SO6010 - Modern crises: surviving pandemics, climate change and food insecurity in an era of inequality

You will explore real-world crises of sociological relevance. You will participate in a mix of interactive lectures and workshop activities, online and offline interaction, whole group discussion, small group activities, research tasks, short presentations, and debates. The module will draw on a range of resources, including documentaries and other media. You will be expected to read identified key texts in advance of each workshop to enable participatory discussion, but also to find your resources to enrich the discussion. You will be asked to engage with contemporary examples of crises and draw on case studies from the media and the internet to support class activities and discussions.

A brief overview of the academic support available to students, including any support that may be accessed outside formal scheduled teaching.

You will be supported through seminars and Blackboard, supplemented by one-to-one tutorials and email. You will be given contact details and office hours to book tutorials and ask questions by email.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. The reading list for this module can be found at: http://readinglists.northumbria.ac.uk
(Reading List service online guide for academic staff this containing contact details for the Reading List team – http://library.northumbria.ac.uk/readinglists)

Knowledge & Understanding:
1. You will be able to critically analyse the contemporary conceptualisation of social crisis in relation to contemporary examples of social threats, which produce effects at multiple intertwined levels (social, economic and cultural contexts).

2. You will be able to draw upon relevant Sociological theory to understand and analyse different examples of crises.


Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:
1. You will be able to select the appropriate tools for reflecting on and comparing different forms and strategies of dealing with a crisis and the impacts of specific interventions on different sectors of society.

2. You will be able to select and analyse a range of diverse resources including media, film, reports, and internet resources, to enable you to engage critically with the tensions created by a social crisis and its impact.


Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):
• You will develop a critical, reflective and comparative understanding of diverse examples of tackling crises across the global North and South

You will be asked to join a group by week 2 and choose one macro-area that you want to investigate as a group (these areas might be Climate Change crisis, environmental crisis, Food crisis and Covid-19 crisis)

The assessment combines
i) the final record of study (3500 words) resulting from an individual reflective journal on an exploration of a specific organisation operating in Newcastle upon Tyne (60% of the mark – WEEK 8)
ii) and a pre-recorded PowerPoint group presentation (max 10 slides, max 15 mins) that compares the results of your reflections and suggests weaknesses and strengths of the work of the organisation in your macro-area (40% of the mark).

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The module will critically explore ways of understanding and theorising crises. The module will explore both historical and contemporary crises such as climate change, food insecurity and global pandemics. The module will draw upon micro and macro-sociological theories to identify those social forces that are responsible for the crises, understand how individuals, groups and organisations react to the crises, and the impact of the crises on creating and intensifying social inequality. Students will engage with both UK and international examples to analyse the extent to which individuals and communities have been able to challenge crises and their impacts over time. The module will provide assessments that are aimed to develop fundamental skills such as working in teams, independent critical thinking and public speaking.