SO131-0 Academic Skills for Sociologists
Introductory description
This course has been designed for first year sociology students and aims to help them develop a wide range of skills that will be integral to their success at studying sociology at university. As this is a 0 CATS module, students will not be expected to prepare any work. However, they will be given the opportunity to attend seminars to consolidate their learning through exercises and examples.
Module aims
Particular emphasis is placed on developing the skills required to write persuasive undergraduate essays: referencing, paraphrasing, summarising, planning. structuring, critical reading and critical writing. Students will continue to develop their academic writing style throughout their degree, but it’s important to lay some solid foundations at the start - and this is the main focus of this module.
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.
Effective Referencing; Wellbeing and Managing Deadlines; Critical Thinking (1): Critical Reading/Locating Sources; Critical Thinking (2): Critical Writing
Learning outcomes
By the end of the module, students should be able to:
- By the end of the module, students should be able to: reference correctly; understand what plagiarism is (including self-plagiarism) and how to avoid this; structure an essay; write effective intros and conclusions; locate reading sources; read effectively and 'critically'
Subject specific skills
Referencing; Critical Reading; Critical Writing; Library Searches
Transferable skills
The ability to research well and to write clearly and persuasively are key transferable skills.
Study time
| Type | Required | Optional |
|---|---|---|
| Lectures | 4 sessions of | |
| Seminars | 4 sessions of | |
| Total | 0 hours |
Private study description
No private study requirements defined for this module.
Costs
No further costs have been identified for this module.
Students can register for this module without taking any assessment.
Assessment group X
| Study time | Eligible for self-certification | |
|---|---|---|
| Zero-credit module - no assessment required |
Courses
This module is Core for:
- Year 1 of USOA-L301 BA in Sociology
- Year 1 of USOA-L314 Undergraduate Sociology and Criminology