Course overview
Contemporary social life can feel riven with conflict young against old, men against women, rich against poor. Culture wars rage in which people are mobilised to support one side and view those who disagree with their position as stupid or evil. Violent conflicts in distant lands can stoke conflict and unrest near and far. Political divisions cut across generational lines and can cause family disputes. This course will analyse various forms of social conflict and polarisation. We will investigate whether polarisation is indeed increasing, and if so, what are the driving forces that lay behind such social conflict. Students will develop skills in analysing contemporary forms of polarisation and conflict and how these might be addressed or remedied.
Course learning outcomes
- Recognise and apply key concepts through which sociologists investigate social conflict and social polarisation
- Analyse lay depictions of social conflict or polarisation using sociological concepts and evidentiary standards of the discipline
- Empirically analyse a contemporary form of social conflict and polarised socio-political debate using sociological perspectives
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