Introductory description

N/A

Module aims

Outline syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

1. Introduction: Class and Capitalism in a Neoliberal World
2. Neoliberalism, Privatisation and the Fall of the Social State in the Global South
3. Neoliberalism, Privatisation and the Fall of the Socialist State in South East Europe
4. Neoliberalism, Privatisation and the Fall of the Social State in the UK and USA
5. Deindustrialisation and the Transformation of Work
6. Reading Week
7. Theories of class
8. Bourdieu: class distinction
9. The superwealthy
10. Inequality and Global Unrest

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

• Understand how to analyse the social world through the lens of class relations, economic structure and political economy.
• Think critically about class, capitalism, economic inequality and power in the contemporary world.
• Be familiar with the recent history of economic restructuring and have a firm grasp of the concept and history of neoliberalism in the global south as well as the global north.
• Have a greater understanding and ability to think critically about the links between neoliberalism, class, race, gender, power, policing, culture, emotions, identity, work and consumption.
• Have a greater understanding of global sociology, particularly in terms of the links between transnational economic change and diverse social and political issues.

Indicative reading list

Bauman, Z. (2005) Work, Consumerism and the New Poor .2nd ed. Milton Keynes, Open University Press.
Barnes, C. & Mercer, G. (2005) ‘Disability, work, and welfare: challenging the social exclusion of disabled people’. Work, Employment and Society. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0950017005055669.
Brown, W. (2015) Undoing the demos: Neoliberalism's stealth revolution. MIT Press.
Foster, J. B. (2008) The financialisation of capital and the crisis. Monthly review, 59(11), 1-19. https://monthlyreview.org/2008/04/01/the-financialization-of-capital-and-the-crisis/.
Federici, S. (2014) From Commoning to Debt: Financialization, Microcredit, and the Changing Architecture of Capital Accumulation. The South Atlantic Quarterly 113(2), 231-244.
Harvey, David (2007) A Brief History of Neoliberalism, Oxford: OUP
Hall, S. & O'Shea, A. (2013) Common-sense neoliberalism. Soundings: A journal of politics and culture, 55(1), 8-24.
Mendoza, K (2015) Austerity: the demolition of the welfare state and the rise of the zombie economy. Oxford: New Internationalist Publications

Subject specific skills

knowledge of the underlying concepts and principles associated with the sociological study of class and capitalism, and an ability to evaluate and interpret these within the context of neoliberalism.

evaluate the appropriateness of different approaches to solving problems related to the study of class and capitalism.

communicate the results of their study accurately and reliably, and with structured and coherent arguments

Transferable skills

Typically, holders of the qualification will be able to:

undertake further training and develop new skills within a structured and managed environment.

the qualities and transferable skills necessary for employment requiring the exercise of some personal responsibility