| Code | Faculty | Department |
|---|---|---|
| 01243018 | Faculty of Humanities | Department: Sociology |
| Credits | Duration | NQF level |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum duration of study: 1 year | Total credits: 120 | NQF level: 08 |
Minimum credits: 120
Elective modules*
Note:
*Not all modules are offered in any given year. Please consult the programme manager in this regard.
**Only available to students with International Relations or Politics or a directly related first degree major.
IPL 752, PTO 751
Module content:
This module traces the history of feminist theory and the emergence of gender studies and feminist movements with masculinity studies and queer theory as powerful sub-fields. Tracing the early traditions of feminism and definitions of women’s issues and struggles for equality, globally, and in Southern Africa, we next follow the rise of black feminist thoughts in India, Latin America, the USA and on the African continent, and the rise of the fields of gay and lesbian studies since the 1980s. We end with a focus on the emergence of the study of masculinities in our region. Oscillating between key texts and applied examples and case studies, the module is both theoretical and empirical. This module traces and examines the many intersectional and overlapping threads in the formation of systems power and as well as arguments for freedom, bound up with and shaped by ‘gender’ as a key form of human identity.
Module content:
The module focuses on debates about, as well as the practice of, research. The idea of science, the role of theoretical conceptualisations, and the epistemological assumptions underpinning research are introduced with reference to competing paradigms, including positivism, interpretivism and realism. With regard to research practice, general principles of planning such as identifying a topic, delineating a problem area, selecting sites, sampling participants and addressing ethical questions are considered. Thereafter the use of methods through which data can be collected and/or constructed are introduced and ways in which evidence can be interpreted and analysed are discussed.
Module content:
In this module students are expected to produce a research paper under weekly supervision. In the first instance, the paper ought to demonstrate a student’s ability to conduct empirical research. However, with the necessary permission a student may also base the paper on the analysis of secondary data or draw on archival and/or documentary sources. The research paper needs to demonstrate students’ understanding of and competence in all aspects of the research process, including making an argument, writing a report, analysing data, integrating research findings with the literature, and research ethics. Students who are registered for the BSocSciHons (Gender Studies) or BSocSciHons (Industrial Sociology and Labour Studies) need to ensure that the topic of their research paper aligns to the degree focus.
Module content:
In this module students will be exposed to different perspectives on gender (including feminist theory) and the implications thereof for conceptualising and thinking about law and theories of law. The module is aimed at developing a critical perspective on gender and sexualities and its application to areas of the law, such as legal protection against discrimination and household violence.
Module content:
This module examines debates on gender with an emphasis on the historical and social context and forces that have given shape to the character and form of gender inequalities and stratification on the African continent. The module is aimed at developing a critical perspective on the position and status of women in Africa, and to introduce students to a wide-ranging set of authors – many of whom are writing from the continent – and provocative debates about the contested nature of gender emancipation and/or empowerment and its imbrications with broader social questions.
Module content:
The module provides a critical analysis of contemporary development themes currently dominating development debates and the world of development practice. Particular attention is given to development strategies and practices in the post-development theory impasse era, as well as development challenges and their manifestation in the 21st century. The module will take students through a journey in post-1980s/1990s development, and explores in depth the future prospect of development. Topical themes include grassroots development, gender and development, democracy and governance, food security, climate change and local adaptation, migration and development, disaster and humanitarian emergencies. It will also cover initiatives like the MDGs and the SDGs to demonstrate changing emphasis in development practice.
Module content:
The study of empirical and normative theories of international relations, with specific reference to the contemporary development and state of the art thereof. The emphasis is on the extent to which it represents mainstream or non-mainstream thought and it moves away from the contending paradigms and perspectives that presently characterise the discipline. In-depth analyses are also made of specific partial theories, and of the contribution of selected theorists and their works.
Module content:
This module explores the relationship between work and employment relations with particular reference to South Africa and the global south. It includes a focus on the relationships between employers and employees, labour, organisations and the state. It also demonstrates how these relationships are embedded in the type of work and the changing workplace.
Module content:
An advanced focus on “Western” and “Southern” Feminisms, Queer Theory, Gay and Lesbian Studies in literary texts.
Module content:
The module focuses on African political systems, the position and role of Africa in the international system and aspects of regionalism and regionalisation. An analysis and evaluation is made of the major issues, challenges, trends and transformations concerning the domestic politics and the regional and international relations of African states, including pan-Africanism.
Module content:
This module introduces students to key conceptual vocabularies, as well as selected theoretical paradigms and scholarly works in order to facilitate an understanding of some of the current debates, innovations and controversies in the field. A balance is struck between classic and contemporary social theory, and an emphasis is placed on questions of textuality, canonicity and interdisciplinarity in shaping conversations about social theory and its significance for research, thought and politics.
Module content:
This module takes a sociological approach to understanding and interrogating South African society. It begins by looking at some of the debates and discussions about Sociology in South Africa. It then reviews and debates key issues in order to understand the political economy of Apartheid. Finally it looks at some key debates associated with post-apartheid South Africa.
Module content:
This module focuses on the relationship between the personal and social and how these two domains are intricately related, simultaneously implying sameness and difference in the process of identification. It considers how societal structures and institutions shape and construct identities historically, whilst being shaped by individual agency, in turn. Human experience reveals a range of cross-cutting affiliations, based on ethnicity, race, religion, gender, sexuality and generation, amongst others, implying a multiplicity in belonging, suggesting a relational process, rather than an essence. The social, contingent and constructed nature of identities is highlighted against experiences of dislocation within a context of globalisation.
Module content:
This module explores the gendered, intersectional and feminist politics of reproduction across a range of transnational contexts. Grappling with core debates about the meaning/s of gendered labour, family and kin relations, love, home, mothering and the social stratification of reproductive work across race, class and geopolitical boundaries, the course puts reproduction and the politics of intimacy at the centre of theoretical, social and political inquiry. A range of issues in reproductive politics are explored, including surrogacy, birth, teenage pregnancy and obstetric violence.
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