Undergraduate Course: Sociology 2a: Thinking Sociologically (SCIL08012)
Course Outline
| School | School of Social and Political Science |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Course type | Standard |
Availability | Available to all students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 8 (Year 2 Undergraduate) |
Credits | 20 |
| Home subject area | Sociology |
Other subject area | None |
| Course website |
None |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
| Course description | The aim of Sociology 2a is twofold: firstly, to introduce students to some of the core theoretical debates that frame sociological investigation; and, secondly, to develop students knowledge of key substantive areas within sociology in a theoretically-informed way. It is important for students to gain an understanding of theoretical debates because much sociological research and thinking is contextualized in a theoretical way.
The course is a progression from year 1, where sociological topics and concepts are introduced without priority being given to theoretical issues. It complements the new Sociology 2b which focuses more on issues of method in sociological research. It will also provide appropriate preparation for Honours level sociology, where theoretical questions are looked at in a more advanced way in the Social Theory course. |
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus? | No |
Course Delivery Information
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| Delivery period: 2014/15 Semester 1, Available to all students (SV1)
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Learn enabled: Yes |
Quota: None |
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Web Timetable |
Web Timetable |
| Course Start Date |
15/09/2014 |
| Breakdown of Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 22,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 11,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
163 )
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| Additional Notes |
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| Breakdown of Assessment Methods (Further Info) |
Written Exam
50 %,
Coursework
50 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| No Exam Information |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course students will:
-Be able to understand and participate in key debates in sociology about core theoretical questions
-Be able to understand the strengths and weaknesses of different theoretical approaches
-Have learned how empirical research in sociology is informed and shaped by theoretical questions
-Be able to reflect on the significance of whether sociological knowledge is framed in a local, national or global way.
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Assessment Information
10%: Tutorial participation. This form of assessment tests students abilities to debate sociological ideas with others in the tutorial.
40%: 1400-1600 word essay. This essay relates to the first unit of the course which deals with key theoretical dilemmas. This will count as a formative feedback event.
50%: Take Home Exam. For the take-home exam, students are given a specified number of hours/days (e.g. 24 or 48 hrs) from a set date/time to answer exam questions relating to the other three units of the course.
Students are required to achieve a course grade of 50% in order to automatically progress to Honours in Sociology.
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Special Arrangements
| None |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
Not entered |
| Syllabus |
Unit 1: Choice, Change and Being Human: Key dilemmas in sociological thinking
Weeks 1-3
-This unit introduces students to key problems and dilemmas in social theory, exploring the extent to which they involve an either/or choice or might be better understood on a both/and model. These may include e.g.: structure and agency, macro and micro, human and non-human, social stability and social change, rational and non-rational
Unit 2 (indicative): Social divisions and Social Inequality
Week 4-6
-This unit would address social divisions and social inequality e.g. gender, race/ethnicity, class, sexuality, age. It could be taught in different ways, either by covering a broad range of divisions or by focusing on one or two of them. The aim would be to give students an understanding of the significance and interconnectedness of inequality in society. The unit is also intended to advance the knowledge of these issues that students gained in Sociology 1a, by linking in with the core Key dilemmas unit. For example, issues of social inequality can usefully be connected to theoretical questions about the relative influence of structure and agency and there are also questions about how macro divisions play out in ¿micro¿ contexts.
Unit 3 (indicative): Social Change, Social Movements and Development in a Global Context
Week 6-8
-This unit would be focused on the issue of why social change occurs, but could be taught in different ways. As well as considering general theories of social change it might focus on the contributions of social movements to social change around the globe, or look in more detail at the consequences of pursuing development as a mode of social change in different parts of the world. This unit would connect with issues of social stability and social change, structure and agency, and the rational and the non-rational, which were introduced in the first unit.
Unit 4 (indicative): Thinking the Present with Classical Sociology
Weeks 8-10:
-This unit would consider contemporary social developments and issues using the ideas of classical thinkers. Topics such as globalization, the expansion and re-shaping of capitalism, and the contemporary state of gender relations would be analysed using the tools developed by classical thinkers such as Marx, Max Weber, Marianne Weber, Durkheim, Wollstonecraft, Schreiner, Simmel etc.
Week 11- Conclusion & revision.
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| Transferable skills |
Not entered |
| Reading list |
-Layder, Derek (2006) Understanding Social Theory, second edition, Sage
-Bauman, Zygmunt (2011) Collateral Damage: Social Inequalities in a Global Age, Polity
-Connell, Raewyn (2009) Gender, Second Edition, Polity
-Connell, Raewyn (2007). Southern theory: The global dynamics of knowledge in social science, Cambridge: Polity.
-Tucker, Kenneth (2001) Classical Social Theory: A Contemporary Approach, Wiley-Blackwell
-Chesters, G. and Welsh, I. (2010) Social Movements: The Key Concepts
-Bartelson, J. 2000. Three concepts of globalization, International Sociology 15(2): 180-196
-Visvanathan, N., Duggan, L., Wiegersma, N. and Nisonoff, L. (2011) The Women, Gender and Development Reader, Zed Books
-Calhoun, C., Gerteis, J., Moody, J., Pfaff, S. and Virk, I. (eds.) (2002 [2nd edition 2007]) Classical Sociological Theory, Oxford: Blackwell.
-Calhoun, C., Gerteis, J., Moody, J., Pfaff, S., & Indermohan, V. (eds) (2002) Contemporary Sociological Theory. Oxford: Blackwell
-Callinicos, A. (1999 [2007 second edition]) Social Theory: A Historical Introduction, Cambridge: Polity.
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| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Hugo Gorringe
Tel: (0131 6)50 3940
Email: H.Gorringe@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mrs Elaine Khennouf
Tel: (0131 6)51 1480
Email: Elaine.Khennouf@ed.ac.uk |
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