Sociology & History
University of Edinburgh
Sociology is a wide ranging and complex discipline that covers everything to do with social behaviour, from the most micro forms of behaviour (such as body language) to large scale processes such as industrialisation or war. It is the study of people, social relationships and how society works. In these sessions, we will introduce you to a range of debates (such as how to understand inequality, or why we live in nations). We will introduce you to the Sociological Imagination which challenges taken-for-granted aspects of life to critical scrutiny and connects personal issues to wider social structures. We will discuss questions such as: what do we mean by society? Why do people act in the ways that they do, and why we present ourselves to others in particular ways?
This programme examines the historical development of regional and national identities. We will consider how historical events have been shaped by the ways we have thought about ourselves as members of communities, including political, ethnic, religious, gendered, and class communities. Not only will we explore British and European contexts, but we will do this by studying Edinburgh’s specific history, documentary sources, places and buildings. The workshops will be held in Edinburgh’s world-class libraries, galleries and museums, allowing us to study rare historical materials in innovative ways.
