Gwybodaeth Modiwlau

‘Understanding sameness & difference’ introduces students to some of the fundamental issues studied within Sociology; namely the way in which identities and senses of belonging are constructed around various social categories, with implications for policy. Students are also introduced to the ways in which these categories have been understood in academic settings, along with how various institutions have approached these in categories, with implications for equality and justice.

​The module is divided into two parts. In the first half, students will explore how common senses of belonging are constructed through institutions, such as religion, the nation, the community, family, class, etc. Discussion will focus on the way common identities and consciousness are constructed around these categories, employing a critical focus on discussions of contemporary examples to examine ‘who belongs?’. The second half examines identities of difference (e.g. gender, race, corporeality, faith, sexuality, age). Examining these categories includes discussion on how such categories intersect and are constructed as divergent to the mainstream in institutional settings, and attempts to establish more inclusive approaches to diversity. Implications for policy are examined in a critical fashion.