SOCI1001-1A
Introduction to sociology
Offer semester
Lecture time
Lecture venue
Credits awarded
1st semester
Thursday
13:00-14:50
MWT1
6
Sociology is a systematic study of the relationship between individuals and society. It is a way of looking at the world we live in. This introductory course aims to provide students with the key sociological concepts and approaches to draw connections and ask critical questions about individuals and the broader social contexts. This course will first equip students with the basic understanding of our social life and the social self, and then explore the way our lives are affected by factors like class, gender, sexuality,
family, education and the media. Other key issues to be addressed include deviance and crime, globalisation, the environment and social change.
Sociology is a rather challenging discipline as it questions our taken-for-granted assumptions of social lives - the social realities we ‘know’ are usually not what they seem. This also makes studying sociology a transforming journey because it makes us see the world we have lived all our lives anew. To guide students in this journey, we make use of everyday experience and multi-media to nurture students’ critical thinking and the ability to apply theories in understanding everyday practices. We hope to make sociology relevant to students’ lives in this fast changing world.
On completing the course, students should be able to:
Demonstrate a basic understanding of sociology.
Identify the key sociological questions.
Apply sociological concepts in everyday lives and social issues.
Develop critical thinking in understanding society.
Tasks
Weighting
Tutorial presentation and discussion
15%
Reflective memo
15%
Term essay
30%
Examination
40%
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Conley, D. 2020. You May Ask Yourself: An Introduction to Thinking Like A Sociologist (7/e). W.W. Norton.
Giddens, A. & P.W. Sutton 2017. Essential Concepts in Sociology. Cambridge: Polity.
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Massey, G. 2000. Readings for Sociology. New York: W.W. Norton.
Matson, R. ed. 2011. The Spirit of Sociology: A Reader. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
McIntyre, L.J. 2011. The Practical Skeptic: Core Concepts in Sociology. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Mills, C.W. 1959. The Sociological Imagination. New York: Oxford University Press.
Plummer, K. 2016. Sociology: The Basics. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.
Ritzer, J. & J. Stepnisky eds. 2018. Contemporary Social Theory and Its Classical Roots: The Basics. Thousand Oaks: Sage.
Scott, J. 2014. A Dictionary of Sociology. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Offer Semester | Lecture Day | Lecture Time | Venue | Credits awarded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1st semester | Thursday | 13:00-14:50 | MWT1 | 6 |
