Module Information
Module Identifier
GS09720
Module Title
Introduction to Social Science
Academic Year
2025/2026
Co-ordinator
Semester
Semester 1
Exclusive (Any Acad Year)
Reading List
Other Staff
Course Delivery
Assessment
| Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Semester Assessment | Essay 1500 Words | 50% |
| Semester Exam | 2 Hours Exam Seen Exam | 50% |
| Supplementary Assessment | Essay 1500 Words | 50% |
| Supplementary Exam | 2 Hours Exam Seen Exam | 50% |
Learning Outcomes
Demonstrate a broad understanding of the themes of the module and their chosen degree subject.
Identify and address trends and debates relating to the themes of the module.
Engage with information from a range of learning resources and guests from different backgrounds (e.g. textbooks, academic papers, popular media, digital media, seminar guests)
Effectively express themselves and their ideas in a seminar environment
Brief description
The module will provide students with a foundational understanding of key concepts and theories which underpin social science subjects. The module will be divided into four blocks which will define and evaluate different approaches which are relevant to their individual schemes of study, drawing from the following set of core concepts:
The state, social inclusion, exclusion, inequality, poverty, crime, identity, global development, culture, families and households, memory, attachment
Block 1: identity (individual and group identity; race; gender; age; ability), social change and protest
Block 2: power, state, nation, institutions (schools, police, army, etc)
Block 3: social units: social inclusion and exclusion, poverty, crime, community, family
Block 4: behaviour (ordered and disordered): family, attachment, memory, emotion, relationships. How behaviour is legally regulated
The state, social inclusion, exclusion, inequality, poverty, crime, identity, global development, culture, families and households, memory, attachment
Block 1: identity (individual and group identity; race; gender; age; ability), social change and protest
Block 2: power, state, nation, institutions (schools, police, army, etc)
Block 3: social units: social inclusion and exclusion, poverty, crime, community, family
Block 4: behaviour (ordered and disordered): family, attachment, memory, emotion, relationships. How behaviour is legally regulated
Content
Content is delivered over 30 hours: 2 hour weekly lectures, 2 hour seminar every second week
The theme can, as required, link to content of other foundation modules to provide further opportunity for learning and reflection.
Students will be given advance reading ahead of the seminars to aid discussion and reflection.
The theme can, as required, link to content of other foundation modules to provide further opportunity for learning and reflection.
Students will be given advance reading ahead of the seminars to aid discussion and reflection.
Module Skills
| Skills Type | Skills details |
|---|---|
| Critical and analytical thinking | Students will engage critically with lectures as well as seminar materials. They will be required to demonstrate logical thinking in relation to module content, organise and evaluate information, consider diverse perspectives and reach conclusions based on their interpretation of academic sources. |
| Digital capability | Students will engage with standard VLE software including BlackBoard, Turnitin, Panopto, MS Teams, as well as Word. They will develop their familiarity with appropriate digital tools |
| Professional communication | Students will learn how to effectively communicate in an academic environment across their written assessments and in seminar activities. They will learn to adopt and use appropriately the terminology linked to their specific disciplines. |
| Reflection | Students will reflect on what their own learning styles and needs are. They will have opportunities to understand their own experiences, qualities and aspirations in relation to others. There will be opportunities for student-led learning in the seminars. |
| Subject Specific Skills | Students will learn how to analyse different types of data and how these contribute to the depiction of particular groups. They will learn appropriate terminology, theoretical frameworks and concepts which will support them in their subjects as they progress into their degree programmes. |
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 3