'Social Theory’ is a module which will introduce you to the main debates and issues of key social theories as they relate to population health. A range of theorists and their ideas related to population health will be introduced. You will cover the contribution of Marx’s theory of historical materialism, how Durkheim distinguished the subject matter of sociology from other disciplines, Weber's contribution to the understanding of social action, Goffman’s symbolic interactionist approach in relation to the management of stigma and the role of institutions such as asylums, and Foucault’s connections between power and knowledge in his ‘The Birth of the Clinic’ and ‘Madness and Civilisation’ and sexuality, governmentality and the care of the self. Moreover, you will cover the contribution of Bourdieu to the study of social reproduction, Beck as a major theorist of the idea of ‘reflexive modernisation’, and finally Zygmunt Bauman’s work on what he describes as ‘liquid modernity’.

By the end of the module you will be able to

Recognise the importance of social theory for understanding issues in population health
	Summarise a range of social theories as they relate to population health
	Illustrate the ways in which social theory may be used to construct and support arguments in relation to population health
	Critique and appraise the relevance of various social theories for different aspects of population health
This is an intermediate module for Year 2 students on the BSc Population Health Sciences programme. Students are required to attend either this module or IEHC0056 ‘Health and Behaviour’. There is availability for UCL elective students from other departments. Places are allocated on a ‘first come, first served’ basis on Portico when the module selection opens. Spaces are limited.

You will be attending weekly lectures and seminars as part of this module running in Term 2.

Module leads are Professor Fiona Stevenson and Professor Paul Higgs

Selected Reading List

Callinicos, A. (2007). Social theory: A historical introduction. Cambridge: Polity.
	Craib, I. (1997). Classical social theory.
	Crossley, N. (2004). Key concepts in critical social theory. Sage.
	Elliot A (2014) Contemporary Social Theory: An introduction
	Joas, H., & Knöbl, W. (2009). Social theory: twenty introductory lectures. Cambridge University Press.
	Stones (2007)R Key Sociological Thinkers: Second Edition.