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Semester 2

Sociology 1B: The Sociological Imagination: Private Troubles, Public Problems (SCIL08005)

Subject

Sociology

College

CAHSS

Credits

20

Normal Year Taken

1

Delivery Session Year

2023/2024

Pre-requisites

Course Summary

This course is designed to explore sociological thinking with regard to a number of issues of contemporary concern. Recent topics included: structure and agency; the sociology of the body; race and society; deviance; economy and society; and social change.

Course Description

This course complements knowledge gained in Sociology 1A The Sociological Imagination: Individuals and Society and provides a basis for further study in Sociology 2A/B and Honours. The theme of the course is the relationship between private troubles and public problems, i.e. how the personal challenges many of us face in our lives are shaped and defined in ways that often appear to be beyond our direct control. The course will introduce students to the sociological perspective by examining four significant topics in the discipline of sociology. By the end of the course, students will be able to identify some of the social changes, problems, and issues facing modern societies. Unit 1: What is social structure? This unit helps students build up their tool kit of key concepts for sociological analysis and critical thinking through the examination of fundamental concepts in sociology (social structure, social organisation, social institutions and social identities). Unit 2: Norms, order and normalisation. This unit challenges students to not take for granted the taken-for-granted, to unexpect the expected, and to explore how individual social-norm-following is sometimes more intricately connected to public issues and their histories than it might at first appear. Unit 3: Understanding race and society. This unit introduces students to ways of understanding how ideas about race can shape society, and of the connections between what race means in one society and another. Lectures will address key topics and theoretical perspectives, current research, and public policy concerns. Unit 4: What is social change? This unit examines the key conceptual questions involved in the study of social change and compares selected explanations of social change. The course is taught through lectures and tutorials. Tutorials provide an opportunity to discuss the ideas presented in the course with other students, test them out and get feedback from the tutor. We encourage students to participate fully in the tutorials to get as much out of the course as possible.

Assessment Information

Written Exam 0%, Coursework 100%, Practical Exam 0%

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