On Violence
| Module title | On Violence |
|---|---|
| Module code | SOC2038 |
| Academic year | 2025/6 |
| Credits | 15 |
| Module staff | Professor Brian Rappert (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 20 |
|---|
Module description
This module addresses three key questions: What is violence? How can we understand why it takes place? What can be done to reduce social harms? You will study the patterning of violence, its causes, and the social responses to it. You will learn to understand it from many academic perspectives and to critically appreciate methodologies for assessing harm. A deliberately broad range of violence is considered, including violence taking place in inter-personal communications, organizational behaviour, physical conflict, and symbolic representations.
There are no pre-requisites or co-requisites for this module.
Module aims - intentions of the module
On Violence aims to increase your confidence in developing independent thinking, expressing that thinking verbally and in written materials, and responding to other people’s contributions, in a seminar environment. It also exposes you to an issue that is challenging in many ways, and cross-disciplinary by nature. On Violence aims to:
- Provide student with the opportunity to develop confidence and skills to apply social science theories and concepts to pressing contemporary issues.
- Foster the ability to assembly, critique, and interpret factual information.
- Offer a stimulating approach to understanding the intersection of politics, society and culture
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Demonstrate a clear understanding of the types of social science research into violence
- 2. Engage with different sources of information about violence, both quantitative and qualitative, and how they are produced - including their location in particular political and social frameworks - and how they can be interpreted
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 3. Develop and deploy arguments grounded in theoretical frameworks;
- 4. Draw thematic comparisons between material from different sources;
- 5. Clearly present research, policy debates and your own arguments;
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 6. Present an argument orally in a clear, organized and effective manner;
- 7. Evaluate your own work and those of others;
- 8. Demonstrate skills in collaborative working, e.g. including the presentation and discussion of material in groups; and
- 9. Work independently, within a limited time frame, and without access to external sources, to complete a specified task.
Syllabus plan
The module will examine a wide range of type of violence. Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following themes over one or more weeks:
- Defining Violence - Primary Question: How is violence defined?
- Communication and Violence - Primary Question: How is communication characterized by violence?
- Seeing Violence - Primary Question: How are violent acts rendered seen and unseen?
- Bounding Violence - Primary Question: How are social limits placed on violence?
- Ignoring Violence - Primary Question: How do societies learn to ignore harm?
- Remembering Violence - Primary Question: How do societies remember violence?
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | 128 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activity | 22 | 11 x 2-hour lectures/seminars (or 1 hour lecture + 1 hour seminar) |
| Guided Independent Study | 24 | Preparing for the seminars |
| Guided Independent Study | 40 | Reading assignments |
| Guided Independent Study | 10 | Additional reading/research |
| Guided Independent Study | 54 | Preparation for and completion of all exams |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Written feedback on introductions to readings presentation | 6-8 PowerPoint slides | 1-8 | Written |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 35 | 65 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Examination | 65 | 1 hour | 1-4, 7, 9 | Written |
| Presentation | 35 | 10 minutes | 1-8 | Written |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Examination (1 hour) | Examination (1 hour) (65%) | 1-4, 7, 9 | August/September re-assessment period |
| Presentation (10 minutes) | Presentation (10 minutes) (35%) | 1-8 | TBA with students |
Re-assessment notes
When students’ ability to participate in seminars is severely impaired for condonable reasons, an alternative to contributions to discussions will be offered.
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Rosenberg, M. (1999) Nonviolent Communication
Pachirat, T. (2012) Every Twelve Seconds
Rappert, B. (2012). How to Look Good in a War
Safran Foer, J (2009) Eating Animals
Price, R. (1997) The Chemical Weapons Taboo
Proctor, R. (2011) Golden Holocaust
WHO. (2002) World report on violence and health
Key words search
Violence, crime, harm, communication
| Credit value | 15 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 7.5 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 5 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 08/02/2017 |
| Last revision date | 17/02/2025 |
