SOCI2281: Violence and Abuse in Society

• At least 20 credits in any other module(s) offered by the Department of Sociology; OR:

• At least 20 credits in any other module(s) offered by the Department of Sociology.

• None.

• To facilitate an understanding of key sociological and criminological theories put forward to explain the continued existence of violence and abuse in society;
• To enable students to develop a critical understanding of the causes, nature and extent, and consequences of different forms of violence and abuse in society (particularly in reference to sexual and domestic violence);
• To be aware of experiences of victim-survivors;
• To be aware of the motivations and behaviours of people who commit acts of violence and abuse;
• To be able to understand and critically evaluate different perspectives on violence and abuse in society.

• The module will address as follows:
• Theorising violence and abuse particularly, exploring from a feminist perspective, key theories such as: the continuum of sexual violence, gender, power and intersectionality;
• The nature and extent of different forms of violence and abuse. The module will engage with common forms of violence and abuse that take place within the family, intimate relationships and society - such as domestic and sexual violence, child abuse and street harassment;
• Engaging with the experiences of victim-survivors;
• Understanding the behaviours and motivations of people who commit acts of abuse and violence;
• Understanding different perspectives and representations of violence and abuse in society.

Subject-specific Knowledge:

• Upon successful completion of this module, students will have demonstrated:
• an understanding of cross-national and comparative sociological and criminological debates and perspectives around violence and abuse;
• an understanding of the complex methodological and ethical issues involved in researching violence and abuse;
• a knowledge of the different forms of violence and abuse and the ability to critically evaluate their extent, motivations and consequences; and
• an understanding of different approaches and perspectives in representing and understanding violence and abuse.

Subject-specific Skills:

• Upon successful completion of this module, students will be able to:
• critically assess the ways in which research design influences incidence and prevalence figures;
• critically evaluate sociological and criminological concepts, argument and evidence;
• select an appropriate topic and focus for the assignment, which demonstrates skills of critical analysis, evaluation and conceptual argument; and
• analyse the role and importance of different historical, social, legal and political contexts to forms of, responses to, violence and abuse.; and
• an understanding of different perspectives and representations of violence and abuse in society.

Key Skills:

• Upon successful completion of this module, students will have/be able to:
• independently gather appropriate information from a range of sources and to make competent judgments about the relative worth, relevance and appropriateness of a range of sources;
• a deep engagement in reasoned arguments;
• an ability to reflect on learning journey;
• an apply academic theories to 'real world' problems; and
• an ability to evaluate research findings and to assess the strength of the methodologies employed, whether quantitative or qualitative.

• Teaching and learning will consist of one weekly lecture and a series of two-hour workshops, which will occur 5 times across the academic year. The assessments will comprise an 'ongoing project', which will be developed and supported through the seminar workshops.
• Summative assessment: The summative assessment will comprise an academic 'scrapbook', worked on across the year, where students will be supported to apply and synthesise academic theory and research to one context of violence and abuse. Students will be encouraged to think about how their chosen form of violence and abuse are portrayed in everyday life (in the news, in social media streams, in documentaries, in books, in dramas, on the radio etc.) and compare and contrast this with key academic concepts and research.
• Formative Assessment: The submission of one drafted scrapbook page.

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