / bibliography— always keep in mind that an essay is a
piece of work that should make your working methods and use of sources transparent. That means
that as well as the knowledge and analytical or critical skills that you display in the essay what is
also being assessed is the level of your academic practice.
Good academic practice is being clear about the origins of your thinking and the sources of your
ideas. If references are incomplete / missing it can—at the worst—raise suspicions that work may
have been plagiarised.
The appropriate use of sources gives authority to your essay— they (particularly well-chosen
quotations from your sources) verify and document what otherwise might just be your own
opinions. See my notes above on reading and using sources—consult book chapters, journal
articles, etc. Aim to use / consult at least between 8 and 12 (although this depends on the specific
focus of a question).
Reading Texts
DON’T TRY AND UNDERSTAND EVERYTHING IN ONE GO. There is a good chance that a lot of
what you read will appear incomprehensible on your first read through—academic writing is often
like that. Don’t worry about it: if you don’t understand something, pass it by for a while. If an idea or
theory that has proven difficult to understand is important for your essay it will probably pop back
up again as you read around in other sources. In the first instance, concentrate on what you do
understand.
READ TEXTS, OR BITS OF THEM, MORE THAN ONCE. Reading is work, and it can be quite
hard work—you have to work to understand what is being said, you can’t just sit there looking at
the words and hope that they automatically get transferred into your brain. Don’t expect to be able
to read academic work like you would a newspaper, or a thriller novel, etc. You might assume that
we lecturers just breeze through books and understand them completely, but we also have to read
and read and re-read in order to understand things.
CONCENTRATE ON THE BROAD ARGUMENTS RATHER THAN THE SMALLER DETAIL. Once
you get the gist of the arguments, the detail can get filled in later. Do not pore over every word in
an argument / article; don’t get bogged down.
ENGAGE WITH THE TEXT. This is the most important one. Reading should be an active rather
than a passive experience. Do not take what you are reading as the Truth-and-Nothing-but-the-
Truth just because it is in black and white and has been published in a book or an article. You must
look at texts as arguments that are presented for your consideration—ask yourself: does the
writing and opinions and argument presented hold up to scrutiny? Remember that an essay is
supposed to weigh things up; to consider the pros and cons of arguments and statements.
ANNOTATE THE TEXT AS YOU READ. This keeps you alert. Write comments in the margins
responding to, or highlighting, key points (though not in library books). Write one line summaries of
the key arguments on the page that they are made. Underline good quotes or key phrases, but do
not rely only on underlining because when you come back to the text three weeks later you will not
have an understanding of the main arguments and thus the underlining will lack context. At the end
of a chapter or article (or even a section), write two or three lines summarising what the key
arguments are.
Plagiarism
The University’s definition of plagiarism is as follows:
1. The representation of another person’s work, without acknowledgement of the source, as one’s
own
2. The unacknowledged incorporation in a student’s work of material derived from the work
(published or otherwise) of another, examples of which are:
Plagiarism occurs if you present work as your own that is found to actually not be the result of your
own academic endeavour. Plagiarism is considered as cheating, and is a very serious academic
offence. Never plagiarise, and take all steps possible to avoid any implication that you might have
plagiarised (which can happen if you are careless with your referencing). Plagiarism in essays is
treated as equivalent to cases of cheating in examinations where the work of another student, for
instance, is copied. The rule is that you should never represent the work of others as your own,
whether it is work of other students or published work.
Usually plagiarism takes the form of copying material in an essay from another source (book,
journal, the internet, and so on) without either quotation marks or a proper reference to the source.
This is why you will find members of staff are concerned that you quickly learn the correct way to
make reference to books and articles that you are using. It is also plagiarism to copy the work of
another student, even with their permission, and presenting it as if it is your own. Plagiarism and
cheating in examinations is treated very seriously by examiners and they can fail or even expel a
student who is caught.
Avoiding Plagiarism
To avoid any possibility of plagiarism, there are a number of rules you should follow:
· What bibliographic / reference details do you need to record? Always record the full details
of the text/chapter you are using, including the author’s name, date, title, publisher’s name
and place of publication at the top of the page when you take notes.
· When paraphrasing material in your notes, make a note of the page number in the margin,
so that you can check when you write your essay that you have not inadvertently
plagiarised
· Using quotations. When copying a quotation, make sure you put it in ‘quotation marks’ in
your notes and record the page number as well: you will need to give the page number(s)
in the reference if you decide to use the quotation in your essay
· Secondary sources. It is common to source arguments and ideas from secondary sources.
When reading about one author in a second author’s book or article, make sure you have
full details of the source you are directly consulting. Remember, that you must refer to the
sources you have read and not pretend to have read author’s work when you have merely
read about their work in someone else’s book. See how to reference such secondary
sources below
Harvard Referencing
You must cite and reference all the information that you have used in the main text of your
assignments. It is important to acknowledge the work of others if you have referred to it in your
assignments: (i) so that others (e.g. those marking the work) can find the information that you have
used and (ii) because if you do not, you will be accused of plagiarism.
The Harvard System of referencing is the preferred departmental style within the Department of
Sociology at MMU. Please familiarise yourself with the examples set out below.
In each of the above examples the second variant applies when you have not used the name
of the author in the sentence. Variations are possible, e.g. Where the author/s name is included
in the sentence, you only therefore need the date in brackets:
Cottrell (2003) suggests that by prioritising tasks you can develop a plan
Where the author/s name is not in your sentence, you include it along with the date in brackets:
The exceptions to this rule are when you need to include a page reference – i.e., when you are
using a direct quotation (see 5 below) or when you cite statistics.
2. MORE THAN TWO AUTHORS. When citing a paper by multiple authors in the body of your
assignment you can use the name of first author and add the term ‘et al’ (which is Latin for
‘and others’). Instead of: It has been found by Smith, Adams and Herbert (2006)… Write: It
has been found by Smith, et al (2006)
3. TWO AUTHORS. If your source has two authors you must cite both names - do not need to
use ‘et al’. This will be cited as: It has been found by Smith and Adams (2006)
4. QUOTATIONS are cited by using Author’s (or organisation’s) name, the source year of
publication and the page number from where the quote was taken. e.g. ‘Like a number of other
houses in the area, such a property could be bought more cheaply than better houses in
surrounding areas’ (Bhachu, 1985, p.62)
IMPORTANT: You must include the page number when you are using a quote or citing
statistics. This is the only time a page number is required.
It is important to use quotation marks. They must be used at the beginning and end of the
quote so the reader knows where the quote begins and ends. e.g. You should NOT write:
Bhachu (1985, p.62) claims some housing was considered to be a slum property, for it
lacked a bathroom and washing facilities.
The above example seems to indicate that the sentence is written in the student’s own words,
when this is not the case. This can lead to a misunderstanding of who said what. It is therefore
important to indicate where a quote begins and ends. You can use single or double quotation
marks (as below):
Bhachu (1985, p.62) claims some housing was considered to be a slum property, ‘for it
lacked a bathroom and washing facilities’
5. CITING A CHAPTER FROM AN EDITED BOOK, e.g. You might use information from a book
that is edited by one or more authors and each chapter is written by various authors. If this is
the case, you need to cite the author of the chapter whose idea you have used and the date,
e.g. Melucci (1997). The names of the editors of the book are not used here in the body of the
assignment but only in the bibliography:
If the author/s of a chapter are also book authors, you need not repeat the names. Example:
6. CITING A SECONDARY SOURCE (an author who has cited another author). Be careful when
citing a version of someone else’s position if you have not read the original article. For
example, look at the extract below, taken from a book by Whitehead and Mason (2003, p.186),
and in which they summarise a work by Burns and Bulman:
‘A better way of appreciating the skills of reflective practice is to use Burns and
Bulman’s (2000) framework. This involves a five-element scheme for reflection in which
the first is self-awareness. Self-awareness is important for many walks of life and it is
vital in nursing’.
If I wanted to mention Burns and Bulman’s framework based on the information I have read in
Whitehead and Mason’s book I would cite the authors like so:
Burns and Bulman (2000, cited in Whitehead and Mason, 2003) have developed a 5
step framework for reflection. The first stage of this framework focuses on self-
awareness.
In the above example I have shown that I am using Burns and Bulman’s (2000) framework on
reflection in my assignment. However, I did not find this information from the original Burns and
Bulman’s paper that was published in 2000, instead I have made it clear that I found this
information in Whitehead and Mason’s book which was published in 2003.
The Bibliography
· ALL SOURCES that have been mentioned in the main text need to be listed in the referencing
section
· IMPORTANT. If a source has multiple authors you should NEVER alter the order of the names
as they are listed on the source you are using
· A source that has three or more authors MUST be listed in full in the bibliography, i.e., ALL
AUTHORS surnames need to be mentioned, even though ‘et al’ has been used after the first-
named author in the main text
· The title of the book (or the title of the journal) should be put into ITALICS (or underlined or put
into bold type)
Submission A copy of your essay will be submitted via Turnitin (TII) as a single
Instructions file. You will receive indications in Moodle on how to do this.
The receipt of your submission will be recorded via Turnitin. You will
receive an electronic receipt to your student email account, although,
please be aware that sometimes these are delayed.
Please do not leave it until the last minute to submit your assignment,
in case you encounter any technical difficulties.
Learning LO1. Theorise ontological and methodological positions relevant to
outcomes the design and conduct of social scientific research.
tested in this
assignment LO2. Debate the political influences and ethical deliberations
contributing to research design and conduct.
The question that you select reveals your assumptions about the
world. It also reveals what methods are most appropriate to
research it.
Penalties for Writing to a specified word limit is a skill in itself. Your ability to do so
overlong is partly what is being assessed. As a result, overlong submissions
submissions will incur a penalty; these are detailed below and have been agreed
at programme level.
If you are concerned about your ability to meet the learning outcomes
within the specified word limit, you should contact your Student
Support Officer for advice.
Marking and Your essay will be marked by your unit leader. In addition, a
Moderation minimum of 10% of submissions will be internally second marked by
policy other staff within the programme and moderated to ensure the
marking criteria have been fairly, accurately and consistently
applied. In addition, a sample of work is externally moderated to
provide the programme team with an external, independent overview
of their marking processes.
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All units in the Programme introduce and/or develop a variety of subject–related and generic
(sometimes called transferable) skills. These skills include the ability to communicate effectively,
both in writing and verbally, the ability to work as part of a team, the ability to manage your time
effectively in order to get things done and meet deadlines, and so on. These skills and abilities are
important in terms of maximising your success at university but they also enhance your
‘employability’ i.e. make you more attractive to potential employers since such skills are required in
the workplace.
Of the core skills which you are expected to demonstrate and develop the following are provided /
required within this unit:
Equal Opportunities
Teaching staff on this unit are committed to MMU’s equal opportunities policy. Students are
expected to avoid using sexist/racist assumptions in their writing. Generic use of male terms
(‘man’, ‘his’, ‘he’) should be avoided as they tend to render invisible the role of women. Capitalising
words such as White and Black and using single inverted commas (e.g. ‘crime’, ‘victims’, ‘anti-
social behaviour’) help to highlight the political and social construction and context of such terms.
Text books, readers, and general works on philosophy of social science, social theory, and
social research approaches
There are many books that you might find useful on this unit. The following is a broad cross-section
of the range of work currently available; you should be able to obtain a range of these texts from
libraries and bookshops without too much trouble. You will also be able to identify additional works
by yourself.
Berger, P. and Luckmann, T. 1991. The Social Reality of Construction. Penguin: London.
Brock, T, Carrigan, M and Scambler, G. 2016. Structure, Culture and Agency: Selected Papers of
Margaret Archer. Routledge.
Clough, P. And Halley, J. (2007). The Affective Turn. Duke University Press.
Craib, I .1992. Modern Social Theory: From Parsons to Habermas, Harvester Wheatsheaf.
Elder-Vass, D. 2010. The Causal Power of Social Structures. Cambridge University Press.
Gee, J.P. 2011. An Introduction to Discourse Analysis: Theory and Method. Routledge: New York.
Greener, I. 2011. Designing Social Research: A Guide for the Bewildered. Sage.
Fulcher, J. & Scott, J. .2011. Sociology, Fourth Edition, Oxford University Press: Oxford
Groff, R. 2007. Critical Realism, Post-Positivism, and the Possibility of Knowledge. Routledge:
London.
Haraway, D. (1985) 'A Manifesto for Cyborgs: Science, Technology, and Socialist Feminism in the
1980s', Socialist Review, 80, 65-107. Reprinted in Haraway, The Haraway Reader (New York:
Routledge, 2004), pp. 7-45.
Kinsella, E. 2006. Hermeneutics and Critical Hermeneutics: Exploring Possibilities Within the Art of
Interpretation. Website Access: http://www.qualitative-research.net/index.php/fqs/article/view/
145/319
Kivisto, P. (ed.) (1998), Illuminating Social Life: Classical and contemporary theory revisited, Sage:
London.
Morrison, K. 1995., Marx, Durkheim, Weber – Formations of Modern Social Thought, Sage: London
Pickering, A. 2010. The Cybernetic Brain: Sketches of Another Future. University of Chicago Press.
Tong, R. 2014. Feminist Thought: A More Comprehensive Introduction. Westview Press: Colorado.
Tormey, S. & Townshend, J. 2006. Key Thinkers from Critical Theory to Post-Marxism, Sage: London
Thompson, J. 1981. Critical Hermeneutics: A Study in the Thought of Paul Ricoeur and Jurgen
Habermas. Oxford University Press: Oxford.
Williams, M. 2016. Key Concepts in the Philosophy of the Social Sciences. Sage.
Žižek, S. 2015. Trouble in Paradise: From the End of History to the End of Capitalism, Allen Lane:
London.