Why do sociologists write the way we do? What makes good, engaging writing? How might we imagine and innovate to write better sociologically, both for each other and wider audiences?

This module is designed for students who want to think critically about the practical and ethical challenges of applying their sociological training to writing for non-academic audiences. We will read a range of literary genres of creative non-fiction – including family memoir, long- and short-form journalism, popular science and true crime – to explore the relationship between argument and narrative so as to deepen their understanding of the interface between sociology and popular writing.

Students will think critically about the academic conventions and literary influences of sociological writing. They will also have the opportunity to write creatively and reflect on their own writing practice as they work together to collate, edit, produce and publish an issue of our new undergraduate journal, ‘Godiva: New Writing in Sociology’, which incorporates the former Warwick Journal of Sociology.