Code 16802
Level of study Third/Final year
Credit value 10
Semester 2
Pre-requisite modules None
Other pre-requisites Co-requisite - The Public Domain A - 16801
This module explores the nature and scope of the public domain at the start of the twenty first century. It will consider the concept of the public realm and highlight how the changing boundary between public and private structures large areas of social life. The module will be in two parts. 1) Drawing on social theory, the opening lectures will explore changing definitions of the public sphere and the public realm in modernity; counterposing them to the notion of the private, and the growth of the market. 2) The second part of the course will explore changing conceptions of the public domain through a number of case studies, for example: public space, forms of media, transport policies, the environment, public-private partnerships, the philosophy underlying the public sector. Whilst centred on a sociological approach, the module will draw on aspects of other disciplines, most notably political theory, social policy, history and philosophy.