Key facts
UNE unit code: SOCY393
*You are viewing the 2026 version of this unit which may be subject to change in future.
- Trimester 2 - Online
- Yes
- No
- No
- 6
Unit information
From tattoos, celebrity diets, eating disorders and the ‘obesity crisis’, trans and intersex bodies, to the promises of biomedicine: contemporary life is saturated with concerns about ‘the body’. This unit introduces you to the key theoretical and conceptual frameworks for understanding the importance of the body to the organisation of everyday life.
You will explore a range of contemporary social issues that have, at their heart, a concern with the body, including the gendered body, the disabled body, the raced body, and fat, fit and aging bodies.
You will also analyse practices and technologies that modify the body, including health and fitness, cosmetic surgery and the promises of new biotechnologies (such as stem cell research) and their possible implications for transforming our understandings of the social world.
Offerings
For further information about UNE's teaching periods, please go to Principal Dates.
| Teaching period | Mode/location |
|---|---|
| Trimester 2 | Online |
*Offering is subject to availability
Intensive schools
There are no intensive schools required for this unit.
Enrolment rules
Notes
Please refer to the student handbook for current details on this unit.
Unit coordinator(s)
Learning outcomes
Upon completion of this unit, students will be able to:
- analyse and describe the role of the body in the organisation of social life, from individual experience to large social structures;
- effectively communicate why the body is so central to personal and public life in contemporary Western societies;
- demonstrate knowledge of a range of contemporary social issues that reveal the body to be a site of contemporary political, social, cultural and economic intervention;
- independently assess different sociological theories used to analyse the social significance of the body, particularly in relation to issues of identity, marginalisation, exclusion and social order;
- apply knowledge and judgement in the examination of ways in which new technologies and practices for modifying the body may transform identities and wider social relations; and
- review and write about complex issues involving the body, social justice and social change, demonstrating skills applicable in a professional career.
Assessment information
Assessments are subject to change up to 8 weeks prior to the start of the teaching period in which you are undertaking the unit.
| Title | Must Complete | Weight | Offerings | Assessment Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | Yes | 40% | All offerings | Written essay No. Words: 2250 |
| Essay Plan | No | 20% | All offerings | Written essay plan No. Words: 1250 |
| Tutorial/Online Forum | No | 10% | All offerings | Tutorial/Online Forum contributions No. Words: 500 |
| Written Reflection | Yes | 30% | All offerings | Written Critical reflection No. Words: 1000 |
Learning resources
Textbooks are subject to change up to 8 weeks prior to the start of the teaching period in which you are undertaking the unit.
Note: Recommended material may be held in the University Library — purchase is optional.
Body Studies: An Introduction
ISBN: 9780415699303
DeMello, M., Routledge 1st ed. 2014
Text refers to:
Body Studies: The Basics
ISBN: 9780415696203
Richardson, N. and Locks, A., Routledge 1st ed. 2014
Text refers to:
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