Asking and answering questions is at the heart of sociology: questions about the nature of the world around us, why things are the way they are, how they developed in that way rather than any other, and so on – in fact everything from global patterns of social change, to the nature of personal identity. The task of sociology is to explain the social world in which we live. In doing so, this enables us to explore the taken-for-granted aspects of everyday life and to be aware that things could be, and are, different. Studying sociology requires that we learn to see things ‘sociologically', that we develop ‘a sociological imagination'. The aim of this course is to cultivate such an imagination.
Sociology is often described as ‘the scientific study of society'. It involves gathering information about the social world through various forms of research, and analysing this data to identify key patterns and processes of social behaviour and organisation. Ultimately, sociologists seek to understand the nature of the social world on the basis of rigorous research, and to explain it through various theoretical approaches. These two activities – researching and theorising – are fundamental to sociology.
During this course, we consider the nature of sociology in terms of its historical origins, its major theoretical traditions, and key dimensions of social life. The course examines different dimensions of social inequality, focusing on the main social institutions and patterns of social relations around which our lives are structured, and which determine the small matters of: whether we go hungry, whether we have shelter, whether we are in good health, the nature of a university education, why ‘witches' are no longer burnt at the stake (and for
that matter, why are there so few witches around nowadays?). As we consider how we define the world and how we suffer or benefit from these definitions, we also consider the ways in which society ‘makes' us, and how we in turn ‘make' society. Welcome to sociology.
Isaac LAMBERT,Natalia Cornelia MALANCU
Cours magistral et conférences
English
Spring 2020-2021
The final grade is divided as follows: the final exam (4 hours) constitutes 1/3 of the final grade; the conference grade (continuous assessment) counts for 2/3 of the final grade.
Seeing Ourselves: Classic, Contemporary and Cross-Cultural Readings in Sociology, edited by John J. Macionis and Nijole V. Benokraitis. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall.