SOCI5270 Contemporary Sociological Theory Essay Assessment 2026 | University of Kent

SOCI5270 Essay Assessment

1. Please choose one of the essay questions below and explain your answer by comparing at least TWO of the following sociological theorists or theoretical perspectives:

• The Frankfurt School of Critical Theory
• Symbolic Interactionism or Ethnomethodology
• Norbert Elias
• Michel Foucault
• Postcolonial theory
• Intersectionality or Interspecies theories
• Pierre Bourdieu
• Global & cosmopolitan social theory

2. What constitutes power and how does power function in society?

The maximum word count for this assessment is 3,000 words.

Further details and advice for this assessment can be found in the Research Project Assessment Brief, available on Moodle.

Learning Outcomes

On successfully completing the module, students will be able to:

1) Interpret the range of key sociological theories and concepts as featured in contemporary arenas of debate

2) Apply key concepts to the phenomena that sociological theorists seek to explain

3) Apply the main methods of critically examining the contexts and problems for which sociological theories are developed

4) effectively communicate the theorists that are recognised as of ‘contemporary’ relevance to sociology

5) critically analyse how theoretical ideas are shaping the discipline of sociology and their limitation