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SO122-15 Sociology of Race

Department
Sociology
Level
Undergraduate Level 1
Module leader
Akwugo Emejulu
Credit value
15
Module duration
10 weeks
Assessment
100% coursework
Study location
University of Warwick main campus, Coventry
Introductory description

What is 'race' and why does it matter? This module answers those questions drawing on the wealth of expertise within Warwick Sociology, taught by experts who research and write about race and racism from a range of perspectives. Students will learn about both theoretical concepts and real-world examples that will help them to understand how race and racism shape the social world.

Module aims

To develop knowledge of the sociology of race, particularly in a British context. To enable students to understand race as a social construction with material consequences, and to be able to apply this understanding to empirical examples.

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. Theorising 'race'
  2. Race, history, and empire
  3. Nationalism, immigration and race
  4. Race and gender
  5. Race and class
  6. READING WEEK
  7. Race, inequality and social policy
  8. Race and criminal justice
  9. Race and religion
  10. Post-race?
Learning outcomes

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

  • Knowledge of basic concepts in the sociology of race
  • Knowledge of a range of empirical studies of the sociology of race
  • Understanding of race as a social construction with material consequences
  • Awareness of relations between racialised power structures and other structures of power such as class, gender and nation
  • Ability to describe examples of racialised inequality in terms of social structure, power and history as well as personal experience
Indicative reading list

Anthias, F. and Yuval-Davis, N. (1993) Racialized Boundaries, London: Routledge, (Chapter 2)
Bloch, A, Neal, S and Solomos, J (2013) Race, multiculture and social policy, London: Palgrave.
Englert, S (2019) 'Recentring the State: A Response to Barnaby Raine on Anti-Semitism', Salvage #7.
Garner, S. (2010) Racisms: An Introduction, London: Sage (Chapter 4).
Gilroy, P. (2002[1987]) There Ain’t No Black in the Union Jack, London: Hutchinson (Chapter 2), pp.41-83.
Goldberg, D T (2015) Are we all post-racial yet? Cambridge: Polity Press.
Hall, S. (1997) ‘Race, the floating signifier’, Media Educational Foundation.
hooks, b (1981) Ain't I a Woman: black women and feminism, London: Pluto. [Extract: Chapter 4: Racism and Feminism: The Issue of Accountability]
Kundnani, A (2014) The Muslims are Coming, London: Verso
McClintock, A (1995) Imperial Leather: Race, Gender and Sexuality in the Colonial Contest. Abingdon: Routledge. (Extract: p42-61, 'Inventing Race and the Family of Man').
Meer, N (2013) 'Racialization and religion: race, culture and difference in the study of antisemitism and Islamophobia', Ethnic and Racial Studies, 36(3) 385-98.
Murji, K and Solomos, J (eds) (2015) Theories of race and ethnicity: contemporary debates and perspectives, Cambridge: CUP.
Parmer, A (2013) Race and ethnicity in the criminal justice process, in A. Hucklesby and A Wahidin (Eds), Criminal Justice: Oxford, Oxford University Press.
Phillips, C and Bowling, B (2007) Ethnicities , racism, crime and criminal justice, in M. Maguire, R. Morgan and R, Reiner (eds.) The Oxford Handbook of Criminology. Oxford: Claredon Press.
Phillips C and Webster, C (2013) New Directions in Race, Ethnicity and Crime, London: Routledge.
Valluvan, S. (2019) The Clamour of Nationalism, Manchester: Manchester University (Chapter 1)
Wacquant, L (1999) ‘ Deadly Symbiosis: When ghetto and prison meet and mesh’, Punishment and Society, 3, 1, 95-134.
Yuval-Davis, N. (2011) The Politics of Belonging: Intersectional Contestations London: Sage (Chapter 3)

Subject specific skills
  1. Understanding of race as a social construction with material consequences
  2. Awareness of relations between racialised power structures and other structures of power such as class, gender and nation
  3. Ability to describe examples of racialised inequality in terms of social structure, power and history as well as personal experience
Transferable skills
  1. Critical thinking
  2. Communication - written and verbal
  3. Teamwork and working effectively with others
  4. Information literacy/research skills

Study time

Type Required
Lectures 9 sessions of 1 hour (9%)
Seminars 9 sessions of 1 hour (9%)
Private study 82 hours (82%)
Total 100 hours
Private study description

Reading for seminars
Preparation for seminars - answering set questions
Completing formative work
Further reading for assessment
Preparation and writing of summative work

Costs

No further costs have been identified for this module.

You must pass all assessment components to pass the module.

Students can register for this module without taking any assessment.

Assessment group A2
Weighting Study time
Assessed Essay 100% 50 hours
Feedback on assessment

Written feedback via Tabula.
Availability for verbal feedback during advice and feedback hours

Courses

This module is Core for:

  • USOA-L301 BA in Sociology
    • Year 1 of L301 Sociology
    • Year 1 of L301 Sociology
    • Year 1 of L301 Sociology

This module is Core optional for:

  • Year 1 of UHIA-VL13 Undergraduate History and Sociology
  • Year 1 of ULAA-M135 Undergraduate Law and Sociology

This module is Optional for:

  • Year 1 of USOA-L314 Undergraduate Sociology and Criminology

This module is Core option list A for:

  • Year 1 of ULAA-ML34 BA in Law and Sociology (Qualifying Degree)
  • Year 1 of UPOA-ML13 Undergraduate Politics and Sociology

This module is Option list A for:

  • USOA-L301 BA in Sociology
    • Year 1 of L305 Sociology with Specialism in Cultural Studies
    • Year 1 of L303 Sociology with Specialism in Gender Studies
    • Year 1 of L304 Sociology with Specialism in Research Methods

This module is Option list G for:

  • UPHA-V7ML Undergraduate Philosophy, Politics and Economics
    • Year 1 of V7ML Philosophy, Politics and Economics (Tripartite)
    • Year 1 of V7ML Philosophy, Politics and Economics (Tripartite)
    • Year 1 of V7ML Philosophy, Politics and Economics (Tripartite)