School Programmes, Syllabi & Academic Information.

SOCIOLOGY

SOCIOLOGY (81 hours)

Course Description: This course is available to students coming from a variety of academic orientations. Its subject matter examines the role of the individual in society and the impact of society on the individual. A range of social phenomena in the modern world are analysed in the context of exploring the relationship between individuals and the society in which they live. It is a highly recommended elective course for students wishing to enter the teaching profession or for those who will work primarily with people.

Aim of the course:

  1. To encourage students to debate the development of human identity within a sociological framework
  2. To introduce students to the analysis of modern sociological terms
  3. To help students understand theoretical approaches to the study of sociology

Learning Outcomes:

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

  1. Analyse the relationship between the individual and society
  2. Analyse the influence of society on the development of individual identity
  3. Analyse the course of life in sociological terms
  4. Undertake sociological analyses of different sociological phenomena in the modern world

Course Syllabus

Definition of Sociology

  • Overview of formal definitions and discussion of various sociological phenomena
  • Discussing the term Sociological Imagination
  • Studying people and society
  • Analysing theories and perspectives of sociology: functionalism, interactionism and conflict theories, among others
  • Explaining the role of sociology

Globalisation and Social change

  • Critical analysis of early societies
  • The transformation of society and the transition from modern and industrialised to postmodern and post-industrialised societies
  • Discussion of developed and developing countries. Newly industrialised countries
  • Critical analysis of elements of globalisation, information technology, transnational corporations and political globalisation
  • Examination of the consequences of globalisation

Social Interaction and Social Life 

  • Discussion of cyber bullying
  • Introduction to the concept of civil inattention and social interaction
  • Examination of the importance of non-verbal communication in social interaction
  • Embodiment and identities
  • Exploration of the different types of personal space
  • Discussion of the rules of social interaction and online interaction

The Life Course

  • The importance of socialisation in the development of individual identity
  • Examination of child development theories
  • Definitions of agents of socialisation
  • Learning about gender
  • Examination of the course of life
  • Analysis of different stages in the course of life: childhood, teenage years and youth, young adulthood, mature adulthood and later life
  • Discussion of the concept of ageing and analysis of the different forms of ageing
  • Introduction to the aspects that define ageing
  • Discussion of death in modern societies and the implications of assisted dying and euthanasia

Families and intimate relationships

  • The family as an institution and functions of family
  • Discussion of domestic violence and child abuse
  • Examination of different family structures
  • Marriage and divorce
  • Exploration of new partnerships and blended families
  • Discussion of the changing family pattern

Gender and Sexuality

  • Analysis of sex, gender and sexuality in society
  • Examination of the role of biology and learning in the development of sexual identity and changes in gender roles
  • Sexuality and religion and different forms of sexuality
  • Examination of gender inequality
  • Discussion of the feminist approach

Crime and Deviance

  • Introduction to different theories of crime and deviance
  • Patterns in crime in the UK and differences from those in Greece
  • Analysis of victims and perpetrators in terms of gender, age and class
  • Discussion of punishment and rehabilitation
  • Crime in global context, new patterns of crime, cybercrime

Education 

  • Examination of education and culture
  • Outline of the different perspectives on the role and purpose of education
  • Social division and education
  • Discussion of the relationship between gender and education as well as between ethnicity and education
  • Education and technology, new patterns of schooling and learning
  • Discussion of the future of education

Race and Ethnicity

  • Insights into the concepts of “race” and “ethnicity”
  • Critical analysis of prejudice and discrimination in the late 20th and early 21st centuries
  • Discussion of racism: old and new forms of racism, ethnocentrism
  • Examination of ethnic integration models
  • Discussion of migration in the global era; migration and the EU

Social class 

  • The concept of social class and its relevance in modern Britain and Greece
  • The relationship between social class and individual identity

Religion 

  • Definitions of religion
  • The position of religion in classical sociology
  • Analysis of the concept of secularisation
  • Trends in contemporary religion
  • Discussion of religion in Europe and the USA

The Mass Media

  • The digital revolution and the internet
  • Analysis of the different approaches to political economy
  • Audiences and different representations

Cities and Urban Life

  • Definitions of urbanisation
  • Analysis of different theories of urbanism, the Chicago School
  • Discussion of urbanisation in the developing world
  • The role of cities as active agents

Work and Economy

  • Introduction to economic sociology
  • Analysis of new concepts such as Taylorism and Fordism
  • Discussion on what work is and a survey of the hidden forms of work
  • Examination of the social significance of employment
  • Discussion of the increase in job insecurity

Resources and booklists suggestions:

  1. Abbot, P and Wallace, C (1997) An introduction to sociology 2nd
  2. Abercrombie, N (2004) Sociology, Cambridge: Polity
  3. Banton, M (1998) Racial Theories 2nd, Cambridge, Cambridge University press
  4. Bernades, J (1997) Family studies, New York, Routledge
  5. Bond, J & Coleman, P eds. (1990) Ageing in society, London, Sage
  6. Bruce, S ed. (1992) Religion and modernism
  7. Croall, H. (2011) Crime and Society in Britain London, Longman.
  8. Devine, F and Waters, M (eds) (2004) Social Inequalities in Comparative Perspective, Oxford: Blackwell
  9. Durkheim, E. (2002) Suicide: A Study in Sociology. London: Routledge.
  10. Erikson, E (1965) Childhood and Society 2nd London, Triad/Granada
  11. Giddens, A and Sutton, P.W (2018) Sociology 8th
  12. Lemert, C. (2011) Social Things: An Introduction to the Sociological Life, 5th ed. Lanham: Rowman and Littlefield.
  13. Miles, R (1989) Racism, London, Routledge
  14. Reid, I (1986) The Sociology of schools and education, London, Fontana
  15. Stones, R. (ed) (2008) Key Sociological Thinkers, 2nd edition. London: MacMillan