Sociology

This course examines the tensions and contradictions that arise from societal, political, and economic demands in relation to the developing role and form of education policy and practice. It considers education as the cornerstone for the realization of competing social imaginaries by examining the complex ways in which economic priorities, technological advancements, and demographic, and labor trends intersect, posing new problems and new demands for education. This course considers the use of artificial intelligence, the Quantified Self Movement, and satellite-enabled distance learning as concrete manifestations of these global trends. 

The course is part of the LM degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrolment is by consent of the instructor. Combining the fields of migration studies and labor studies, the course introduces students to social issues connected with the Chinese presence in Africa and the African presence in China. The relationship between China and African countries is at the center of heated debates with Chinese investments, infrastructure construction, job creation, and raw material appropriation in Africa often portrayed in binary terms: China is either pitched as a predator and the new imperialist power in Africa, or else celebrated as a friend offering to the African counterpart a win-win cooperation. This takes place against a global background in which scholars and pundits alike are increasingly forced to take a stand as non-partisan analysis is in vertical decline and views on China have rapidly polarized. Using images and videos, the course offers a nuanced discussion of the many facets of the Chinese presence in Africa. At the same time, it delves into the action of African states, and agency enacted by African elites and the populace in relation to the Chinese presence and activism on the continent. The Chinese presence in Africa is not analyzed in isolation but is discussed in the framework of the “global China” phenomenon, visible in China's increasing outward flows of investment, loans, migrants, infrastructure, media, and international engagement. Additionally, the course also offers an introduction to visual sociology as a tool that enables students to elaborate sociological interpretations of the visual materials presented. Specific topics include: racialization and intersectionality in Africa-China Encounters; China in Africa; Chinese Soft Power; Chinese and African Labor in Africa; the gold rush in Ghana; China as a model for Africa; the African Perspective; development, aid, and the reproduction of dependency; and Africa in China.

This course offers an introduction to the main issues in the sociology of poverty and social marginalization. Topics include: consequences for poverty and marginalization; poverty from an evolutionary perspective-- biological and social; concepts of poverty, economic inequality, and measurement criteria; international structure of poverty; social marginalization from an evolutionary perspective-- biological and social; social marginalization and social deviation; stigmatization.

This course enhances knowledge and understanding of new undergraduate students majoring in social work through the teaching of individual and professional growth, participatory discussions, and self-growth group module design, thereby promoting better university adaptation and self-identification. This course will cover the three aspects of "Looking outward, how are you shaped?", "Looking inward, knowing the complete self" and "Using the self in professional practice", and strive to be led by peer groups. The self-recognition growth group supervised and taught by professional teachers travels along the way to accompany the students on the journey of self-understanding, rediscovery, and growth.

This course examines the social aspects of contemporary life. It covers the study of society, social institutions and social relations. Topics include health, gender and sexuality, religion, death, ethnicity, the city and the environment.

This course introduces the nature of sociological enquiry and the basic concepts used in sociological analysis. Many concepts are illustrated through film media. The course covers the influence of inheritance and environment on human social behavior, and focuses on key concepts used in the analysis of cultures, social structures, social processes, and social change. Topics include culture and deviance; class, status, and power; the social construction of gender; gender and sexuality in the media; identity and social action; the media and popular culture; politics and the state; education in modern societies; health and medicine; and, crime and deviance. Text: Haralambos, M. and Holborn, M., SOCIOLOGY: THEMES AND PERSPECTIVES. Assessment: tutorial participation (10%), field observation and presentation (10%), three one-page essays (20%), and a final exam (60%).