Module Title
Risk, Fear And Social Life
Keywords
Risk Society, Culture of Fear, Governmentality, Fear of Crime, Moral Panics, Edgework. |
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Prerequisites for Module
None, in addition to SCQF 10 entry requirements or equivalent.
Corequisite Modules
None.
Precluded Modules
None.
Aims of Module
This module reviews a range of different sociological concepts and perspectives applied to the problem of contingency in contemporary social life. It examines the growing significance of risk in everyday life and how the concept frames lines of personal and institutional accountability. It also addresses the ways in which public anxiety coalesces around key issues of public and political concerns.
Learning Outcomes for Module
On completion of this module, students are expected to be able to:
| 1. |
Demonstrate a critical awareness of the sociological significance of contingency and the anticipation of harm within contemporary social life.
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| 2. |
Review sociological concepts and perspectives critically on the ways in which individuals, groups and institutions conceptualise contingent and harmful outcomes.
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| 3. |
Apply sociological concepts and perspectives critically to questions of contingency and anticipated harm in applied social contexts.
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Indicative Module Content
History of risk and calculation.
Risk society and reflexive modernisation.
Culture of fear and precaution.
Cultural bias and risk perception.
Fear of crime and criminal victimisation.
Moral panics and public anxiety.
Risk and governmentality.
| Edgework and the voluntary pursuit of risk.
Case studies:
-Health
-Insurance
-Gambling
Indicative Student Workload
Contact Hours
| Full Time | Lectures
| 12 | Seminars
| 12 |
Directed Study
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| 48 |
Private Study
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| 78 |
Mode of Delivery
Participation in this module is based around lectures and seminars. It requires students to engage with lecture material, respond in class to discussion questions, follow up on recommended readings, engage with assigned articles or chapters for discussion in seminars and to prepare for, and undertake, seminar tasks. Throughout the module, students will work both individually and in small groups.
Assessment Plan
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Learning Outcomes Assessed
| | Component 1 | 1,2,3
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Component 1 will be assessed by a coursework assignment.
Indicative Bibliography
| 1. | Denney, D., 2005. Risk and Society. London: Sage.
| | 2. | Lupton, D., 2013. Risk. 2nd ed. Abington: Routledge.
| | 3. | Mythen, G., and Walklate, S., 2006. Beyond the Risk Society: Critical Reflections on Risk and Human Security. Maidenhead : Open University Press.
| | 4. | Taylor-Gooby, P., and Zinn, J., eds. 2006. Risk in the Social Sciences. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
| | 5. | Zinn, J., 2008. Social Theories of Risk and Uncertainty: An Introduction. Oxford: WileyBlackwell.
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