Power

About this course

The course explores how power operates beyond direct coercion, repression and external domination. It examines intersectionality and the connections between class, sexism and racism; language and symbolic power, including representation and meaning-making; and subjective attachments to power through concepts such as misrecognition, identification and interpellation. These themes are considered in relation to identity formation, privilege, oppression and exclusion. Assessment comprises a 500-word formative coursework assignment and a 2,000-word essay.

What you'll learn

• Analyse how class, sexism and racism can operate as interconnected structures of power and domination.
• Examine the relationship between language, representation, cultural meaning and symbolic power.
• Explain how misrecognition, identification and interpellation relate to subjective attachments to power.
• Evaluate how systems of representation can shape identity and positions of subordination or exclusion.

Is this course right for you?

Listed as suitable for all levels, the course is intended for learners seeking an introduction to psychosocial approaches to power. It involves engaging with theoretical concepts and completing written coursework and an essay.

• Includes substantial written assessment.
• Suitable for learners interested in the relationship between power, identity and social structures.