Introducing Sociology (Credit Plus) (10 credit points)

Pre-requisites for enrolment

No previous knowledge required.

Content of Course

1. The Sociological Perspective - Is human behaviour natural or cultural?
The influence of society and culture in shaping human behaviour and what is ‘natural’.

2. Sociological Theory: are humans created or creators? How free are we?
Contrasting theories; how society works; the relation between the individual and society; are we puppets or free-agents?

3. Culture and Identity (1). The impact of culture (and subcultures) on social and personal identity: social class; power; gender/ sexuality; ethnicity; nationality and globalisation; disability; age; leisure; consumerism.

4. Culture and Identity (2). What is a Family?
What is the ‘family’? What is its ‘core’? Who belongs to it? What does it do? How has it changed? The diversity of family types and roles.

5. Why Inequality? Different forms of inequality, different explanations of why inequality exists, the concept of ‘meritocracy’.

6. Who Wins at School? The focus here is on differences in ‘educational achievement’: who achieves what at school, and why?

7. What is Crime and who are the Criminals? Issues in identifying the extent of crime, types of crime, and who are the criminals. The causes of crime and deviance.

8. Sociological Explanation. Students will choose topics to reflect their own interests/ current events and develop and apply sociological explanations.

9. Course review and summary.

Teaching method(s)

Tutorial based with class discussion / debate.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

• Explain a sociological perspective, the importance of evidence, and different theories used in sociological explanation;

• Apply sociological knowledge in explaining specific features of society;

• Compare, contrast, and critically evaluate different sociological views;

• Employ the relevant skills required for successful study in the social sciences.

Sources

Core Readings

Recommended:

• Browne, K., 2008. Sociology. 3rd ed. Cambridge: Polity.

• Giddens, A., 2006. Sociology. 5th ed. Cambridge: Polity Press.

• Haralambos, M.and Holborn, M., 2008. Sociology: Themes & Perspectives.7th ed. London: Collins.

• Northedge, A., 2005.The Good Study Guide. Milton Keynes: OUP.

Web Sources

Sites will be recommended throughout the course.

Class Handouts

Handouts will be provided on a weekly basis.

Assessments

10 credit courses have one assessment. Normally, the assessment is a 2000 word essay, worth 100% of the total mark, submitted by week 12. To pass, students must achieve a minimum of 40%. There are a small number of exceptions to this model which are identified in the Studying for Credit Guide.

Studying for Credit

If you choose to study for credit you will need to allocate significant time outwith classes for coursework and assessment preparation. Credit points gained from this course can count towards the Certificate of Higher Education.

Queries

If you have questions regarding the course or enrolment, please contact COL Reception at Paterson's Land by email COL@ed.ac.uk or by phone 0131 650 4400.

Student support

If you have a disability, learning difficulty or health condition which may affect your studies, please let us know by ticking the 'specific support needs' box on your course application form. This will allow us to make appropriate adjustments in advance and in accordance with your rights under the Equality Act 2010. For more information please visit the Student Support section of our website.