Sociology

This course provides an introduction to memory studies, an interdisciplinary field encompassing sociology, political science, anthropology, and history, among other disciplines. The course introduces the main theoretical concepts in memory studies and the historical development of different approaches while focusing on recent debates on the relationship between memory politics and contemporary political developments (the rise of populism; nostalgia in the post-socialist world; Brexit; tearing down of colonial statues; return of looted artifacts from the Global North). The course provides an understanding of the basic notions of memory and its relation to identity formation, both individual and collective; the role of memory in institutional politics through memorialization rituals; the importance of monuments; and the role of memory and nostalgia as sites of resistance in everyday politics of contemporary world. Through lectures, selected readings, media screenings, group discussions, and student presentations, the course provides insight into the importance of power interplays of different memory and history narratives and critically engages in understanding contemporary memory discourses.

This course presents the children's evolution concept to lend understandings of children's rights, welfare policy and development. Also, the course raises the awareness of concerns about children welfare from the existing children welfare service status and policy. Topics in the course include: content on child welfare services, from concept policy; current welfare service system; child care services; child protection services; services to high-risk families; single-parent family and child services; child foster care and adoption services; establishment of children's institutions; services to children with special care and early intervention services. The course uses lectures and related instructional videos, current affairs cases and group discussions. Social workers are invited to share their own experiences during lectures to present actual facts of children cognitive issues. Students are placed into groups and involved in community implementation to gain real participation experiences.

This course contextualizes London as a vibrant world center of popular music innovation. The inter-cultural dialogue between Britain and America is explored to examine the history of popular musical forms. To understand the impact of genres such as Blues, Jazz and Rock ‘n’ Roll, concepts such as the Black Atlantic will emphasize music as a medium of cultural exchange, and the importance of investigating the wider political and social dimensions in which music is made. Post-World War II revolutions in popular music made London and the UK a creative hub in global music culture because of the settlement of diasporic peoples. The course will therefore explain the cultural frameworks for the emergence of Pop, Punk, Ska, Reggae and Hip Hop. An examination of contemporary London’s dynamic musical effervescence is also investigated. This is an interdisciplinary course examining the historical, sociological, aesthetic, technological, and commercial elements of contemporary (mainly North American and British) popular music. Therefore, the course deals specifically with the origins and development of USA and UK popular music, particularly in the post-1945 era, and focuses upon topics including the relationship between style, subculture, and music, in addition to the impact of new technologies on music production and marketing. Audio–visual resources and a field trip are combined with lectures and in-class discussions.

This course examines French and Francophone cultural productions since the end of the Second World War, a traumatic event that transformed and deeply marked France’s society. It focuses on the evolutions of French national identity and diverse representations of it in a context of decolonization, European dynamics, and globalization. The concept of national identity is challenged by multicultural and immigrant populations that shift our understanding of “French” towards a transnational perspective. The critical urgency of this issue of definition is underlined by increasing political tensions in France that are also accentuated by the growing demands for new public commemorations that seek to acknowledge silenced, wounded memories and that, in doing so, may further divide society. The course examines how dissent about French identity revives democracy while paradoxically undoing national borders. It progresses chronologically, starting with post-War liberations from the margins: women (feminism), colonials (decolonization), youth, and other social identities (May 1968). It then analyzes how these forms of gender, ethnic, and social otherness persist or were dealt with in the 70s and 80s. The course also takes a close look at the geographical and spatial fractures that weigh upon French society. Finally, it addresses today’s issues concerning the education system, in particular the teaching of history, the unprecedented economic crisis, old age, climate change, Islam, Islamophobia, Anti-Semitism, the attacks in Paris in 2015, and the refugee crisis.
 

This course offers a sociological analysis of culture and society. Topics include: nature, culture, and society; theories about culture and cultural diversity; social and cultural dynamics; the arts; religion and belief.