SOC 25000 - Personal Life, Intimacy, And The Risk Society

This course provides an overview of the nature of the day-to-day life of individuals in contemporary Western societies. It deals with questions such as: How do individuals navigate through the complex realities of late modernity? How manufactured risks and heightened uncertainty affect our life course and the choices we make in our daily lives? How do we shape our lives amid the continuous erosion of traditional institutions such as religion, family, class, and work? How do new lifestyles impact physical and phycological well-being? Indicative topics are the new family structures and marriage patterns, issues of adolescence and new media, problems of identity and the shaping of the body, the rise of social networks and new types of romantic relationships, childlessness, post-divorce families and the new experiences of work. Throughout the course various theoretical approaches to contemporary society will be considered: U. Beck’s concepts of individualization and risk, Bauman’s concept of liquid modernity, and Giddens’ theses on the juggernaut, late modernity, and self-identity.

Preparation for Course
P: SOC 16101 or 16300 with grade of C- or better, or consent of instructor.

Cr. 3.

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