30528 - SOCIOLOGY
Department of Social and Political Sciences
Course taught in English
Course Director:
HUNTER WADE YORK
HUNTER WADE YORK
Suggested background knowledge
There are no prerequisites.
Mission & Content Summary
MISSION
The purpose of this course is to expose students to the prevailing theories, methods, and research issues of contemporary sociology, with a special focus on economic and political phenomena. The course links key research issues and debates in sociology with research methods and analytic strategies so that students can understand how a sociological perspective contributes to our ability to explain both the macro- and micro-aspects of societies and social organization.
CONTENT SUMMARY
KEY BUILDING BLOCKS
Networks and markets
Economic sociology
The state and the economy
GLOBALIZATION AND DEVELOPMENT
Globalization and its critics
Global value chains and global wealth chains
Case study: the Zambian developmental experience
Case study: the Korean developmental experience
Case study: Mauritius as an offshore center
MULTIDIMENSIONAL INEQUALITIES
Social stratification and social mobility
Poverty and inequality
THE WELFARE STATE
Why do welfare states exist?
The social safety net
Housing and the welfare state
Migration and the welfare state
Robots, platforms, AI and the welfare state
Case study: The Finnish basic income experiment
Case study: Migration and the welfare state in Germany
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO)
KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
At the end of the course student will be able to...
- Think sociologically about world phenomena.
- Differentiate sociological thinking from other disciplines.
- Use conceptual tools from sociology to explain social, political and economic dynamics.
APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
At the end of the course student will be able to...
- Apply sociological reasoning and sociological tools so that they can formulate broader or fuller explanations for social phenomena, compared to those offered by other social science disciplines.
- Interpret data in ways that problematize overly simple solutions and rely on strong explanatory frameworks.
Teaching methods
DETAILS
In addition to traditional lectures, students will have the option to collaboratively develop short presentations on policy challenges related to the topics covered in class. These presentations will allow students to further develop their analytical skills and ensure that they can use the theoretical and empirical tools provided in the course to apply them to real-world situations. These collaborative assignments will offer extra credit to the students who opt for them.
Assessment methods
ATTENDING STUDENTS
Two partial exams
Each exam—lasting two hours—will cover the material in the first and second half of the course respectively, and will contain a mix of multiple choice, true/false, and short open-ended questions. Open-ended and multiple-choice questions are mainly aimed at testing students' comprehension of the concepts, methods and tools covered in the course material, and their application to real-world cases.
Optional assignment
Attending students will also have the opportunity to improve their grade by submitting an optional assignment in teams. This will be graded on a continuum between excellent (adds 1.5 point to the final mark) and poor (does not alter final mark). These optional assignments will allow students to deepen their knowledge on specific aspects of the course material.
NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS
Final written exam
The final exam—lasting three hours—will include a range of multiple choice questions, as well as two essay-style questions. The questions cover all topics of the course. Please see readings and material covered in the slides. Open-ended and multiple-choice questions are mainly aimed at testing students' comprehension of the concepts, methods and tools covered in the course material, and their application to real-world cases.
Teaching materials
ATTENDING AND NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS
Students are provided with a selection of readings on the course Bboard site. There is no need to purchase anything.
Course Director:
NICOLETTA BALBO
NICOLETTA BALBO
Mission & Content Summary
MISSION
This course is designed to be a broad introduction to the field of sociology. Students encounter some of the most influential theories developed, imagined and used by sociologists to make sense of the social world. We discuss and acquire familiarity with the concepts sociologists typically use in their work, and with some of the core theories sociologists employ to understand the social world. For instance, students gain an understanding of what sociologists mean when they talk about culture, socialization and social structure, and how sociologists analyse these concepts linking theory and empirical analyses. The course also encourages students to think critically (i.e. as a social scientist, about human life and societies and develop their own questions about social life). Finally, the course pays particular attention to the broad themes of inequality as it pertains to race, class, gender, and family changes, by adopting a life course perspective.
CONTENT SUMMARY
- What is sociology?
- Sociological perspectives
- Values, norms and socialization
- Gender and sexuality
- Social interactions, networks and capital
- Crime and deviance
- Environment
- Families and intimate relationships
- The life course
- Health and disability
- Stratification and social class
- Race, Ethnicity and Migration
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO)
KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
At the end of the course student will be able to...
- Autonomously and critically search, and understand, sociological research on a wide range of topics, with diverse methodological approaches, linking this research to wider knowledge across the spectrum of social sciences.
APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
At the end of the course student will be able to...
- Cast sociological explanatory hypotheses on a wide range of social phenomena, in particular concerning policy-relevant issues, and to sketch research designs useful to test such hypotheses.
Teaching methods
- Lectures
- Collaborative Works / Assignments
- Interaction/Gamification
DETAILS
- Interactive class activities: in almost every lecture there are interactive class activties, such as discussion sessions and puzzles to be solved in group
- Group presentations
Assessment methods
| Continuous assessment | Partial exams | General exam | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
x | x | |
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x |
ATTENDING STUDENTS
Students will be assessed through either two mid-term examinations or one comprehensive final examination, which together account for 75% of the overall grade. The remaining 25% of the grade will be based on a group presentation.
The written examinations are aimed at assessing students’ understanding of the sociological concepts, theories and approaches, as well as their ability to critically discuss sociological research on a range of social phenomena. The group presentation is aimed at assessing students’ ability to apply sociological reasoning to socially relevant issues, and present research-based arguments in a clear, comparative and structured way.
NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS
One comprehensive examination (100% of the overall grade) on the entire program, based on the book, slides and readings, aimed at assessing students’ understanding of the sociological concepts, theories and approaches, as well as their ability to critically discuss sociological research on a range of social phenomena, elaborating on explanatory hypotheses in a clear and structured way.
Teaching materials
ATTENDING AND NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS
Book:
Anthony Giddens and Philip W. Sutton. Sociology. Polity, 9th Edition
Readings will be provided on blackboard
Last change 22/05/2026 17:20