Introduction to sociology
SOCI1001-A
LE1
10:30 - 12:20
Wednesday
1st semester
Lecture venue
Lecture time
Offer semester
This course will provide students with an overview of sociological perspectives/approaches. In the first half of the semester (Week 2 to 7), you will learn the nature of sociology. The central theme is the sociological perspective; that is, how to think like a sociologist. Guiding concepts that will help learning this theme include the sociological imagination, the sociological debunking (i.e., seeing beyond taken-for-granted assumptions of social reality), the culture concept and the social construction of reality, and social structure. In the second half of the semester (Week 9 to 14), we will go over some key domains of sociological research. They include causes and consequences of social inequality, families and intimate relationships in modern society, race and ethnic relations, gender inequality, and etc.
Reflect critically on core sociological theories and concepts as part of the basis to build a life-long capacity in critical thinking.
Apply sociological perspectives and concepts in analyzing your everyday lives and critically evaluating current social issues.
Acquire the skills to examine issues of social life from a variety of perspectives and to propagate the findings to fellow learners and the larger community.
Tasks
Weighting
Tutorial participation
10%
Tutorial presentation
20%
Term essay
30%
Examination
40%
There are many good introductory textbooks on sociology in the market. For this course, we use Dalton Conley’s You May Ask Yourself: An Introduction to Thinking Like a Sociologist. This book is short, to the point, and fun to read, so you will like it very much. E-book has some advantages over print book, including its lower price, easy navigation feature, and etc. Thus, I strongly recommend an e-book option.
Mills, C. Wright. 1959. “The Promise.” Chapter 1 of The Sociological Imagination.
Berger, Peter. 1963. “Sociology as an Individual Pastime.” Chapter 1 of Invitation to Sociology: A Humanistic Perspective.
Neckerman, Kathryn M., and Florencia Torche. 2007. “Inequality: Causes and Consequences.” Annual Review of Sociology,33: 335-357.
Saperstein, Aliya, and Andrew M. Penner. 2012. “Racial Fluidity and Inequality in the United States.” American Journal of Sociology, 118(3): 676-727.
