Lecturer: Professor Fran Tonkiss

How do social divisions and differences shape our identities, actions and life-chances? Power, Inequality and Identity provides an introduction to key debates in contemporary sociology, examining the forces that drive  social stratification and the construction of social identity.

You will gain a critical understanding of current research and analysis in the study of social inequalities around class, race and gender, exploring how sociology helps us to address topical real-world issues. The course centres on the ways in which power relations, patterns of social stratification and inequality, and diverse identities are shaped in contemporary societies – focusing on structural divisions, social movements, and everyday experiences and identities in different international contexts.

Your learning is organised around three intersecting themes:

• Class, culture and social mobility
• Race, ethnicity and diversity
• Gender, sexuality and identity

Through interactive and engaging teaching and discussion, this course empowers you to analyse complex social issues through the lens of cutting-edge sociological evidence and theory. It’s an opportunity to deepen your understanding of how inequality and difference shape the world, and to imagine pathways toward a more equitable future.