Trajectories and turning points: an introduction to the sociology of the life course

Learning outcomes:

This course has been designed to enable students to:

• Identify and explain a range of concepts associated with the study of the life course including socialisation, social role, turning points, life chances and life trajectory;
• Apply life course concepts and research to their personal experience as a mechanism to illuminate the social processes shaping their biography;
• Critically evaluate sociological approaches to stages of the life course (childhood, adolescence, adulthood and old age) and consider their value for understanding how people make sense of their daily life.

Course sessions:

1. Cradle to grave? An introduction to the sociology of the life course
Research into the life course indicates that the stages and transitions experienced throughout our biography, including childhood, youth, adulthood and old age, are not simply determined by biology. Instead, these periods of the life course are also socially defined, made meaningful by society, and marked by specific rites of passage. Session 1 will provide you with an introduction to the concepts and theories sociologists have used to investigate and explain change throughout the life course.

2. The social construction and crisis accounts of childhood
In this session we will review evidence about the social construction of childhood. What is the dominant view of childhood in contemporary society and how has it changed over time? Subsequently, we will explore the development of ‘crisis accounts’ of childhood (for example in politics and the mass media) in contemporary society. We will then examine reasons for the development of crisis accounts of childhood and explore the possible future of childhood.

3. Life chances: The impact of social class on the life course
In Session 3, we take a minor detour to examine the effects of social class or socio-economic group on the life chances and the life course of people. How is social class defined, what is ‘classism’, does class shape our identity, and how does it affect our chances of obtaining desirable resources? You will consider the impact of social class on educational and health inequalities drawing on both personal experience and appropriate research findings.

4. Adolescence, adulthood and parenting
The transition to adulthood is often accompanied by experimentation with personal identity in adolescence and the formation of ‘youth cultures’. In this session, we will explore definitions of youth and adulthood, research on the formation of ‘youth cultures’, and the issue of parenting in contemporary society. Variations in parenting style will be examined and their impact on children will be considered. How are our experiences of youth and parenting shaped by wider social forces?

5. Old age, death and bereavement
Our exploration of the impact of various social, economic and political forces on individual biography will conclude by considering the experience of old age in contemporary society. How is old age socially constructed, how do we adapt to the experience of ageing and how does ageing affect our life chances? We will also briefly consider sociological approached to dying, death and bereavement. Session 5 will conclude with a summary of the trajectories and turning points course.

Non-credit bearing

Please note that our Virtual Summer Festival of Learning courses are non-credit bearing.

Certificate of Participation

A certificate of participation will be sent to you electronically within a week of your Summer Festival course(s) finishing.

Welcome week: Before the course starts

Courses are delivered online via our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). A week before your course starts you will receive an email from our Teaching & Learning (TEL) team confirming your VLE login details. Once you have logged into the VLE, you should:

• Access the ‘Course Information’ and ‘Welcome to the course’ areas.
• Carry out any technical checks, including video checks.
• View the VLE ’Online course tour’ and familiarise yourself with your learning environment.
• Watch the Course Director’s welcome video.
• Introduce yourself to the Course Director and other students using the general forum.
• Access and carry out any pre-reading or activities for the course provided in the ‘Welcome to the course’ area.

Study week: Course delivery, video content and study time

• You will be taught largely through a series of pre-recorded course videos.
• Course videos will be released on a daily basis, Monday to Friday.
• We suggest that you set aside around 1.5 hours each day to watch the course videos, view course materials and resources and complete any related reading, activities and discussions in the daily forums. This does not need to be done in one sitting, you have the flexibility to access content when and where you want, and to go back and review it as often as you wish.

At the end of the course

• Content for each course will remain available on the VLE for 5 weeks after the course has finished
• Course forums will close for postings on the Monday after the course, but existing messages will still be visible for 5 weeks after the course has finished
• You will receive a certificate of participation via email within a week of your course finishing

Pre-recorded course videos

Courses include one or two videos per day, these are designed by the Course Director to help you address different aspects of the main topic. All of our course videos are subtitled.

Course discussion forums

There will also be the opportunity to engage in written form with other course participants and discuss questions set by the Course Director on the discussion forums. Your Course Director will launch a number of discussions on the daily forums and will generally respond to a selection of key questions and comments on a daily basis. You are encouraged to actively take part in these discussions to get the most out of the course and to add to your overall enjoyment.

Resources, reading lists and activities

During the course and up until 5 weeks after the course has finished you will have access to a number of learning resources which may include links to websites, readings and research papers. These are provided by the Course Director to support the teaching and will be available on the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).

You may wish to consider these additional related courses on offer in the Festival:

If you are able to study more than one course or for more than one week, you may wish to consider streams of related course subjects.  There will be many other options – this is just an illustration of possible course combinations:

And don’t forget to watch the series of talks included in your course booking (usually charged at £50). Further details and a link to access the talks will be sent to you a week before the Festival starts.

Booking a course

To book a Festival course please click the Book Now button at the top of the course page. You will be taken to our secure bookings portal where you can set up an account using your email address, and pay for your course by credit or debit card.

All of our courses are limited to 50 places, in order to allow students and Course Directors the opportunity for interaction via the discussion forums on the VLE.

Bookings will remain open until midnight the day before the course starts. If your preferred course is full at the time of booking you can add yourself to a waiting list. You will be notified, by email, if a place becomes available. We recommend that you book early to avoid missing out.

Please note that if you book a place the weekend before a course starts, it may take up to 48 hours to process your application and notify you of your VLE log in details. You may therefore not have access until the end of the second day of the course, but can go back and review sessions which have already been released.

‘How to book a course’ video

Our short video below talks you through the necessary steps to register and create an account before booking on to your chosen course(s) via our secure payment portal.

Before booking, please ensure that you have read and understood our Booking terms and conditions

Talks

As part of our Summer Festival we will also be offering a series of talks showcasing the variety of subjects on offer here at the University, as well as research, global current affairs and a range of other topics.

By booking a Summer Festival course, you automatically qualify for free access to these talks (usually charged at £50). Further details and a link to access the talks will be sent to you a week before the Festival starts.