30528 - SOCIOLOGY
Department of Social and Political Sciences
Course taught in English
Go to class group/s: 23
Course Director:
NICOLETTA BALBO
NICOLETTA BALBO
Synchronous Blended: Lessons in synchronous mode in the classroom (for a maximum of one hour per credit in remote mode)
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 methods sociologists employ to investigate 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 and gender, the digital revolution and the social changes it brought about, and family changes, by adopting a life course perspective.
CONTENT SUMMARY
First part
What is sociology?
Sociological perspectives
Values, norms and socialization
Gender and sexuality
Social interactions, networks and capital
Crime and deviance
Environment
Second part:
Families and intimate relationships
The life course
Health and disability
Sociology of COVID-19
Stratification and social class
Race, Ethnicity and Migration
Digital Revolution
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
- Face-to-face lectures
- Interactive class activities on campus/online (role playing, business game, simulation, online forum, instant polls)
DETAILS
- Interactive class activities: in almost every lecture there are interactive class activties, such as discussion sessions and puzzles to be solved in group
Assessment methods
| Continuous assessment | Partial exams | General exam | |
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x | x | |
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x | x |
ATTENDING AND NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS
Students can choose between two options:
1. Two mid-term exams (each with a 2/5 weight towards the overall grade) or a written exam, plus a short paper, written individually or together with another student (with a 1/5 weight towards the overall grade)
2. A written exam, either taken through two mid-term exams (each with a 1/2 weight towards the overall grade) or one general exam (with a 100% weight towards the overall grade).
Exams: written exams include both short answers and essay-style questions. The questions cover theory, and interpretation of the results of applied research. The exam covers all topics of the course. Material covered in the lectures, in the text book and other set readings may be included in the exam.
Teaching materials
ATTENDING AND NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS
- Book: A. GIDDENS, P.W. SUTTON, Sociology, Polity, 9th Edition.
- Readings: a set of readings and lecture slides are available on Bboard.
Last change 22/05/2023 17:24