Sociology

This course surveys the diverse meanings and functions of money, debt, finance, and corporations as intrinsic parts of social life. Students study ethnographic works that document people’s lived experiences in contemporary capitalism from across the world and discuss why people create different currencies, what social networks form in the finance world, and what role corporations play in contemporary societies. The course reflects on class inequality, challenge common beliefs about debt and morality, and explore alternative economic imaginations. Students learn how to think critically about contemporary capitalism—its heterogeneity, current transformations, and alternatives.

This course provides students with an understanding of important issues that have shaped contemporary Korean culture and society since the late 20th century. Students examine the country's historical background before attempting to get an overall picture of everyday life in contemporary Korea. The course discusses Korean life as diversely manifest in literature, movies, television, newspapers, magazines, advertising, sports, shopping centers, theme parks, and other forms of popular culture. It emphasizes discovering the ways in which Koreans have responded and adapted to the rapidly changing world. As a part of the course, students visit cultural sites and events relevant to the course content.

This course provides a study of the concept of public policy and analyzes the process of related policy research, including the formulation process, implementation, and evaluation, as well as an overview of think tank report writing. The course covers theories and case studies, focusing on the economic and social, ecological, technological and legal fields, to demonstrate how the decision-making management department chooses and formulates effective policy plans in order to solve public problems, achieve public goals, and realize public interests. It also analyzes the motivation of public policy formulation, the process of policy formation, and the effect of implementation, and evaluation of public policies.

This course offers a study of the reciprocal relationship between politics and society and discusses social conditions and political structure. It examines the dynamics of power, civil society and the state, and the relationship between political conflict and violence. 

The course combines an exploration of key theoretical and conceptual frameworks from sociology and related disciplines with the analysis of empirical material foregrounding the perspectives of migrants themselves as well as political and policy perspectives. Central to the course is the exploration of key debates around citizenships, diversity, multiculturalism, belonging, and social cohesion. Students explore the role these debates play in migrants' sense of home and belonging, as well as look at how difference is experienced and negotiated on an everyday basis in UK cities and neighborhoods. Drawing from sociological, social-anthropological, and policy debates, the course addresses questions such as: what different forms of citizenship exist and how might these be practiced in society? How do migrants forge a sense of identity and belonging across geopolitical and cultural borders? What is the relationship between racial and ethno-cultural diversity and citizenship? What facilitates or hinders the integration of settled migrant groups and individuals? How do policies on migrant integration and multiculturalism compare across the UK, Scotland, and other European countries? What is their impact on the lives of migrant groups?

This course examines the transformations of the media in China in the past three decades due to forces of marketization, political reform, technological changes, and cultural globalization. The course provides a basic and comprehensive understanding of contemporary Chinese media institutions, and how media and culture are embedded in a broader historical and global context. Popular culture in media is studied through its relation with cultural globalization, social stratification, and political economy. Guest lecturers from journalism, communication, and cultural studies speak on specific topics. Text: S.L. Shirk, ed., CHANGING MEDIA, CHANGING CHINA. Assessment: essay, final group project and presentation, tutorial participation.