Understanding Sociology

SOSC 1022AED Understanding Sociology is a three-credit-unit, 1000-level course in the Bachelor of Social Sciences (BSSC), Bachelor of Social Sciences with Honours (BSSCH), Bachelor of Social Sciences in Psychology Studies (BSSCPS) and Bachelor of Social Sciences with Honours in Psychology Studies (BSSCHPS) programmes.

This is an introductory course for you to gain an understanding of the basic concepts, theories, and insights of the sociological perspective. The course focuses on several important topics of sociology, including culture, socialisation, social interactions, deviance, social stratification and social inequality, social institutions and social change. Studying these topics will equip you with sociological ways of thinking in understanding how society is constructed and sustained.

The course will first introduce the study of sociology and key perspectives in understanding society. The rest of the course is structured to illustrate the different topics in the field of sociology by applying those perspectives. It will help you grasp the essential sociological knowledge and provide a good foundation for you to study higher level courses.

Course aims

SOSC 1022AED Understanding Sociology aims to provide you with:

• an understanding of basic sociological concepts and theories;
• skills in applying the concepts and theories to everyday life;
• knowledge of the major components of social structures and institutions, and how they interact with each other; and
• a solid grasp of the major issues related to social and global inequalities, gender and social change.

Course learning outcomes

Upon the completion of SOSC 1022AED Understanding Sociology, you should be able to:

• explain, apply and critique the key concepts and theories in sociology;
• ask significant questions about a range of social issues;
• reflect on your values and way of life, and how these are linked with broader social contexts; and
• develop skills in writing papers and reports in the field of sociology individually and communicate effectively the ideas and arguments in a group context.

This section provides information about what materials are needed, and how the assignments and marking are arranged. Please read it carefully.

Course materials

This course will be delivered using a custom textbook supplemented by a Study Guide, online multimedia components and face-to-face sessions.

In this custom textbook approach, different learning modules are selected from one textbook on sociology by the course team and organised into a custom textbook in collaboration with the publisher. By incorporating the latest editions of book chapters, exercises and self-tests, the custom textbook will provide students with a comprehensive coverage of the major concepts, theoretical perspectives and key issues in sociology.

The Study Guide will provide supplementary materials and additional self-assessment opportunities, on top of those already provided in the custom textbook.

Introductory video

To start off, you should watch the introductory video for the course in the ePub version of this Course Guide or on the OLE. Then turn to the Study Guide for further guidance through the course.

Study units

This course consists of five study units. The first unit explains the origins of sociological thought, and compares and contrasts the major frameworks of sociological perspectives. Over the next four units, the course will introduce different foundational theories and concepts in the study of sociology. The course material also directs you to additional resources and readings, and includes a number of activities and self-tests to help you develop your analytical skills.

Below are descriptions of each of the five units.

Unit 1 The sociological perspective

This unit introduces the study of sociology, its major perspectives and their respective development over time. It illustrates how society shapes our daily life by culture and its elements. The influences of agents in the process of socialisation are also discussed.

Readings

Mills, C W (1959) 'Chapter 1: The promise', The Sociological Imagination, New York: Oxford University Press.

Macionis, J J (2010) 'Chapter 1: The sociological perspective', Sociology, Upper Saddle River, N J: Prentice Hall.

Unit 2 Social groups and social control

This unit elaborates on how human societies are formed. It emphasises the importance of examining social groups and social control in human society, using different sociological theories to analyse them. We will first examine what a society is and the interactive relationship among different social institutions within a society. Then we will explain how social interaction takes place in society using symbolic interaction theories.

In the latter part of the unit, we will explore how crime and deviance are determined, how social order might be disrupted by crime and deviance, and how order might be restored by various mechanisms of social control.

Readings

Becker, H (1963) 'Chapter 1: Outsiders', Outsiders: Studies in the Sociology of Deviance, New York: Free Press.

Broadhurst, R, Lee, K W and Chan, C Y (2017) 'Chapter 4: Crime trends' in Chui, W H and Lo, W T (eds) Understanding Criminal Justice in Hong Kong, Devon, Cullompton: Willan.

Unit 3 Social inequality

This unit focuses on explaining how social inequality exists in society. Class and gender are among a few foundational determinants of social inequality in sociological analysis. We will first introduce the concept of social stratification and explain the different kinds of stratification systems that exist and the respective distributions of income and wealth. We will then define the concept of class and discuss the myths and realities about social mobility. At the end of the first section, the issue of inequality and poverty will be discussed.

Next, we will examine how gender is socially constructed. We will further explore the concepts of gender socialisation and gender stratification. Then, theories of gender will be introduced. To end this unit, some issues about gender inequality and social change in a global context will be investigated.

Readings

Davis, K and Moore, W E (1945) 'Some principles of stratification', American Sociological Review, 10(2): 242–49.

Lee, E W Y (2004) 'Introduction: Gender and change in Hong Kong', Gender and Change in Hong Kong: Globalization, Postcolonialism, and Chinese Patriarchy, Hong Kong: University of Hong Kong Press.

Unit 4 Social institutions

This unit discusses the roles of different social institutions in society. We will first introduce the definitions of family and discuss some theoretical perspectives on family. Issues about marriage and divorce as well as family violence will be covered in this section.

Education will be discussed in the second half of the unit as it is increasingly significant in modern society. We will begin with the role of education in society and a debate on why schooling matters. We will then further investigate education and inequality, sociological theories of education and educational reform.

Readings

Jamieson, L (1998) 'Chapter 2: From the “family” to sex and intimacy', Intimacy: Personal Relationships in Modern Societies, Cambridge: Polity.

Ng, C H, Wong, T W P, Chu, Y W and Chan, A K W (2009) 'Introduction: Doing families in Hong Kong: Values, relations and strategies' in Chan, K, Ku, A and Chu, Y (eds) Doing Families in Hong Kong (Vol. 4, Social Transformations in Chinese Societies), Lieden: Brill Academic Publishing.

Unit 5 Global inequality and social change

The last unit moves our analysis to the global level. To begin, we will continue our analysis on social stratification from Unit 3, and examine global stratification and related sociological theories. The consequences of its impact, especially with regard to world poverty, will also be evaluated.

In the second part of the unit, we will focus on environment and social change. The emerging study of environmental sociology will be introduced. We will discuss the concepts of environmental inequality and environmental justice. At the end of the unit and the course, we will apply sociological theories in explaining social change, and examine how globalisation and modernisation shape our lives.

Readings

Ritzer, G (2013) 'Chapter 1: An introduction to McDonaldization', The McDonaldization of Society, 7th edn, Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage, 1–27.

Chiu, S W K and Lui, T L (2004) 'Testing the global city — Social polarisation thesis: Hong Kong since the 1990s', Urban Studies, 41(10): 1863–88.

Presentation Schedule

The Presentation Schedule is available on the OLE under 'Course Schedules', and it gives the dates for completing your assignments, and for attending tutorials, day schools, and so on.

The custom textbook

A custom textbook will be provided to you as an integral part of your course package. You will need to refer to the custom textbook for each unit of the course. The custom textbook comprises selected chapters from the following publication:

Anderson, M L and Taylor, H F (2020) Sociology: The Essentials, 10th edn, USA: Cengage.

This textbook is one of the best sellers in sociology introductory courses. It adopts a reader-friendly presentation and covers all the necessary areas in the sociology field with recent trends and case studies. The custom textbook can help you to develop your skills in 'sociological imagination' and to understand how society is constructed and sustained.

Course readings

You will need to refer to the required readings for each unit. You should follow the instructions in each unit to locate the relevant readings.

References

Ballard, C, Gubbay, J and Middleton, C (1997) The student's companion to sociology, Oxford: Blackwell.

Fulcher, J and Scott J (2011) Sociology, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Giddens, A and Sutton, P (2022) Sociology: Introductory readings, 4th edn, Cambridge: Polity Press.

Giddens, A. and Sutton, P (2017) Essential concepts in sociology, 2nd edn, Malden, Massachusetts: Polity. https://web-p-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.lib.hkmu.edu.hk/ehost/detail/detail?vid=0&sid=b63a51d3-ff4c-4c17-8f1a-188b1e726103%40redis&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZW hvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#AN=1520273&db=nlebk

Giddens, A, Duneier, M, Appelbaum, R, and Carr, D (2020) Introduction to Sociology, 12th Seagull edn, New York: W.W. Norton & Company.

Henslin, J (2017) Essentials of Sociology: A Down-to-earth Approach, 12th edn, Boston: Pearson.

Kendall, D (2018) Sociology in Our Times: The Essentials, Cengage Learning.

Mills, C W (2000) The Sociological Imagination, English: Oxford University Press. https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.ezproxy.lib.hkmu.edu.hk/lib/hkmu/ detail.action?docID=497661

Plummer, K (2022) Sociology: The Basic, 3rd edn, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group. https://www-taylorfrancis-com.ezproxy.lib.hkmu.edu.hk/books/ mono/10.4324/9781003158318/sociology-ken-plummer

Sanderson, S K (2015) Modern Societies: A Comparative Perspective. Boulder, Colorado: Paradigm Publishers. https://www-taylorfrancis-com.ezproxy.lib.hkmu.edu.hk/books/edit/ 10.4324/9781315633435/modern-societies-stephen-sanderson

Schaefer, R (2019) Sociology Matters, 7th edn, New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education. https://web-p-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.lib.hkmu.edu.hk/ehost/detail/detail?vid=0&sid= 5a25d601-dc07-4fd2-ba77-c4c1a77de8bf%40redis&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZz Y29wZT1zaXRl#AN=2753241&db=nlebk

Assessment

During the course, you will have your progress assessed informally by the formative assessment (e.g. self-tests and unit activities) and formally by the summative assessment (assignments).

Assignments

There will be three assignments in the form of essay-type questions. Assignment 1 covers Units 1 and/or 2; Assignment 2 relates to Units 3 and/or 4; and Assignment 3 deals with Units 4, and/or 5. These three assignments emphasise your critical and analytical skills and are designed to help you explore the key perspectives and concerns in sociology.

You will be graded on all three assignments. There will be no examination for SOSC 1022AED Understanding Sociology. You are required to submit all three assignments and obtain an average of 40 marks to pass the course.

Assessment summary

The assessment items are summarised in the following table.

This table brings together the units, the time taken to complete them, and the assignments that follow them.

Please ensure that you make the most of tutor contact hours and tutorials, the day school, and online materials.

To reach the desired learning outcomes, you will need to:

• read the materials;
• interact with the materials that you have read;
• work through the assigned readings;
• attempt the activities in the materials and connect these attempts to the feedback provided; and
• produce and present assignments to the tutor/Course Coordinator within the specified timeframe.

Tutors and tutorials

Tutorials

Four two-hour tutorials are provided in support of SOSC 1022AED Understanding Sociology. Tutorials are not compulsory, but you are strongly encouraged to attend.

Day schools

You will be offered three two-hour day schools in this course. The speaker will present an introduction and overview of the course in the first day school. In the second and third day schools, he/she will provide course revision and guidance on the assignments.

Assignment extension policy

The assignment policy of the University as stated in the Student Handbook should be observed. You are required to submit assignments for a course in accordance with the dates communicated by the Course Coordinator. You may apply for a submission extension on the grounds of illness, accident, disability, bereavement or other compassionate circumstances.

Applications for extensions of up to seven days should be submitted to the tutor. The tutor shall consider valid and unexpected emergencies on an individual basis. Normally, documented proof of the extenuating circumstances is not required for extensions of up to seven days. The tutor shall decide and advise the student of the revised date for submission.

For extensions of over seven days, students should note the following:

1. If students require an extension of more than seven days on the grounds of illness, accident, disability, bereavement or other compassionate circumstances, they are required to complete an 'Application Form for Assignment Extension over seven days' and submit it to the Course Coordinator.
2. Supporting documents must be submitted along with the application for extension of over seven days to justify the claim.
3. Applications for extension should normally be lodged before or on the due date.
4. Applications are considered by:
   1. the Course Coordinator for extensions of 8 to 21 days; and
   2. the Dean for extensions of over 21 days.

Assignments must be submitted online via the OLE. For more information, please see the Assignment File 'general information' section on the OLE.

According to the University's policy, there is no extension of the due date for the final assignment.

Online Learning Environment

This course is supported by the Online Learning Environment (OLE). You can find course materials and the latest course information on the OLE, and use the discussion board to communicate with your tutors, the Course Coordinator and fellow students.

SOSC 1022AED is a course designed to introduce you to the basic sociological concepts, theories, and insights, equipping you to think from a sociological perspective in understanding how society is constructed and sustained.

In studying the course, you will refer to written study units, a custom textbook and readings. Support will be provided through tutorials, day schools and the OLE. The course will be assessed though three written assignments.

Good luck and enjoy the course!

Leona Ngai Ling-li obtained a BSS (Hons) and Master of Philosophy in Sociology and Criminology from the University of Hong Kong (HKU). Ms Li is currently working as a senior research assistant in the Department of Sociology and Centre for Criminology, HKU, in which she has been involved in various RGC funded research as well as contract research and projects with the Correctional Services Department, the Beat Drugs Fund and Open Society Foundations. She has also been lecturing at Hong Kong Metropolitan University since 2006.