Advanced Culture, Lifestyle and Everyday Life
Course content
This is the compulsory course for the MA specialization in Culture, Lifestyle and Everyday Life. In this course we critically review a range key theoretical perspectives and empirical studies, each contributing to a sociological understanding of sociocultural problems within contemporary urbanized society. The course relates to but also seeks to move beyond existing understandings of what sociocultural phenomena are and how they can be empirically studied within a cultural sociology framework.
First, we introduce the students to a problem based approach to cultural sociology: While the cultural aspects of everyday life and lifestyles have a “bright side” of enjoyable sociality, the course will focus on “dark side” of sociocultural life, especially in the context of the contemporary city. Urban problems arises, for example, in relation to contested uses of space, subcultural and delinquent lifestyles, street violence and cultures, and various criminal activities. This is moreover the case when lifestyles are related to transgressive risk behaviors, when cultures neutralize their deviance and thus provokes mainstream societies norms, or when one finds pleasures in others pains and loss. In the course we will examine these and related dark side of everyday urban life. Within this part of the course we will present five explanatory principles of (micro) sociology: 1) Person-situation interaction. Social life is enacted in an interplay of situational and personality specific forces. 2) Situations and solidarity. Dense interaction generates emotions of solidarity and conformity. In this lecture, we look into the theory and evidence supporting the former aspect. 3) Situations and conformity. Dense interaction generates emotions of solidarity and conformity. In this lecture, we look into the theory and evidence supporting the latter aspect. 4) Personality and self-control in face-to-face interaction. Social life is shaped in the interaction of persons and situations. In this lecture we highlight self-control as a key personality aspect of social live. 5) Social background and lifestyle. Within this explanatory principle we will focus on how social background and lifestyle shapes entrance to social life and especially deviance.
Second, in the course we will examine the interface and interplay between the cultural and pre-cultural aspects of everyday life, reflecting the view that we are better analytically equipped to conceptualize cultural phenomena when these are compared to their pre-cultural flip side: Emotions, for example, are structured by cultural norms and rules but emotions also unfold as raw pre-cultural affects in a biological body. In a similar manner, the course will examine and discuss how the physical forms of urban space, the psychosomatic stimulants of drugs, and the biological underpinnings of face-to-face interaction have to considered as pre-cultural processes that shape the cultural expression of urban life, drug use and socio-moral order.
Mandatory MA course 1. Semester
MA Sociology 2015
Credit students must be at master level.
Exchange students at both bachelor and master level can sign up for
this course.
Course package:
Culture, Lifestyle and Everyday Life
The course will provide the students with an overview of the
core sociological research literature within the thematic field of
Culture, Lifestyle and Everyday Life.
Moreover, the students will have trained their ability to compare
and contrast key explanatory principles that are central to the
wider MA specialization in Culture, Lifestyle and Everyday Life, as
well as identifying significant historical and contemporary
developments in the field.
Further, the student will be able to identify and analyze social
interactions in relation to the interplay between cultural and
pre-cultural processes of social life.
Based on the work with papers during the course, the students will
gain and train competences in a problem based approach to analyze
and explain cultural phenomena, including how theses analyses can
inform practical interventions.
In this way, the student will be able to apply and critically
discuss key theoretical concepts within the thematic field of
Culture, Lifestyle and Everyday Life, particularly related to of
urban cultural contexts marked by conflicts, contested lifeforms,
and delinquency.
Further, the students will also learn to read and use also
quantitative studies within the field of the related
fields.
The course combines class-based teaching and project work
(either individually or in groups). In some weeks the teaching will
combine lectures (first double lecture) and discussion and workshop
based sessions (second double lecture). Students are expected to
contribute actively to discussion of core theoretical-analytical
tools as well as the more specific analytical examples and tasks.
The problem-based focus is reflected in the teaching form: first
and foremost, we will work with concrete analysis of contemporary
problems within the workshops. Moreover, the students are expected
to identify a problem to work with in their papers. This means that
the students should expect to review literature besides the course
texts already for their first paper. The work on the papers will be
included in the more workshop-oriented activities in the course. As
part of the project work, aspects of conducting literature reviews
within the relevant field of research will be taught and trained.
The lectures will include presentations by external professionals
within crime and urban areas: city planners, crime prevention
units, police and architects.
The central texts will be made available on Absalon prior to
course start.
The total curriculum is app. 900 pages. In addition, students are
required to choose reading materials for their project work (app.
400 pages). The self chosen material will be based on the
literature search for the state of the art and as such primarily be
(quantitative and qualitative) scientific
articles.
Students must have knowledge of Cultural sociology on the level taught in cultural sociology ("Kultursociologi") at 4th semester at the BA. Further, it is expected that the students are familiar with sociological methods and theories on BA level.
Registration deadline for courses is:
June 1st for Autumn semester
December 1st for Spring semester.
When registered you will be signed up for exam.
Sociology Student (from KU):
Registration online at KUnet
Exchange and guest students from abroad – sign up through Mobility Online and Selfservice
Credit students from Danish universities - sign up through this website.
- ECTS
- 15 ECTS
- Type of assessment
-
Portfolio, -Oral defence, -
- Type of assessment details
- Individual or group (max 4 students).
A portfolio assignment is defined as a series of short assignments during the course that address one or more set questions and feedback is offered during the course.
All of the assignments are submitted together for assessment at the end of the course.
The assignment does have an oral defence after hand-in.
The portfolio assignments must be no longer than 20 pages. For group assignments, an extra 10 pages is added per additional student. Further details for this exam form can be found in the Curriculum and on your study information page on KUnet. - Exam registration requirements
-
You need to be registered for the course.
- Aid
- All aids allowed
Ved mundtlige prøver med synopsis samt porteføljeopgaver med mundtlig prøve må den studerende medbringe en printet kopi af deres synopsis eller aflevering til eksamen. Under den indledende præsentation har den studerende lov til at anvende et præsentationsmanuskript eller præsentationsslides. Eksaminator kan godkende ekstra materiale.
The Department of Sociology prohibits the use of generative AI software and large language models (AI/LLMs), such as ChatGPT, for generating novel and creative content in written exams. However, students may use AI/LLMs to enhance the presentation of their own original work, such as text editing, argument validation, or improving statistical programming code. Students must disclose in an appendix if and how AI/LLMs were used; this appendix will not count toward the page limit of the exam. This policy is in place to ensure that students’ written exams accurately reflect their own knowledge and understanding of the material. All students are required to include an AI declaration in their exam submissions regardless of whether they have used generative AI software or not. This declaration should be placed as the last page of the exam submission. Please note that the AI statement is not included in the calculation of the overall length of your assignment. The template for the AI statement can be found in the Digital Exam system and on the Study Pages on KUnet under “Written exam”. Exams that do not declare if and how AI/LLMs were used will be administratively rejected and counted as one exam attempt.
- Marking scale
- 7-point grading scale
- Censorship form
- External censorship
- Exam period
-
Find more information on your study page at KUnet.
Exchange students and Danish full degree guest students please see the homepage of Sociology;
www.sociology.ku.dk under Education --> Exams - Re-exam
-
Written take-home essay with oral defence examination.
Individual or group.
The students are required to formulate their own exam questions based on pre-defined guidelines provided by the teacher. The teacher is required to provide at least two exemplary exam questions that adhere to the guidelines.
NOTE!
This is a mandatory course, and it is therefore only possible to take the exam during the fall, as the course is not offered in the spring.
Criteria for exam assessment
Please see learning outcome
- Category
- Hours
- Lectures
- 56
- Preparation
- 321
- Exam
- 35
- English
- 412
Kursusinformation
- Language
- English
- Course number
- ASOK15102U
- ECTS
- 15 ECTS
- Programme level
- Full Degree Master
- Duration
-
1 semester
- Placement
- Autumn
- Schedulegroup
-
See timetable.
- Capacity
- Vejl. 46 personer
- Studyboard
- Department of Sociology, Study Council
Contracting department
- Department of Sociology
Contracting faculty
- Faculty of Social Sciences
Course Coordinator
- Lasse Suonperä Liebst (3-6e756e42757165306d7730666d)
Teacher
Lasse Liebst, e-mail: lsl@soc.ku.dk
Poul Poder, e-mail: pp@soc.ku.dk
Are you BA- or KA-student?
Courseinformation of students