This module is about time. It explores the different temporalities that underpin social life and how ideas and norms about time are embedded in institutions and everyday practices. It does so in relation to ongoing debates about the acceleration of everyday life, the context of the development of movements for 'slow' ways of living and contest over ‘whose time counts’. It includes discussion of different temporal concepts, e.g. memory, extended present, projectivity, futures, waiting, rhythm, acceleration, speed, slowness, cyclical time, clock-time, schedules, balance, calibration, timescapes. It seeks to cultivate a temporal sensitivity to doing and critiquing research, e.g. time-use diaries, rhythmanalysis.
Total contact hours 22
Total private study hours 128
Total module study hours 150
Optional module for
BSc (Hons) Social Sciences,
BA Criminology and Criminal Justice Studies
Also available as a wild module
Main assessment methods
Coursework – essay (2000 words) –60%
Coursework – reflective diary (1500 words + images) - 30%
Coursework – seminar participation - 10%
Reassessment methods
100% Coursework
Adam, B (1998) Timescapes of Modernity, The Environment and Invisible Hazards, London and New York: Routledge.
Lefebvre, H (2004[1992]) Rhythmanalysis: Space, Time and Everyday Life, London: Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd.
Sharma, S (2014) In the Meantime, Temporality and Cultural Politics. Durham and London: Duke University Press.
Wajcman, J and N Dodd (eds) (2017) The Sociology of Speed, Digital, Organizational and Social Temporalities, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Zerubavel, E (1981) Hidden Rhythms, Schedules and calendars in social life, Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
See the library reading list for this module (Medway)
The intended subject specific learning outcomes.
On successfully completing the module students will be able to:
8.1 Demonstrate knowledge and critical understanding of theories and concepts related to the sociology of time.
8.2 Succinctly convey complex ideas and debates from sociology and other social sciences on temporality.
8.3 Demonstrate systematic understanding of a range of social science methods for studying temporality.
8.4 Critically evaluate and appropriately apply research methods to study temporality.
The intended generic learning outcomes.
On successfully completing the module students will be able to:
9.1 Demonstrate high-level ability to identify and locate information in printed and electronic formats.
9.2 Systematically apply research methods and techniques to undertake an investigation.
9.3 Communicate complex ideas in a clear and coherent way.
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