Sociology

The aim of this course is emphatically not to answer the question of the definition of culture, nor is it to provide a history of the development of culture. Rather, the course starts from the notion that culture creates meaning and allows us to understand ourselves, others, and the world in specific, constructed ways. What may seem natural to us, might in fact just be cultural convention, imprinted on us from such an early age that we have come to understand it as natural. This course examines how traditional cultural views on the world, concerning the uses of language, processes of othering, gender etc., have been studied, taken apart and criticized over the last few decades. In doing so, the course deals with several of the major theorists concerned with this process of deconstruction. The course necessarily deals with a limited selection of perspectives and objects. From the many methods of studying culture (anthropological, archaeological, biological, art historical, sociological etc.) the course uses the framework of Cultural Studies, a relatively recent field of study within Humanities. Furthermore, in order to focus discussions, the course takes three case studies as a starting point in the discussion sessions: the novel FOE by J.M.Coetzee, the artwork EPISODE III: ENJOY POVERY by Renzo Martens, and the documentary PARIS IS BURNING. These are discussed in light of different theoretical frameworks, allowing the study the following topics, each tightly linked to major theories in studies on culture and each functioning as a context for the analysis of cultural phenomena: language as construction, knowledge/power, the death of the author, Postcolonialism, processes of "othering." gender, and cultural memory.

This course examines contemporary policing. It focuses on policing in the UK, but takes a global perspective on its themes, and it examines some of the key areas covered by policing scholars including the significance of police culture, the police mandate and police powers, police discrimination and violence, police legitimacy and police accountability and control. The course focuses on different types of approaches, contexts and situations, such as those relating to counter-terrorism, diverse communities, gender, race and class. It pays careful attention to the rapid transformations in policing occurring at present, and has a particular focus on private policing and the impact of advanced digital technologies on police work and practice.

This course examines the issues of social policy in Hong Kong including privatization of welfare services, the impact of welfare ideology on the state of development in Hong Kong, the issue of equity and equality in welfare provision, community care and service needs of the new arrivals from the mainland. Different theories of welfare will be discussed in relation to local welfare issues. 

This course provides a study of the behavior patterns, attitudes, interests, values, beliefs, conflicts and other cultural aspects of human groups in different social situations. It focuses on the historical context of the development of social psychology and also examines key concepts at both the micro and macro scales of group dynamics: behavior, attitude, role development, and the psychological condition of both an individual and a group. The course also considers the problems and challenges of contemporary social psychology.

This course provides students with an understanding of social and public policy and society in relation to disabled people. By looking at the various definitions of impairment and disability, discussions focus on the constructions of 'disability' as an identity category, issues relating to citizenship and its reflection across a range of policies.