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MSc Sociology Sociology (Research) Sociology (Contemporary Social Thought) Handbook 2013 14

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  • MSc Sociology Sociology (Research)

    Sociology (Contemporary Social Thought)

    Handbook

    2013 14

  • Contents

    Significant Dates 2013/2014 .................................................................................. 1 1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................... 2

    1.1 Sociology at LSE ............................................................................................. 2 1.2 Equality and Diversity at LSE ........................................................................... 3 1.3 Aims of this MSc Programme........................................................................... 3 1.4 A Year is a Short Time ..................................................................................... 4 1.5 New Arrivals Information and Orientation ......................................................... 4 1.6 Programme Registration .................................................................................. 4 1.7 The LSE Environment ...................................................................................... 4 1.8 If You Need Help ............................................................................................. 5

    2 ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION ....................................................................... 5 2.1 Department Contact Information ...................................................................... 5 2.2 Key Departmental Staff .................................................................................... 5 2.3 Location of Department Facilities ..................................................................... 6 2.4 Communication ................................................................................................ 6 2.5 Change of Address .......................................................................................... 6 2.6 Departmental Meetings .................................................................................... 6 2.7 Teaching and Learning Committee (TLC) ........................................................ 6 2.8 Quality Assurance ............................................................................................ 6 2.9 Student Teaching Surveys ............................................................................... 7 2.10 Staff-Student Liaison Committees (SSLC) ..................................................... 7 2.11 Parties ........................................................................................................... 7 2.12 Cumberland Lodge ........................................................................................ 7

    3 STAFF .................................................................................................................... 9 3.1 Staff Directory .................................................................................................. 9 3.2 Biographies .................................................................................................... 10

    4 PROGRAMME GUIDE ......................................................................................... 16 4.1 Programme Structure .................................................................................... 16 4.2 Course Selection ........................................................................................... 16 4.3 The Compulsory Courses .............................................................................. 17

    SO401 Social Research Methods .................................................................... 17 MY451 Half Unit Introduction to Quantitative Analysis ...................................... 18 MY452 Half Unit Applied Regression Analysis ................................................. 19 SO463 Contemporary Social Thought .............................................................. 19 SO499 Dissertation .......................................................................................... 20

    4.4 Optional Courses ........................................................................................... 21 5 STUDYING........................................................................................................... 22

    5.1 Supervision .................................................................................................... 23 5.2 Teaching ........................................................................................................ 23 5.3 Timetables Office ........................................................................................... 23 5.4 Class Changes .............................................................................................. 24 5.5 Course Readings ........................................................................................... 24 5.6 Feedback ....................................................................................................... 24 5.7 Evaluation ...................................................................................................... 26

    6 FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT ............................................................................... 27 7 FORMAL ASSESSMENT: THE DISSERTATION, ESSAYS & EXAMINATIONS .. 27

    7.1 The Dissertation............................................................................................. 27 7.2 The Nature of the Dissertation ....................................................................... 28 7.3 Assessed Coursework and the Dissertation - Word Length ........................... 31 7.4 Submission of Assessed Coursework and the Dissertation ............................ 31 7.5 Late submission of assessed coursework and dissertation: deadlines, deferrals and extensions ................................................................................................... 32

  • 7.6 Plagiarism ...................................................................................................... 33 7.7 Assessment Criteria ....................................................................................... 34 7.8 Sociology Policy on Feedback on Assessed Coursework .............................. 35 7.9 Results and Transcripts of Results ................................................................ 35

    8 SCHOOL GUIDE A-Z ........................................................................................... 36 8.1 Academic Advisers ........................................................................................ 36 8.2 Accommodation Office ................................................................................... 36 8.3 Alumni Association ........................................................................................ 36 8.4 Assessment Procedures ................................................................................ 37 8.5 Auditing Courses ........................................................................................... 37 8.6 Business Continuity Management .................................................................. 37 8.7 LSE Careers .................................................................................................. 38 8.8 Catering ......................................................................................................... 38 8.9 Certificate of Registration ............................................................................... 39 8.10 Chaplaincy ................................................................................................... 39 8.11 Classification Schemes ................................................................................ 39 8.12 Codes of Good Practice ............................................................................... 40 8.13 Postgraduate Course Choice and Seminar Sign Up .................................... 40 8.14 Course Registration ..................................................................................... 40 8.15 Dean of Graduate Studies ........................................................................... 41 8.16 Degree Certificates ...................................................................................... 41 8.17 Disability Equality ......................................................................................... 42 8.18 Email ........................................................................................................... 42 8.19 English Language Support and Foreign Language Courses ........................ 42 8.20 Fees ............................................................................................................ 43 8.21 Financial Support ......................................................................................... 43 8.22 Finding Your Way around LSE ..................................................................... 44 8.23 Hobhouse Memorial Prizes .......................................................................... 44 8.24 International Student Immigration Service (ISIS) .......................................... 44 8.25 Internships ................................................................................................... 45 8.26 Interruption / Deferral / Withdrawal............................................................... 45 8.27 IT Support .................................................................................................... 45 8.28 The Library .................................................................................................. 46 8.29 LSE for You ................................................................................................. 47 8.30 Moodle ......................................................................................................... 47 8.31 LSE Day Nursery ......................................................................................... 47 8.32 Office Hours ................................................................................................. 48 8.33 Paid Employment during Your Studies ......................................................... 48 8.34 Part-Time Study ........................................................................................... 48 8.35 Graduation Ceremonies ............................................................................... 48 8.36 Public Lectures ............................................................................................ 49 8.37 Requesting Written References ................................................................... 49 8.38 Restricted Access (Capped) Graduate Courses .......................................... 49 8.39 General School and Programme Regulations .............................................. 49 8.40 Student Services Centre (SSC) ................................................................... 50 8.41 Student Study Support ................................................................................. 50 8.42 LSE Students Union .................................................................................... 51 8.43 University of London Facilities: Lectures and Libraries................................. 51 8.44 Vacations ..................................................................................................... 51 8.45 Volunteering with LSEs Widening Participation (WP) team ......................... 51 8.46 LSE Student Counselling Service ................................................................ 52

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    Significant Dates 2013/2014

    Start of Michaelmas Term 3 October 2013

    Start of Teaching 7 October 2013

    Candidate Examination Numbers Allocated November/Early December 2013

    End of Michaelmas Term 13 December 2013

    Start of Lent Term 13 January 2014

    Graduate Course Confirmed Mid-January 2014

    Provisional Title and Abstract of Dissertation Due Monday, Week 8 of Lent Term

    End of Lent Term 21 March 2014

    Announcement of Examination Timetable End of Lent Term

    Start of Summer Term 28 April 2014

    MSc Dissertation Workshop Early ST

    Sat Examination Period Mid-May to June 2014

    End of Summer Term 4 July 2014

    Dissertation Due Last Thursday in August 2014

    Presentation Ceremonies Mid-December 2014

    The School will also be closed on English public holidays as follows:

    Christmas Closure Monday 23 December Tuesday 31 December 2013

    New Year's Day Holiday Wednesday 1 January 2014

    Easter Closure Thursday 17 April Wednesday 23 April 2014

    May Bank Holiday Monday 5 May 2014

    Spring Bank Holiday Monday 26 May 2014

    Summer Bank Holiday Monday 25 August 2014

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    1 INTRODUCTION

    Welcome to the Department of Sociology at the London School of Economics and Political Science. This handbook aims to provide an introduction to the department and the facilities available in the School. It is also designed to help you understand the requirements of this programme and plan your course of study. The book is divided into four main sections: a practical introduction to the School, Departmental administrative information, information specifically about your programme, and study support material.

    1.1 Sociology at LSE

    As a department, we are strongly committed to rigorous intellectual and empirical work, building upon the traditions of the discipline and developing research that is responsive to both local and global challenges.

    LSE Sociology embraces a theoretically and methodologically diverse range of approaches. Research in the Department is organised in clusters around four research priority areas (see lse.ac.uk/sociology/research/researchClusters for more detail):

    Economies, Risk and Technology: This cluster brings together cutting edge sub-disciplines in the sociology of economic life; science, technology and society; the sociology of money and finance; and risk regulation. Research focuses on: Markets, cultures & institutions; Risk governance, knowledge & technology; Money, finance & banking; and Work, families & migration.

    Human Rights, Violence and Injustice: Research focuses on: Human rights (ideologies of human rights; human rights reporting; truth commissions; trauma and memory; human rights governance, law and western power); Violence (war, warfare and militarism; political, civil, religious, nationalist and communal violence; genocide; state violence; post-conflict reconciliation; violence and political ideologies; the sociology of violence and conflict); Injustice (social, economic and political injustice and discrimination; justice and accountability; transitional justice and reparations); and Inequality (race and racism and modern societies, xenophobia and xenological thinking; post colonialism, postcolonial ideologies and societies; political religion; ethnicity and nationalism; identity and difference).

    Politics, States and Movements: Research focuses on: Social bases of parties and movements, especially the origins, development and contemporary fortunes of social democratic parties and labour movements, and different forms of party and cleavage formation in the democratic world; State transitions and democratisation, especially transitions from authoritarian rule in the wake of political violence, the colonial and post-colonial state, and the development of political and economic democracy; and Political ideologies, especially the evolution and impact of liberalism and conservatism, neo-liberalism and nationalism in the developing world, and contemporary developments in major traditions of British political thought.

    Urban Change, Space and Connection: This cluster addresses the scale and dynamism of processes of urban transformation. The research employs social, spatial and visual approaches to explore and analyse contemporary urban conditions, and to conceptualise urban futures. We examine the physical and social shaping of environments, infrastructures, institutions and localities as they emerge in relation to cultural hierarchies, modes of power and ordering, and forms of inclusion and exclusion. Research focuses on: Urban change and resilience; Urban divisions and connections; and Urban politics, governance and institutions.

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    Our teaching is informed by these commitments and by our active research in these areas. LSE Sociology aims to provide a learning environment in which students are encouraged to think critically and independently. Many of the key issues in the discipline worldwide are the subject of contestation, and our teaching aims to equip students to understand and evaluate these disputes and adopt a position in relation to them. Rigorous, critical, independent thought is the most transferable skill of all, and the overarching objective of what we seek to provide to our students.

    1.2 Equality and Diversity at LSE The School seeks to ensure that people are treated equitably, regardless of age, disability, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, marriage and civil partnership, religion and belief, sex, sexual orientation or personal circumstances. In practice, this means we expect you to:

    Actively oppose all forms of discrimination and harassment;

    Reflect on prejudices, including examining the use of inappropriate language and behaviour;

    Strive to create an environment in which student goals may be pursued without fear or intimidation;

    Not victimise any fellow student who has complained, or who has given information in connection with such a complaint;

    Challenge and/or report unacceptable behaviour which is contrary to equality legislation and principles;

    Treat all peers fairly and with respect; For further advice or information on Equality and Diversity, please visit the Schools Equality and Diversity website (lse.ac.uk/equalityanddiversity). We have also set up the Equality and Diversity at LSE blog (blogs.lse.ac.uk/diversity). To stay up to date, you can follow us on Twitter - @lsediversity.

    1.3 Aims of this MSc Programme

    The MSc Sociology programme has a range of aims and objectives. Firstly, it is intended that MSc graduates be equipped with the skills required to interpret and evaluate the latest research findings in the central areas of the discipline, and the course is also intended to provide a foundation in research-relevant skills. These aims are particularly associated with the programmes courses in methods of sociological research. The programme also aims to allow MSc candidates to pursue particular sociological and cognate topic areas within the degree in more intellectual depth than is possible in an undergraduate degree. A further, more general, objective is to provide transferable skills in the mastery of sustained argument, in the marshalling of varied evidence, in the organisation of complex materials and in effective written communication.

    The MSc Sociology (Research) programme is specifically intended for students who wish, after completion of this degree, to continue with postgraduate research. The syllabus resembles that of the MSc Sociology programme, except that a further research methods compulsory course replaces one of the option possibilities in the syllabus of this degree.

    The MSc Sociology (Contemporary Social Thought) programme critically explores a range of issues and themes in contemporary social thought. It is organised around three

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    key areas: (i) transformations in time and space; (ii) new technologies and society; (iii) cosmopolitanism and post-cosmopolitanism. Topics covered include time, space, speed and technology; money and the economy; biopolitics and governmentality; technofeminism and cyberfeminism; genetics, reproduction and trans-humanism; cosmopolitanism, human rights; diaspora and modernity; post-colonialism; race, ethnicity and cultural division.

    1.4 A Year is a Short Time

    A one-year Master's programme can be quite intense, and it is recommended that you begin serious study at the outset of the programme. Previous students have gained the most from the Masters programme by starting their reading and writing as soon as courses begin.

    1.5 New Arrivals Information and Orientation The Your First Weeks section of the website provides comprehensive information to help you settle in to life at LSE. These pages will refer you to information regarding what to expect after you arrive, how to open a bank account, what to do if you arrive early or late to LSE, crucial health information, how to set up your LSE IT account, School support services and much more: lse.ac.uk/yourFirstWeeks. The Orientation pages (lse.ac.uk/orientation) contain information about events taking place at the start of the academic year, including those specific to your department, and the Students Union Freshers Fair, as well as central School Orientation events.

    1.6 Programme Registration At the start of the academic year all new and continuing students need to formally register on their programme of study. New students need to do this in person, whilst most continuing students will be able to do so online. To ensure that new students are able to complete this process as quickly as possible, each programme/department is allocated a time slot in which to register. At registration, you will be asked to provide proof of your eligibility to study in the UK in order to receive your School ID card. This card will, amongst other things, allow you to access your library account. For more information, including registration schedules and further details for continuing students, please see lse.ac.uk/registration.

    1.7 The LSE Environment

    The School is located in a complex of buildings situated in the centre of London (off the Aldwych). It is close to the Royal Courts of Justice and the City of London. West End theatres are all close by, along with the shops and markets of Covent Garden. The National Gallery is a short walk down the Strand, while the South Bank Arts complex (containing the Royal Festival Hall, the Hayward Gallery, the National Theatre and the National Film Theatre) and Tate Modern are located on the opposite bank of the river. Within the School there is a mix of students from all over the world and this generates a great deal of intellectual energy and excitement. The geography of the School can seem complicated at first, but you will find direction signs spread around the buildings, and maps and diagrams in various School publications. Most of the staff in the Department have a room on the second floor of St Clements Building see Staff Directory further on.

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    1.8 If You Need Help

    If you find that you need help, it is most important that you discuss your problems with your Academic Adviser or with the MSc Programme Convenor. Academic Advisers are intended to have a pastoral as well as an academic role. The meetings with your Academic Adviser are intended as 'advice and feedback meetings'. These termly meetings provide you the opportunity to receive feedback on your progress throughout the term. You should feel able to discuss anything with your Academic Adviser that affects your ability to benefit academically from your time with us. You should certainly keep him or her informed of any medical difficulties or illness that may prevent you from studying or may affect your academic performance. If you have difficulties of a personal nature that you do not wish to discuss with your adviser, you may wish to make use of the Schools Student Counselling Service (lse.ac.uk/counselling), or one of the other student welfare services on offer at LSE. For more information on the many services available to students please see the School Information section of this handbook.

    If you have difficulties, you should tell someone within the Department or School - they will usually know who to put you in touch with.

    2 ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

    In this section you will find essential reference information about the Department. Also included is the staff directory and their research interests, and descriptions of LSE and University of London facilities.

    2.1 Department Contact Information

    Address: Department of Sociology, London School of Economics and Political Science

    Houghton Street, London WC2A 2AE Tel No: (+44) (0)2079557309 Fax No: (+44) (0)2079557405 Email: [email protected] and [email protected] Web Address: lse.ac.uk/sociology

    2.2 Key Departmental Staff

    There are several people in the department with formal administrative roles on your programme who you will come into contact with over the course of your degree.

    The Head of Department (HOD) is Professor Mike Savage, who can be found in room STC S210. The HOD is responsible to the School for the running of the Department.

    The MSc Sociology Programme Convenor is Dr Don Slater (room STC S378; telephone extension 4653; [email protected]).

    The Departmental Manager, Louise Fisher works closely with the HOD, Director of Postgraduate Studies and other academic officers of the Department. The Departmental Administrators are Alexandra Buckland and Kalynka Bellman, who are located in the Student Drop-In Centre. They are the administrators for the BSc, MSc and PhD programmes.

    In the first instance, your contact person for the course will be your Academic Adviser. If

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    he or she cannot deal with your question/problem, you should contact the convener. The assignment and role of your Academic Adviser is discussed in more detail later in this handbook.

    2.3 Location of Department Facilities

    Most of the teaching staff of the Department have offices on the second, third and fourth floor of the St Clements Building (rooms prefixed with 'S'). Do not confuse St Clements Building (STC) and Clement House (CLM), which is on Aldwych.

    The Robert McKenzie Room (STC S219) can be used by students for quiet study. If you wish to hold a more formal meeting in this room, please book through one of the administrators in the Student Drop-In Centre.

    2.4 Communication

    You are expected to check your email regularly using your School-supplied email address, since both academics and administrators routinely use this medium in order to communicate with students. Notices of interest to students and staff will be placed on the departmental notice boards. The Robert McKenzie Room is the Departments seminar and meeting room.

    2.5 Change of Address

    If you change your term-time address you must inform the Registry located in the Student Services Centre and your Academic Adviser. This change can be made by you, using LSE for You, located on the front page of the LSE website. Your address is protected information and will not be disclosed to a third party without your permission unless it is for reasons of official School business. It is important that you keep us informed of your private address (and telephone number). If changing your address, please notify the Student Services Centre via LSE for You.

    2.6 Departmental Meetings

    The first part of the meeting is a closed meeting for academic staff. Those on the Graduate Students/Staff Liaison Committee may be invited to attend the open part of the meeting.

    2.7 Teaching and Learning Committee (TLC)

    The TLC is a committee designed to maintain and improve upon teaching, learning and assessment in the Department. It meets once a term and presents reports to the Departmental Meetings. Student representatives are invited to TLC meetings for consultation and participation under specific agenda items, as well as other members of academic staff. Students are advised to approach their student representative on the Undergraduate Students Staff Liaison Committee if they have queries or comments related to the Departments teaching and learning environment. The TLC welcomes constructive comments on all aspects of the Department's teaching, learning and assessment activities. The Chair of the Departmental TLC is Dr Nigel Dodd.

    2.8 Quality Assurance

    The Teaching Quality Assurance and Review Office (TQARO) conducts two School-wide surveys each year to assess students opinions of teaching, one in each of the

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    Michaelmas and Lent Terms. They give students the opportunity to give feedback on their lectures, on class/seminar teaching and on courses. They provide lecturers and teachers with important information about the perceived quality of their teaching, and the School with a measure of general teaching standards. They are conducted via paper questionnaires which are distributed in classes and lectures.

    Teaching scores are made available to individual teachers, heads of departments, and the Director of the Teaching and Learning Centre and Pro-Director (Teaching and Learning). In addition to producing reports for individual teachers, TQARO produces aggregated quantitative data for departments and the School, which provide important performance indicators. These can be found on the TQARO website: http://www2.lse.ac.uk/intranet/LSEServices/TQARO/TeachingSurveys/Results/Home.aspx Results of the 'course' section of the surveys are made available to students through the online course guides.

    2.9 Student Teaching Surveys

    Teaching scores are made available to individual teachers, heads of departments, course convenors, the Director of the Teaching and Learning Centre and Pro-Director (Teaching and Learning). In addition to producing reports for individual teachers, TQARO produces aggregated quantitative data for departments and the School, which provide important performance indicators. These can be found on the TQARO website: lse.ac.uk/intranet/LSEServices/TQARO/TeachingSurveys/Results.

    2.10 Staff-Student Liaison Committees (SSLC) At the start of the year you will be asked if you would like to represent your programme on the Staff-Student Liaison Committee. These are important Committees as they provide a forum for feedback from students on their programme and for discussion of issues which affect the student community as a whole. The role of an SSLC representative is therefore central to ensuring that courses and programmes in the School work efficiently; and those elected or chosen as a representative will be given training. The SSLC also elects one representative to attend the relevant School level Students' Consultative Forum. More information on the Consultative Forum can be found by following at: lse.ac.uk/studentrepresentation.

    2.11 Parties

    There is an evening drinks reception during Orientation Week and normally a staffstudent party at the end of the Michaelmas Term, to which all members of the Department are invited.

    2.12 Cumberland Lodge

    As in previous years a residential weekend has been arranged at Cumberland Lodge. Cumberland Lodge, the University of London's Conference Centre, is situated in Windsor Great Park. The programme is planned by PhD students and is organised around a topical theme or themes of sociological importance and consists of lectures and panel sessions involving prominent speakers, members of staff and PhD students.

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    As well as being of educational value, the weekend is also regarded as great fun and offers a chance to meet with colleagues in a unique and informal setting. All PhD students are invited to attend and if there are places available we are also delighted to see MSc students attend the weekend.

    The cost of the weekend is determined at the beginning of term and is subsidised by both Cumberland Lodge and the Department with some bursaries also being available.

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    3 STAFF

    3.1 Staff Directory

    Name Ext. Room

    Dr Suki Ali (from outside: 020 7852-3781) 3781 STC S375

    Dr Robin Archer (on sabbatical 2013/14) 7944 STC S283

    Prof. Eileen Barker (Emeritus) 7289 STC S276

    Kalynka Bellman (Administrator, MSc and MPhil/PhD Programmes) 7708 STC S202*

    Prof. Chetan Bhatt 6262 TW2 11.01F

    Alexandra Buckland (Acting Administrator, BSc and MSc Programmes) 7309 STC S202*

    Prof. Ricky Burdett 6865 TW2 8.01J

    Dr Ayca Cubukcu 6787 TW2 11.01C

    Dr Nigel Dodd 7571 STC S277

    Tia Exelby (Administrator, BSc and MSc Programmes) 7309 STC S202*

    Louise Fisher (Department Manager) 7305 STC S285

    Dr Janet Foster (on sabbatical MT and LT) 7302 STC S206

    Dr Carrie Friese 7984 STC S376

    Zoe Gillard (Human Rights Centre Manager) 6428 TW2 11.01E

    Dr Suzanne Hall 7056 TW2 8.01B

    Prof. Frances Heidensohn (Emeritus) 5316 STC S276

    Dr Ursula Henz 6139 STC S279

    Prof. Bridget Hutter 7287 STC S217

    Anna Johnston (Administrator, Cities Programme and MSc City Design and Social Science)

    6828 STC S265

    Dr Helen Kim 7288 STC S480

    Louisa Lawrence (PA to Head of Dept.) (from outside: 020 7849 4938) 4938 STC S284

    Prof. Sally Lloyd-Bostock 6793 STC S208

    Dr David Madden 6593 STC S209

    Dr Pat McGovern 6653 STC S477

    Dr Michael McQuarrie 7373 STC S379

    Dr Claire Moon (on sabbatical LT and ST) 7006 STC S478

    Dr Cristiana Olcese 7076 STC S479

    Dr Juan Pablo Pardo-Guerra (from outside: 020 7107 5007) 5007 STC S278

    Dr Jesse Potter 7964 STC S207

    Prof. Paul Rock (Emeritus) 7296 STC S276

    Prof. Mike Savage (Head of Department) 6578 STC S210

    Prof. Leslie Sklair (Emeritus) 7299 STC S276

    Dr Don Slater (on sabbatical LT) 4653 STC S378

    Attila Szanto (REF Administrator) (from outside: 020 7107 5029) 5029 STC S287

    Prof. Charis Thompson 6729 STC S205

    Dr Fran Tonkiss 6601 STC S377

    Sara Ulfsparre (Administrator, MSc Human Rights) 6944 TW2 11.01B

    Prof. Judy Wajcman 7300 STC S203

    * In mid-October the Sociology admin office will move from STC S202 to the new drop-in centre by the main lobby on the second floor of St Clements Building.

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    3.2 Biographies Dr Suki Ali: Senior Lecturer in Gender and Social Theory. Current research interests centre on gendered racialisation and embodiment (especially mixed-race), identification, visual culture, and kinship and transnational belonging. She teaches courses on gender, sexuality and societies and gender and postcolonial theory. Her publications include Mixed Race, Post-Race: Gender, New Ethnicities and Cultural Practices (2003), and co-edited collections Gender and the Politics of Education: Critical Perspectives (2004) and Global Feminist Politics: Identities in a Changing World (2000).

    Dr Robin Archer: Reader in Sociology. He teaches political sociology and is the program director of the MSc in that subject. Prior to joining the LSE he taught political sociology, comparative government and political theory at Oxford University, where he was the Fellow in Politics at Corpus Christi College. His interests focus on: the comparative study of social movements, especially labour movements; political culture, especially the influence of liberalism, religion and race in the United States; comparative political economy, especially the development of industrial relations and welfare states; the effects of political institutions; and questions of social and political philosophy, especially questions concerning liberalism, socialism, freedom and democracy.

    Professor Eileen Barker, OBE, FBA (Emeritus): Her main research interest over the past 35 years has been cults, sects and new religious movements - and the social reactions to which they give rise; but since 1989 she has spent much of her time investigating changes in the religious situation in Eastern Europe. She has conducted several surveys including the British section of a large international study of religious and moral pluralism. In 1988, with the support of the Home Office and mainstream Churches, she founded Inform, a charity based at the LSE, which provides information about minority religions that is as objective and up-to-date as possible. LSE students are welcome to make use of Informs extensive library and other resources.

    Professor Ulrich Beck: Professor for Sociology at the University of Munich, and The British Journal of Sociology Visiting Centennial Professor at the LSE. Ulrich Beck is co-editor of Soziale Welt; editor of Zweite Moderne at Suhrkamp (Frankfurt a.M.). His interests focus on 'risk society', globalization, 'individualization', 'reflexive modernization' and cosmopolitanism. He is founding-director of a research centre at the University of Munich (in cooperation with four other universities in the area) - Reflexive Modernization, financed since 1999 by the DFG (German Research Society). His recent publications include the trilogy Cosmopolitan Vision (2006), Power in the Global Age (2006) and Cosmopolitan Europe (2007).

    Professor Chetan Bhatt: Professor of Sociology and Director of the Centre for the Study of Human Rights. He was previously Professor of Sociology at Goldsmiths. Before this, he taught at the Department of Sociology at the University of Essex and the Department of Sociology and Social Policy at the University of Southampton. In addition to extensive work on human rights, discrimination and social justice, Chetans research interests include modern social theory and philosophy, early German Romanticism, philosophical idealism, the religious right and religious conflict, nationalism, racism and ethnicity, and the geopolitical sociology of South Asia and the Middle East. Current projects include work on the emergence of virtue in modern political ideologies, new forms of the regional state in South Asia and the sociology of religious paramilitia groups.

    Professor Ricky Burdett: Professor of Urban Studies and director of LSE Cities and the Urban Age programme. His research interests focus on the interactions between the physical and social worlds in the contemporary city and how rapid urbanisation affects social and environmental sustainability. He is a Global Distinguished Professor at New York University and a member of Council of the Royal College of Art. Burdett is involved

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    in major regeneration projects across Europe and was Chief Adviser on Architecture and Urbanism for the London 2012 Olympics and architectural adviser to the Mayor of London from 2001 to 2006. Burdett has curated numerous exhibitions including 'Global Cities' at Tate Modern and was the Director of the 2006 Architecture Biennale in Venice. He is co-editor of The Endless City and Living in the Endless City.

    Dr Aya ubuku: Lecturer in Human Rights at the Department of Sociology and the Centre for the Study of Human Rights. Before joining LSE in May 2012, she taught for the Committee on Global Thought at Columbia University and the Committee on Degrees in Social Studies at Harvard University. She was a Max Weber Fellow at the European University Institute 2009-10. A transdisciplinary scholar by training, Dr. ubuku holds a BA in Government with Distinction in All Subjects from Cornell University and a PhD with Distinction from the Department of Anthropology at Columbia University. In conjunction with the history and critique of international law, her research and teaching interests are in the fields of social and political theory, human rights, cosmopolitanism, secularism, postcolonial studies and transnational social movements.

    Dr Nigel Dodd: Senior Lecturer. His research interests span the Sociology of Economic Life, Money and Financial Markets, Consumerism, and Contemporary Social Theory. His publications include The Sociology of Money (1994), and Social Theory and Modernity (1999). Currently, Dr Dodd is researching the Euro, particularly its social, cultural and political aspects.

    Dr Janet Foster: Senior Lecturer. She has extensive experience as a qualitative researcher on crime, community and policing issues. She has published three major studies: Villains: crime and community in the inner city (1990), an observational study of crime, offending, and policing, in one area of South London; Housing Community and Crime (1993), part of a major collaborative project between the London School of Economics, Home Office and the Department of the Environment to evaluate the Priority Estates Project and its impact on crime and community in London and Hull; and Docklands: Cultures in Conflict, Worlds in Collision (1999) based on a two year ethnographic study of urban change and conflict on the Isle of Dogs in London's Docklands which documents the competing visions of urban change, and the social exclusion and racism which emanated from it.

    Dr Carrie Friese: Lecturer in the Sociology of the Life Sciences and Biomedicine. Her research interests are in reproduction, genetics, assisted reproductive and genetic technologies, and qualitative field methods. She is particularly interested in the role of animal models in biomedical developments, which she explores at the intersections of medical sociology, science and technology studies, animal studies, and feminist theory. Carrie received her Ph.D. in Sociology from UC San Francisco in 2007. Her thesis, entitled "Enacting Conservation and Biomedicine: Cloning Animals of Endangered Species in the Borderlands of the United States", was awarded the Illinois Distinguished Dissertation Award by the International Association of Qualitative Inquiry in 2009. From 2007-2008, she was a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Society and Genetics at UC Los Angeles.

    Dr Suzanne Hall: Lecturer in City Design and Social Science. Suzi is an urban ethnographer, and has practised as an architect and urban designer in South Africa. From 1997 to 2003 she established an award-winning practice that focused on the role of design in rapidly urbanising, poor and racially segregated areas in Cape Town and her work has been published and exhibited internationally. Suzi teaches primarily in the MSc City Design and Social Science programme and is a Research Fellow in Urban Culture and Design at LSE Cities. Her research and teaching interests are foregrounded in local expressions of global urbanisation, particularly social and spatial forms of inclusion and exclusion, urban multiculture, the design of the city, and ethnography and visual methods. She is a recipient of the Rome Scholarship in Architecture (1998 - 1999)

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    and the LSE's Robert McKenzie Prize for outstanding Ph.D. research (2010). She is the author of City, Street and Citizen: The measure of the ordinary (2012).

    Professor Frances Heidensohn (Emeritus): She graduated in Sociology from LSE and went on to study and teach at the School until 1974, when she moved to the Civil Service College and then to Goldsmiths College. At Goldsmith's she held the Chair of Social Policy from 1994-2004. She is best known for her work on gender and crime and as a pioneer of feminist perspectives in criminology, and has published several studies in this area. She has also developed work on gender and law enforcement and on international and comparative studies on crime and justice. She was Ginsberg Fellow in the Sociology Department in 1991 and has been a Visiting Professor at Queens University, Belfast, Universite de Montreal and Macgill University. In 2000 she received the Book Award of the International Division of the American Society of Criminology and in 2004 she received the Sellin Glueck Award of the ASC for contributions to international criminology.

    Dr Ursula Henz: Senior Lecturer in Social Research Methods. Prior to joining the LSE, she held research fellowships at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development and Education in Berlin, Germany, at Stockholm University (Demography Unit and Swedish Institute for Social Research), Sweden, and at King's College, London. She is a docent in sociology at Stockholm University. Her studies have been concerned with longitudinal aspects of compulsory and post-compulsory educational participation, poverty, women's labour market participation, informal caregiving and family dynamics using a number of large-scale surveys.

    Professor Bridget Hutter: Professor Hutter has a Chair in Risk Regulation. She studied sociology at the Universities of London and Oxford (D.Phil). Her previous appointments include a British Academy Post-Doctoral Fellowship, a Research Fellowship at the Centre for Socio-Legal Studies, Oxford, a Senior Research Fellowship in Sociology at Jesus College, Oxford, a Lectureship and then Readership in Sociology at the LSE. Professor Hutter's teaching interests centre on regulation, risk and social control. Her research interests are in the broad area of the sociology of regulation and risk management; the regulation of economic life with particular reference to regulatory enforcement and corporate responses to regulation; and organisational risk management and social control. She is author of numerous publications on the subject of risk regulation.

    Dr Helen Kim (LSE Fellow): Helens PhD dissertation explored multiculture and diasporic spaces within popular music through a 15 month ethnographic study conducted among young British Asians. Helens research and teaching interests include the areas of race and racialization, diaspora, youth cultures and the urban. More specifically, she is interested in looking at how young people negotiate diasporic identities and racialized structures. In addition, she is also interested in ethnography and in developing visual research methods.

    Professor Sally Lloyd-Bostock: Visiting Professor, her research interests cover: Interdisciplinary research in psychology and law, in particular theoretical aspects of interdisciplinary work, the psychology of legal decision-making; the social psychology of legal disputes, blaming, accountability and disputing, the construction and use of information about risk and routine decision making. Specific current areas: Regulation and 'compensation culture'; Medical regulation by the General Medical Council.

    Dr David Madden: David Madden is a Lecturer in Sociology and teaches in the Cities Programme. He works on urban studies, political sociology and social theory. He has written about urbanism, globalization, cultural development, public housing and public space in New York City and elsewhere. He has taught at Columbia University, New York University and Bard College. He holds a PhD from Columbia University and is a member of the editorial board of the journal CITY.

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    Dr Patrick McGovern: Senior Lecturer whose research interests relate to issues in economic sociology, especially the sociology of work and labour markets, and international migration. He is one of the authors of Market, Class, and Employment (2007), a major ESRC funded study of social class, social inequality, and the (supposedly) changing nature of the employment relationship. Recent articles that draw on this and other research can be found in the British Journal of Industrial Relations, Sociology, Work & Occupations, and Work, Employment & Society.

    Dr Michael McQuarrie: Lecturer in Sociology. Michael is an urban, political, and organizational sociologist. Prior to completing his Ph.D in Sociology at New York University, he completed a M.A. in History at Duke University and worked as a community and labor organizer. His research and teaching interests focus on changing modes and practices of urban governance, the changing meaning and practice of "participation" and "community", the theoretical use of organizations to better understand the city, methods for meso-level organizational and institutional analysis, and cities of the global south. Current projects include an explanation of changing modes of urban authority and a relational account of populist political action. Michael was the recipient of a Hellman Fellowship from the Hellman Foundation for his work on community organizations and a Poiesis Fellowship from the Institute for Public Knowledge for his work on India.

    Dr Claire Moon: Senior Lecturer in the Sociology of Human Rights. Her recent publications concentrate on transitional justice, post-conflict reconciliation, war trauma, reparations for human rights violations and apologies and forgiveness for past atrocities. Dr Moon is the author of a book about South Africas political transition, Narrating Reconciliation: South Africas Truth and Reconciliation Commission (2008). She teaches courses on War and Genocide, Political Reconciliation, and Foundations and Key Issues in Human Rights from an interdisciplinary perspective that draws upon sociology, critical legal studies and international relations.

    Dr Cristiana Olcese (LSE Fellow): Cristianas research and teaching interests are in the fields of political sociology, cultural sociology and social research methods. Her PhD thesis focused on the role of art in urban protest. Cristianas work in political sociology encompasses social movements (in particular, comparative research on European demonstrations within the context of the CCC project) and political communication (the use of creative framing and social media for political activism). Her interests in cultural sociology include how art practices contribute to individual and social change, within and outside protest. Her work has been informed by a commitment to empirical research (in particularly document and textual analysis, interviews, and survey research).

    Dr Juan Pablo Pardo-Guerra: Lecturer in Sociology. His core research focuses on the sociotechnical dimensions of financial markets, from socio-historical aspects of the adoption of information and communication technologies in stock exchanges to the analysis of some of the current transformations within global finance. Juan Pablo's previous work explored the automation of the London Stock Exchange, where he analysed the development of price and information dissemination systems between c. 1965 and 1992. His study of the London Stock Exchange provides novel insights into the largely-unexamined role of technologists in shaping the evolution of the marketplace. On the basis of previous research, Juan Pablo is currently working on a sociological account of the emergence and growth of algorithmic and high-frequency trading in British finance.

    Dr Jesse Potter (LSE Fellow): Jesse received his B.A. in Sociology from San Francisco State University, and both his MSc (Culture and Society) and PhD from the LSE. His research interests surround issues of biography and biographical process how individuals construct worthwhile and meaningful lives as they relate to a number of key areas, particularly work and career, identity and self-actualisation, and narrative. His current research explores issues of self and biography within the context of

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    transitional narratives taking place during the recent economic recession. He is committed to teaching, finding ways to foster dynamic student/academic relations, and facilitating student learning that is engaged, inspired, and analytically rich.

    Professor Paul Rock, FBA: Emeritus Professor of Social Institutions. His interests focus on the development of criminal justice policies, particularly for victims of crime, but he has also published articles on criminological theory and the history of crime. His most recent books include The Social World of an English Crown Court (1993); Reconstructing a Women's Prison (1996, Clarendon Press); After Homicide: Practical and Political Responses to Bereavement (1998); (with David Downes) Understanding Deviance (2003); and Constructing Victims' Rights (2004).

    Professor Mike Savage: Mike Savage became Professor of Sociology at the LSE in 2012, having previously worked at the Universities of Lancaster, Sussex, Surrey, Keele, North Carolina, Manchester and York. At Manchester he was the founding Director of the ESRC Centre for Research on Socio-Cultural Change (CRESC). He is an expert in the sociology of stratification, with particular interests in the nature of the contemporary middle classes, and in the cultural aspects of social inequality. Much of his work explores the overlaps with urban and historical sociology. He is interested in both quantitative analysis as well as qualitative and historical sources, and has developed an interest in digital data sources, including work with the BBC as advisor to their Great British Class Survey. His recent books include Identities and Social Change in Britain since 1940: the politics of method (2010) and Culture, Class, Distinction (co-authored, 2008).

    Professor Leslie Sklair (Emeritus): His interests include capitalist globalization and its alternatives and the relationship between architecture and globalization. The first edition of his Sociology of the Global System was published 1991, with a second updated edition in 1995, and a third completely revised and updated edition in 2002 entitled Globalization: Capitalism and its alternatives and an Arabic edition is forthcoming. He has also published The Transnational Capitalist Class (2001) and many journal articles, book chapters and encyclopaedia entries on globalization and capitalism. Journal articles on his research on "Iconic architecture and capitalist globalization" were published in 2005 and 2006 and a book on Globalization in/and Architecture is in progress. He is currently President of the Global Studies Association.

    Dr Don Slater: Reader in Sociology. Don Slater's work focuses on the relations between culture and economy, and on ethnographies of new media in development contexts. His work on sociology of economic life includes Consumer Culture and Modernity (1997) and Market Society: Markets and Modern Social Thought, with Dr Fran Tonkiss (2001); and The Technological Economy, with Dr Andrew Barry (2005). His Internet research has focused on ethnographic approaches to new media, and has so far included an ethnography of internet use in Trinidad -The Internet: An Ethnographic Approach, with Prof Daniel Miller (2000). His most recent book is entitled New Media, Development and Globalization: Making Connections in the Global South.

    Professor Charis Thompson: Charis Thompson became Professor of Sociology at the LSE in 2013, having previously been Professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and having worked at Harvard University, at the University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign, and at Cornell University. At Berkeley she was a founding Director of the Science, Technology, and Society Center, and director of the Li Ka Shing Program in Gender and Science. Her research is in the areas of Science and Technology Studies and transnational feminist theory. She is interested in science, medicine, and environmental policy, and in mixed methods appropriate for addressing recalcitrant social challenges in these areas. Her books are Making Parents: The Ontological Choreography of Reproductive Technology (2005), and Good Science: The Ethical Choreography of Stem Cell Research (2013). She is currently writing a book on

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    psychology and models of the brain entitled Inattention: Deficits and Dangers of Attention from the Cold War to the Present.

    Dr Fran Tonkiss: Director of the Cities Programme. Reader in Sociology, with research interests in economic sociology and urban studies. Her work in economic sociology is concerned with issues of markets and marketisation; trust and social capital; capitalism and globalisation; inequality and economic governance. In the field of urban studies her focus is on urban development and governance; space and social theory; urban communities and spatial divisions. She is the author of Contemporary Economic Sociology: Globalisation, Production, Inequality (Routledge 2006) and Space, the City and Social Theory (Polity, 2005), the co-author (with Don Slater) of Market Society: Markets and Modern Social Theory (2001), and the co-editor of Trust and Civil Society (2000). Her most recent book is entitled Cities by Design.

    Professor Judy Wajcman: Previously Professor of Sociology at the Australian National University. She has held posts in Cambridge, Edinburgh, Manchester, Sydney, Tokyo, Vienna, Warwick and Zurich. She is currently a Research Associate of the Oxford Internet Institute, and the former President of the Society for the Social Studies of Science. Professor Wajcman's research interests focus on the sociology of work and employment, science and technology studies, sociology of information and communication technologies, gender theory, and organizational analysis. Her books include The Politics of Working Life with Paul Edwards (2005), TechnoFeminism (2004), Managing Like a Man: Women and Men in Corporate Management (1998), and the co-editor of The Social Shaping of Technology with Donald MacKenzie (1999), and The Handbook of Science and Technology Studies with Ed Hackett, Olga Amsterdamska and Mike Lynch (2008).

    See lse.ac.uk/sociology/whoswho for more extensive descriptions of staff research interests.

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    4 PROGRAMME GUIDE This section provides essential information for planning your course of study. The introductory section gives you guidance as to the MSc programme requirements and a timeline. Following this is detailed information about the core courses on offer for 2013-14.

    4.1 Programme Structure

    The MSc Sociology programme consists of four units, which are:

    1. A compulsory course on Social Research Methods (SO401) 2. An optional course from the courses listed 3. An optional course from the courses listed 4. A 10,000 word essay on a relevant topic of your choice (SO499 Dissertation)

    due the last Thursday in August 2014 handed in to the Student Drop-In Centre before 4:00pm. A third copy to be posted to Moodle.

    The MSc Sociology (Research) programme consists of four units, which are:

    1. A compulsory course on Social Research Methods (SO401) 2. A compulsory course MY451 Introduction to Quantitative Analysis (H) 3. A compulsory course MY452 Applied Regression Analysis (H) 4. Sociology option (s) to the value of one unit 5. A 10,000 word essay on a relevant topic of your choice (SO499 Dissertation)

    due the last Thursday in August 2014 handed in to the Student Drop-In Centre before 4:00pm. A third copy to be posted to Moodle.

    The MSc Sociology (Contemporary Social Thought) programme consists of four units, which are:

    1. A compulsory course on Contemporary Social Thought (SO463) 2. Optional courses to the value of 2 units from the following:

    SO426 Classical Social Thought (H) SO427 Modern Social Thought (H) SO433 Cultural Theory (H) SO471 Technology, Power and Culture (H) SO474 Bodies, Markets and Politics (H) (n/a 13/14) SO475 Material Culture and Design (H) (n/a 13/4) Other options from the Department of Sociology and approved outside options.

    3. A 10,000 word essay on a relevant topic of your choice (SO499 Dissertation) due the last Thursday in August 2014 handed in to the Student Drop-In Centre before 4:00pm. A third copy to be posted to Moodle.

    4.2 Course Selection

    In addition to the compulsory course and dissertation, you will be able to take option courses up to a total of two units. This can be made up of full unit or half unit options. Below is a list of the courses that are most appropriate for this degree programme. The list of options is longer and covers a wider range of interests than on many LSE masters programmes; this reflects the wide range of interests we anticipate among students taking this degree. Please note, however, that, because the list is long, sometimes timetable clashes may occur, although every effort has been made to avoid them. You might therefore find that you are unable to take some combinations of courses. It is a good idea to consult with your personal tutor or MSc convener about your option choices.

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    As an MSc student, your formal instruction will normally consist of one weekly two-hour seminar per course. Attendance at these is limited strictly to postgraduates. Some Academic Advisers recommend or make available the opportunity to attend an associated lecture series primarily intended for undergraduates. Such lecture series are not part of postgraduate provision and attendance should be regarded as voluntary and supplementary to postgraduate teaching. It is not possible to guarantee that there will be no timetable clashes between postgraduate seminars and undergraduate lectures.

    You are also welcome to consider appropriate masters options offered within the School, other than those listed below. Further details about course content of all LSE masters courses are contained in the 2013-14 Calendar which is available on-line but please consult with the MSc convener and your Academic Adviser.

    4.3 The Compulsory Courses

    Course description initials - H: half unit course; LT: Lent Term; MT: Michaelmas Term and ST: Summer Term.

    SO401 Social Research Methods Teacher responsible: Dr Ursula Henz, STC S279 and Dr Jesse Potter, STC S207 Availability: This course is compulsory on the MSc in Sociology and MSc in Sociology (Research). This course is available on the MSc in Economy, Risk and Society and MSc in Political Sociology. This course is not available as an outside option. Part-time students taking the MSc over two years may take the course in either the first or second year. Course content: The course covers both quantitative and qualitative research methods. Special topics include: different epistemological positions; formulating research problems; the social context of research; ethical aspects of research; concepts and their measurement; attitude measurement and scaling; inference and generalization including probability and non-probability sampling; research design, including experimental and quasi-experimental; comparative research; methods of data collection including questionnaire design, structured, semi-structured and unstructured interviewing, ethnography and participant observation; introductions to contemporary survey research techniques by telephone and by the Internet; other sources of data for sociological research; analysis of qualitative data, including computer assisted analysis. As the course does not cover quantitative data analysis, students might consider taking MI451 to complement the course. Teaching: The course is taught by a mixture of lectures, seminars and workshops. It normally provides two hours of teaching each week in MT, with 3 hour workshops in the LT and three revision seminars in ST. Formative coursework: Students must participate in group presentations and undertake several pieces of compulsory practical work during the year. Indicative reading: There is no single textbook that covers the content of the whole course. Useful books are: R H Hoyle, M J Harris & C M Judd, Research Methods in Social Relations (7th edn 2002); D A de Vaus, Surveys in Social Research (5th edn 2001); R M Groves, F J Fowler Jr., M P Couper, et al. (2004): Survey Methodology (2nd edition 2009), C Marsh, The Survey Method (1982); A N Oppenheim, Questionnaire Design, Interviewing and Attitude Measurement (new edn 1992); A Bryman, Quantity and Quality in Social Research (1988); N Gilbert Researching Social Life (2008, third

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    edn); M Hammersley & P Atkinson, Ethnography: Principles in Practice (3rd edn 2007); H Becker Tricks of the Trade (1998); J Creswell Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design (2012, 3rd edn); D Silverman Doing Qualitative Research (2010, 3rd edition); D Silverman and A Mavasti Doing Qualitative Research: A comprehensive review (2008); M Q Patton, Qualitative Evaluation and Research Methods (3rd edn 2002); J. Mason Qualitative Researching (3rd edn 2013). Assessment Exam (35%, duration: 2 hours) in the main exam period. Coursework (15%) and presentation (10%) in the LT. Research project (40%) in the ST. Exam will be held during the Summer Term exam session. The Michaelmas Term session is assessed by two methods: (a) one piece of coursework (15%) and (b) a two-hour written examination in the ST (35%). The Lent Term session is assessed by a qualitative research project (10% presentation; 40% project write-up).Two hard copies of each assessment, with submission sheets attached to each, to be handed in to the Student Drop-In Centre, no later than 16:30 on the submission day. The Michaelmas Term coursework is due on the second Friday of Lent Term and the Lent Term project is due on the fourth Tuesday of Summer Term. An additional copy of each assessment is to be uploaded to Moodle no later than 18:00 on the same day each is due. Attendance at all seminars and submission of all set coursework are required.

    MY451 Half Unit Introduction to Quantitative Analysis Teacher responsible: Ms Sally Stares COL8.05 and Dr Benjamin Lauderdale COL8.10 Availability: This course is compulsory on the MSc in Sociology (Research). This course is available on the MSc in Comparative Politics, MSc in Comparative Politics (Research), MSc in Conflict Studies, MSc in Gender (Research), MSc in International Health Policy, MSc in International Health Policy (Health Economics), MSc in International Migration and Public Policy, MSc in Politics and Government in the European Union, MSc in Public Policy and Administration, MSc in Public Policy and Administration (Research), MSc in Social Anthropology (Research) and MSc in Social Research Methods. This course is available with permission as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit. Research students please see MY551. Course content: An intensive introduction to quantitative data analysis in the social sciences. The course is intended for students with no previous experience of quantitative methods or statistics. It covers the foundations of descriptive statistics and statistical estimation and inference. At the end of the course students should be able to carry out univariate and bi-variate data analysis and have an appreciation of multiple linear regression. The computer classes give 'hands-on' training in the application of statistical techniques to real social science research problems using the SPSS computer package (no prior knowledge of SPSS is necessary). Teaching: 20 hours of lectures and 10 hours of computer workshops in the MT. 20 hours of lectures and 10 hours of computer workshops in the LT. 2 hours of lectures in the ST. The course runs twice per year: in MT (MY451M) and again in LT (MY452L). Ten two-hour lectures and nine one-hour computer classes per term. Weekly assignments are required. Formative coursework: Weekly assignments are required.

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    Indicative reading: A course pack will be available for download online. Additional reading: many introductory statistics books are available. But we particularly recommend Alan Agresti and Christine Franklin (2009) Statistics: The Art and Science of Learning from Data. Pearson Education. Or Alan Agresti and Barbara Finlay (2009, 4th edition) Statistical Methods for the Social Sciences. Pearson Education (note that the second book is more advanced and is particularly useful if you are planning to take MY451 and MY452. Assessment: Exam (100%, duration: 2 hours) in the main exam period. A two-hour open book unseen examination in ST. MY452 Half Unit Applied Regression Analysis Teachers responsible: Dr Jouni Kuha and Dr Benjamin Lauderdale

    Availability: This course is compulsory on MSc Political Science and Political Economy and MSc Sociology (Research). It is available on MSc Social Research Methods, MSc Politics and Government in the European Union, MSc Public Policy and Administration, MSc Local Economic Development, MSc Management, MSc Social Anthropology (Research), MSc International Migration and Public Policy, MSc International Health Policy, MSc International Health Policy (Health Economics), MSc Organisational Behaviour, MSc Gender (Research), LSE-Sciences Po Double Degree in Urban Policy and LSE-Sciences Po Double Degree in European Studies.

    Pre-requisites: Students are required to have completed MY451 or an equivalent level statistics course.

    Course content: The course is designed for students with a good working knowledge of elementary descriptive statistics; sampling distributions; one and two sample tests for means and proportions; correlation and the least squares regression model with one or more predictor variables. The course is concerned with deepening the understanding of the generalized linear model and its application to social science data. The main topics covered are linear regression modelling and binary, multinomial and ordinal logistic regression. Class exercises and homework will be carried out using the Stata or SPSS package, according to the students choice.

    Teaching: 10 x two-hour lectures and nine x one-hour computer classes. Weekly assignments are required. This course is given twice per session, starting in the second week of each of the MT and LT. Students must either register for MY452M which is taught in Michaelmas Term, or MY452L which is taught in Lent Term.

    Indicative reading: A Agresti & B Finlay, Statistical Methods for the Social Sciences; M Lewis-Beck, Applied Regression: An Introduction; J Aldrich & F D Nelson, Linear Probability, Logit, and Probit Models. A course pack will be provided at the beginning of the course and additional reading will be recommended.

    Assessment: A two-hour open book unseen examination in ST.

    SO463 Contemporary Social Thought Teacher responsible: Prof Judy Wajcman STC S203 and Dr Nigel Dodd STC S277 Availability: This course is compulsory on the MSc in Sociology (Contemporary Social Thought). This course is available on the MSc in Culture and Society, MSc in Economy, Risk and Society, MSc in Political Sociology and MSc in Sociology. This course is available as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit.

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    Course content: The course critically explores cutting edge issues and themes in contemporary social thought. This course deals with themes such as transformations in time and space, social and cultural capital, new technologies, methods and society, cosmopolitanism and post-cosmopolitanism. Topics covered include time, space, speed and technology; money and the economy; the re-emergence of social class divisions; technofeminism/cyberfeminism; cultural capital; cosmopolitanism, and human rights. Teaching: 30 hours of seminars in the MT. 30 hours of seminars in the LT. Formative coursework: 1 x 1500 word formative essay each term. Indicative reading: Beck, U. The Cosmopolitan Vision; Calhoun, C, et al. Contemporary Socialogical Theory; Dodd, N. The Sociology of Money; Gane, N. The Future of Social Theory; Sennett, R. The Culture of the New Capitalism; Wajcman, J. Technofeminism. Assessment: Exam (70%, duration: 3 hours) in the main exam period. Essay (30%, 3000 words) in the ST. Exam will be held during the Summer Term exam session. Two hard copies of the assessed essay, with submission sheets attached to each, to be handed in to the Student Drop-In Centre, no later than 16:30 on the first Wednesday of Summer 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. SO499 Dissertation Teachers responsible: Programme Tutor of the relevant MSc programme and other Sociology and Cities staff.

    Availability: This course is compulsory on the MSc in Culture and Society, MSc in Human Rights, MSc in Political Sociology, MSc in Race, Ethnicity and Postcolonial Studies, MSc in Sociology, MSc in Sociology (Contemporary Social Thought), MSc in Economy, Risk and Society and MSc in Sociology (Research). This course is not available as an outside option. Course content: The dissertation may be on any topic within the field of the MSc programme studied. Approval for the topic must be obtained from the relevant Programme Tutor.

    Teaching Dissertation Preparation The candidate should confirm a working title and prepare a brief abstract for their intended dissertation (up to one A4 page, double-spaced, including your name not your candidate number), which should be reviewed with their Academic Advisor no later than the Monday, week 8 of Lent Term. Along with the title and abstract the candidate and Academic Advisor should review and complete the Research Ethics Review Checklist by this same time. These abstracts are the basis for an MSc dissertation Workshop that is organised for each programme. Attendance at this workshop is optional but students are, of course, encouraged to attend. Dissertation Particulars The dissertation must be a report of a research project, whether it comprises primary empirical material, secondary empirical material or theoretical/exegetical work on a body of social thought: i.e. there must be an identifiable and clear research question governing the research project; there must be critical reflection on the methods used

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    (including their limits and the reasons why they warrant the kinds of claims made); and substantive analysis of empirical or analytical material. Even where the topic is substantively a literature or policy-review exercise, candidates are expected to offer original reasoned argument and interpretation and to show evidence of a competence in research methods. Guidance on topic selection and methods will normally be provided by the candidate's tutor. The dissertation is primarily a reflection of the candidate's own work and so feedback will not be given on draft versions of the dissertation. The dissertation should reflect the candidate's own views. Assessment

    Dissertation (100%, 10,000 words) post-summer term.

    Two hard copies of the dissertation, with submission sheets attached to each, to be handed in to the Student Drop-In Centre, no later than 16:00 on the last Thursday of August if you are a full-time student and in the subsequent year if you are a part-time student. An additional copy to be uploaded to Moodle no later than 18:00 on the same day.

    Dissertations may be up to and no more than 10,000 words, must be word-processed and be fully referenced using a recognised citation system.

    4.4 Optional Courses

    MSc Sociology

    Full-year programme. Students must take courses to the value of three units and write a dissertation as shown. Paper Course number and title 1 SO401 Social Research Methods 2 & 3 Courses to the value of two full units from the following: GV479 Nationalism

    SO407 Politics and Society SO420 Globalisation: Economy, Politics and Power (H) SO424 Approaches to Human Rights SO425 Regulation, Risk and Economic Life SO426 Classical Social Thought (H) SO427 Modern Social Thought (H) SO430 Economic Sociology (H) SO433 Cultural Theory (H) (n/a 13/14) SO438 Sociology of Employment I: Social Relations at Work (H) (n/a 13/14)

    SO447 Topics in Race, Ethnicity and Postcolonial Studies (n/a 13/14)

    SO451 Cities by Design (H) SO454 Families in Contemporary Societies: a Life Course Perspective (H) SO457 Political Reconciliation (H) SO458 Gender and Societies (H) SO461 Racial Formations of Modernity (H) (n/a 13/14) SO463 Contemporary Social Thought SO464 Ethnic and Religious Violence in Post-Colonial Societies (H) (n/a

    13/14) SO466 Race and Biopolitics (H) SO467 Race, Ethnicity and Migration in Britain (post-1945) (H) (n/a 13/14) SO468 International Migration and Migrant Integration (H) SO469 Risk and Governance: A Sociological Approach (H) SO470 The Sociology of Markets (H)

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    SO471 Technology, Power and Culture (H) SO473 Crime, Control and the City (H) (n/a 13/14) SO474 Bodies, Markets and Politics (H) (n/a 13/14) SO475 Material Culture and Design (H) (n/a 13/14)

    4 SO499 Dissertation

    MSc Sociology (Research) This is a full-year programme (one year full-time, two years part-time). Students will be required to take courses to the value of three full units and a dissertation as shown. Paper Course number and title 1 SO401 Social Research Methods 2 MY451 Introduction to Quantitative Analysis(H) 3 MY452 Applied Regression Analysis (H) 4 Sociology option(s) to the value of one unit 5 SO499 Dissertation

    MSc Sociology (Contemporary Social Thought) Full-year programme. Students must take courses to the value of three units and write a dissertation as shown. 1 SO463 Contemporary Social Thought 2 & 3 Courses to the value of two units from the following: SO426 Classical Social Thought (H) SO427 Modern Social Thought (H) SO433 Cultural Theory (H) SO471 Technology, Power and Culture (H) SO474 Bodies, Markets and Politics (H) (n/a 13/14)

    SO475 Material Culture and Design (H) (n/a 13/14)

    Other options from the Department of Sociology and approved outside options. 4 SO499 Dissertation Please note that some of these courses may be capped, which means numbers are limited to avoid overcrowding and it may not be possible for everyone who applies to get a place on these courses. Some courses which are listed as options for your programme of study may be compulsory core courses for other programmes. If they are capped they may only be able to offer a few if any - places for students wishing to take them as optional courses, depending on how many people are taking them as core courses.

    We hope that you will be able to choose the options you are most interested in but we cannot guarantee that everyone will get their first choices. If you are not sure which options to choose you should talk to your academic advisor.

    5 STUDYING

    The section of the handbook describes formative work and the assessment system. The assessment section includes: a mark frame, information on examinations and the dissertation, guidance on submission, referencing and the Schools policies on Research Ethics and Plagiarism.

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    5.1 Supervision

    During your year at the LSE you will be assigned a supervisor (Academic Adviser) who will oversee your progress throughout the session. You should meet your supervisor at regular intervals for advice and feedback and to discuss the progress of your work, as well as any problems of a more personal nature that may arise. As well as overseeing your general progress, your supervisor will help you develop your dissertation topic. However, we also encourage you, during the course of preparing for your dissertation to approach other members of staff who may be able to help you with your dissertation.

    Supervisors will, as far as possible, be allocated by the end of the first full week of the Michaelmas Term. A list of supervisors and students will be prominently displayed on the Departmental notice board outside the Student Drop-In Centre during the second week of the Michaelmas Term. As soon as you know the name of your supervisor, please make contact with them and arrange an appointment. It is important to do this as soon as possible, especially if you are uncertain about the options course that you wish to take. All staff have allocated office hour/s which are displayed on their door. However, staff are also happy to arrange appointments for supervision discussions to be held at other, mutually acceptable, times. You can contact staff via email, telephone or by leaving a note in their pigeon hole in the Student Drop-In Centre.

    There is no single model for the relationship between you and your MSc supervisor. However, the relationship is important when you are preparing your MSc dissertation. We strongly recommend students start thinking about their dissertation early in the course and seek assistance in doing so. We hold a dissertation workshop early in the Summer Term to help prepare you. We ask students to produce a dissertation title and abstract by the beginning of the Lent term.

    You have the right to expect your supervisor to be available to see you during term-time but not outside term-time. This is especially the case during the Summer vacation when you are writing up your dissertation. You should therefore plan your work so that you are in a position to receive final advice on your dissertation before the end of the Summer Term. In the interest of equity between students your supervisor may comment on your early efforts on your dissertation before the end of the Summer Term. You cannot expect your supervisor to read, or offer extensive comments on, your final dissertation draft.

    Should any problems arise concerning supervision, you should in the first instance consult your supervisor or alternatively your programme convenor.

    5.2 Teaching

    Teaching normally begins in the first week of term. Details of lecture times and locations are posted on the web. Graduates are primarily taught through seminars and lectures. The formal courses provide you with guidelines and an overview, but you must take responsibility for your own learning. You are not expected to read everything on the reading lists; however, you will be expected to prepare for all lectures and seminars. You must read sufficiently to be able to regularly participate in seminar discussion.

    5.3 Timetables Office The Timetables Office is responsible for scheduling and allocating rooms to all of the Schools taught courses. The Timetables web page includes information for students and staff. http://www2.lse.ac.uk/intranet/diaryAndEvents/timetables/Home.aspx

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    5.4 Class Changes

    If you have circumstances which prevent you from attending your scheduled class, you should include in your class change request full details of the dates and times that you are unavailable. Your request will then be considered by the department responsible for teaching the affected course. You may be asked to provide documentary evidence in support of your application.

    Once a decision has been made, you will be notified via your LSE email account. If your request has been approved, it will be reflected in your LSE for You personal timetable within three working days of the date of approval.

    Seminar registration for postgraduate students is co-ordinated by the department teaching the course; therefore please contact them directly with any queries. For more information please see lse.ac.uk/registration.

    5.5 Course Readings

    All courses make use of the Course Collection in the Library. This is a collection of all the books marked as essential reading on reading lists. All the books in this section are borrowed for 3 days, although they can be renewed provided they are not requested by another student, and are restricted to LSE staff and students. Please be aware that if a book is requested by another student fines are increased from 30p per day to 1 per day. The shortened loan period for these key readings enables a large number of students to borrow the same items within a short space of time.

    Most current journal articles can be accessed online. It is worth checking if articles on your course reading lists are available this way, since printing these is cheap and straightforward. In addition to the Library main collection and course collection, many teachers will have created online versions of important chapters or articles. You can find the link to these materials in your reading list.

    5.6 Feedback

    Feedback is fundamental to learning. It is best seen as a process of dialogue putting your ideas, arguments, evidence and sources forward and seeing how others then see them. Feedback through your course also helps you to understand what standard of work you need to achieve to progress and ultimately pass your programme of study. A key to your success is understanding the feedback you receive and putting it into practice in your work.

    Feedback Myth 1 Feedback just explains your grade No, it does more than that. Feedback Myth 2 Feedback is just a set of instructions No, its meant to make

    you think.

    Feedback Myth 3 Feedback applies to just one piece of work No, it can apply to all the work you do.

    How can feedback help you?

    It helps you improve the particular assignment you are working on.

    It gives you useful pointers for subsequent work.

    It helps you understand the criteria that will be used to assess you in essays and exams where the grade counts towards your degree result.

    It motivates you to reach your potential.

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    How is feedback provided?

    You will get feedback on all sorts of work:

    Course essays

    Class presentations

    Problem sets

    Your contributions to class discussions

    Your participation in Moodle discussion forums

    Questions you raise in lectures or online

    Group projects

    Dissertation outlines

    Mock exams and tests

    Your work overall throughout the term

    Feedback comes in many different forms:

    Written comments on work youve handed in Direct oral feedback from your class teacher or seminar leader

    Group feedback from your lecturer

    Informal feedback from discussion with fellow students and teachers

    Online feedback

    Feedback should be a dialogue between student and teacher, not simply a grade.

    3 steps to making the most of feedback

    Get ready for feedback

    Find out what sort of feedback you will get on each of your courses and across your programme as a whole. Ask what the feedback opportunities are and read about them in your programme/departmental handbook.

    Find out who you can get feedback from, when and how: What time are staff office hours? Do you need to book in advance or turn up? Can you ask questions in lectures, after lectures, via email?

    Look at assessment criteria for your courses/programme and ask questions if the criteria are not clear to you.

    Agree with some fellow students on how you will make the most of each others experiences seeing other peoples work and reading the feedback they have had can often be really useful.

    Think about what you want feedback on and when (e.g. for your essay, on a class presentation, in your meeting with your academic adviser/supervisor) and then specifically ask for that feedback.

    Understand feedback

    See feedback as dialogue dont just accept it. Arrange to meet with teachers to help understand any new ideas and suggestions given.

    Read the comments dont just focus on grade! Take up any offers to meet with teachers and come to them with questions.

    Go back to the assessment criteria do you understand them better now? Ask how feedback in this context relates to other forms of assessment e.g. is this

    the kind of work you would be expected to do in a formal examination?

    Use feedback

    Try reworking the piece of work youve just had feedback on. Use the more general ideas youve been given to improve future work. See it as a way of improving your writing style, citation and referencing, or your

    use of English (for these more generic aspects of writing, you may want to

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    consider accessing additional support services - see the back page of this leaflet for details).

    Use it as an opportunity for more dialogue and discussion with fellow students and teachers.

    Use it to help you refine your ideas/style/approach for examinations or formally assessed essays, projects and dissertations.

    Turning feedback into improved performance

    As well as your fellow students, class teachers, seminar leaders, lecturers and academic advisers there are several other sources of support around the School, notably:

    LSE Teaching and Learning Centre

    A series of study skills events throughout the year, along with useful resources for study support. The Teaching and Learning Centres Learning World Moodle site provides further details, as well as links to other related training across LSE

    For more personalised support, a limited number of one-to-one tutorials with experienced study advisers, in both qualitative and quantitative subjects.

    One-to-one advice on written work with the Royal Literary Fund Fellow

    For one-to-one sessions with a study adviser or the Royal Literary Fund Fellow, youll need to book in advance. Come to the Teaching and Learning Centre office (KSW G.507), email [email protected] or call 020 7852 3627.

    The Language Centre English Language Support If English is not your first language the Language Centre is on hand to give you advice and sup