Undergraduate Course: Sociology 1A: The Sociological Imagination: Individuals and Society (SCIL08004)
Course Outline
| School | School of Social and Political Science |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 8 (Year 1 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | For 2024/25 Students not taking a single or joint degree in Sociology, this course is now SCIL08017 Invitations to Sociology.
For 2024/25 Year 1 Single or joint Sociology students, the correct course to enroll on is SCIL08016 Sociology 1A: The Sociological Imagination
2023/24 information
This course introduces some of the key ideas of the discipline by examining the relationship between 'individuals' and 'societies'. Among the topics will be the social nature of the self, the influence of groups, digital identities, migration and the city. |
| Course description |
Academic description
This course introduces you to the key ideas of sociology by examining the relationship between individuals and societies. The course explores how social processes shape individual lives, and how changes that occur around us influence our sense of self. It draws on C. Wright Mills idea of the sociological imagination. Mills makes three claims: that individuals live within society, that they live a biography or a personal history, and that this takes place within a distinct historical sequence. It is the sociological imagination that provides a means of mapping and understanding the relationships among these three elements, and allows us as individuals to relate our personal lives to the often impersonal social world around us. That is the promise of sociology.
Content
The course has four units, each covering a different area in sociology. Recent topics include: the social nature of the self, violence in social life, the sociological significance of race, transnationalism and global society, digital technologies and the networked society.
Student learning experience
The course is taught through lectures and tutorials. Tutorials are your chance to discuss the ideas you learn in the course with other students, test them out and have feedback on them from your tutor. We encourage you to participate fully in the tutorials so you get as much out of the course as possible. We give you tasks to complete outside of class which you discuss with other students in the tutorials.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Students will be introduced to the discipline and study of sociology using several different in-depth units which apply sociology to contemporary social life and social problems
- Students will gain a broad knowledge of key sociological concepts and the concept of 'society'
- Students will understand the relationship between sociological argument and evidence and be able to develop their own arguments drawing on sociological evidence
- Students will be able to analyse the behaviour of individuals in groups and the influences on individual experience and action
- Students will be able to analyse contemporary issues sociologically. They will be able to apply a critical perspective to social problems and personal experiences discussed in the course
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Additional Information
| Course URL |
http://www.sociology.ed.ac.uk/ug/soc1/index.html |
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Additional Class Delivery Information |
Tutorials: One hour tutorials over ten weeks and starting in week two. |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Tod Van Gunten
Tel: (0131 6)50 4637
Email: tvangun@exseed.ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mr Ethan Alexander
Tel: (0131 6)50 4001
Email: Ethan.Alexander@ed.ac.uk |
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