Not available in 2019/20
SO454      Half Unit
Families and Inequalities

This information is for the 2019/20 session.

Teacher responsible

Dr Ursula Henz STC S100B

Availability

This course is available on the MSc in International Migration and Public Policy and MSc in Sociology. This course is available as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit.

Course content

The course provides an introduction into selected issues of family sociology, focusing on families in contemporary Western societies. It explores inequalities within and between families and the role of families in reproducing social inequality. Major themes include: childhood; adolescence, partnership formation and dissolution,  parenthood; gender roles and the division of paid and unpaid work; intergenerational transfers.

Teaching

10 hours of lectures and 15 hours of seminars in the MT.

Reading week: week 6.

Formative coursework

Essay (1,500 words) in the LT.

Indicative reading

A detailed reading list will be provided at the beginning of the course. General reading: J Treas, J Scott, M Richards (eds.) (2014) The Wiley Blackwell Companion to The Sociology of Families, Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley Blackwell. Selected recommended books: S Arber & C Attias-Donfut (2000) The Myth of Generational Conflict. The Family and State in Ageing Societies. London and New York: Routledge; B Fox (2009) When Couples Become Parents. The Creation of Gender in the Transition to Parenthood. Toronto: University of Toronto Press; A Hochschild, Arlie (2012) The Second Shift. Working Parents and the Revolution at Home. New York: Penguin; A Lareau (2011) Unequal Childhoods. Class, Race and Family Life. University of California Press: Berkeley, Los Angeles, London.

Assessment

Essay (100%, 5000 words) in the LT.

Two hard copies of the assessed essay with submission sheets on each, to be handed in to the Administration Office, S116, no later than 16:30 on the first Thursday of Lent Term. An additional copy to be uploaded to Moodle no later than 18:00 on the same day.

Attendance at all seminars and submission of all set coursework is required.

Student performance results

(2015/16 - 2017/18 combined)

Classification % of students
Distinction 21.4
Merit 42.9
Pass 28.6
Fail 7.1

Key facts

Department: Sociology

Total students 2018/19: Unavailable

Average class size 2018/19: Unavailable

Controlled access 2018/19: No

Value: Half Unit

Guidelines for interpreting course guide information

Personal development skills

  • Self-management
  • Team working
  • Communication