Sociology

This course provides an interdisciplinary and critical analysis of the impact of globalization on Hong Kong culture. It demonstrates how postcolonial Hong Kong culture can offer new ways to understand the relation between the colonial past and the present world order of global modernity. The course introduces key concepts and theories of globalization by focusing on cultural analyses and critical responses to globalization. Particular emphasis is placed on the creative media, transnational culture industries, and global cultural phenomena relevant to everyday Hong Kong experience. This includes the analysis and critique of Hong Kong's image and role as depicted in the popular press, the Internet, film, literature, theater, the built environment, the visual arts and cultural production and consumption. The global-local cultural dynamics that drive Hong Kong into the future are also explored. Assessment: midterm exam, essay, workshop, tour report, participation, discussion, presentations.

This course provides an exploration of contemporary urban social movements. It examines this topic through concepts such as human rights, re-democratization, structural inequalities in Brazil, and collective mobilization. The course also explores the theory related to social movements, including conflict, collective identity, social actor, repertoires, national and transnational networks, and recognition theory.

By the end of the course, students will be able to:
[1] know different schools of social capital;
[2] distinguish the unique features of social capital in Chinese society;
[3] understand the relevance of social capital in terms of social support;
[4] demonstrate a basic ability to conduct independent inquiry on topics in social capital and to effectively communicate the results via oral presentation.

This course provides an overview of social capital research and its implication for individual mobility and social support. Topics covered in this class include the different schools of social capital, its individual and collective roots, how it relates to social support and individual health, , as well as its application for contemporary economic and social life. Through the course, students will obtain a richer understanding of social capital and its relevance to real life.

This course focuses on theories of family and social change, by examining perspectives on families, drawing on literature from history, anthropology, sociology, and demography. The course seeks to answer the following questions: What is a family? What is the relationship between family and household structure and economic, political, and cultural change both historically and in contemporary time? How do couples allocate their time and money in relationships? How do families vary by social class and race/ethnicity? How have attitudes, expectations, and behaviors surrounding childbearing and childrearing changed? Theoretical perspectives on the family are supplemented with case studies of change and variation in families and households.

This course looks at how social factors contribute to individual physical and mental health outcomes using multiple theoretical frameworks developed in the U.S. and Europe. It examines how micro-, meso-, and macro-level factors influence an individual's health. Particularly, the course evaluates the health disparities research from Western Societies and discusses how these findings apply to Korea. It also discusses the implications of these findings on social welfare policies and social work practice in Korea.

This course examines food systems and environments around the world. Topics covered include global food production and trade, agribusiness, food culture and politics, genetic engineering and organic food, food security and sovereignty, healthy dietary habits, sustainable food policy, Hong Kong and Chinese food culture, and the future of food. 

This course provides students with an opportunity to gain insights from the top experts of this era on various academic topics or research subjects. A total of 26 professors from Yonsei University and Korea University, the top experts in the field, give lectures on 13 humanities and sociology topics. 

This course introduces Science and Technology Studies (STS), a field that examines the work of scientists and engineers as sociocultural processes, informed by and informing society. The course analyzes ethnographic and historical accounts of scientific laboratories, medical clinics, everyday infrastructures, and computerized simulations, among others to answer questions including: How does an observation get accepted as a scientific fact? How do science and technology factor into our understanding of our bodies and our kin? Who counts as an expert and how does the meaning of expertise change over time? How do technologies get incorporated into the meaning of being human? 

This is a special studies course involving an internship with a corporate, public, governmental, or private organization, arranged with the Study Center Director or Liaison Officer. Specific internships vary each term and are described on a special study project form for each student. A substantial paper or series of reports is required. Units vary depending on the contact hours and method of assessment. Graded pass/no pass only.