Sociology

O.F. Dent, PhD Brown, MA
Reader and Head of Department

Introduction

The Sociology Department offers two majors, a Major in Social Psychology (Sociology) and a Major in Sociology. Social psychology is a specialist area within the broad discipline of Sociology which focuses upon interpersonal relations and cognate aspects of social experience. Sociology in general is the study of collective human action, social relationships, and individual human behaviour insofar as these are influenced by social forces. Answers to sociological questions are sought via the systematic observation of social forces that shape human action, the fundamental assumptions being that much human behaviour is socially produced and that many of the relations between social forces and human action are recurrent.

The pass degree gives the student a general introduction to the discipline, whereas the honours degree is designed for the student who intends to pursue sociology as a speciality.

The first-year units, Self and Society, Contemporary Society, and Introduction to Social Psychology (Sociology), provide a sociological perspective and introduces some basic sociological concepts and principles.

The later-year units in the Sociology major fall into three groups ¾ Theory Units, Research Methods Units, and Other Units.

There are no prescribed combinations among these units, but there are some sequences that depend upon a student taking the first unit in the sequence in order to gain entry to later-year units. Students may specialise in one or two areas or seek a broad coverage. The Undergraduate Adviser and members of staff are happy to offer advice on the choice of units.

If fewer than 20 students enrol for any later-year unit the Department will review in February the desirability of offering the unit and may decide to cancel it.

As far as possible forms of assessment in each unit offered by the Sociology Department will be discussed with students before being finalised (see Faculty entry on assessment). In each unit completion of prescribed written work and participation in classes (including tutorials) is a condition which, if unfulfilled, will render a student ineligible for assessment.

Units offered in 1999

The Majors

A major in Social Psychology (Sociology) consists of two first-year units, The Self and Society (SOCY1002) and Introduction to Social Psychology (Sociology) (SOCY1004), and four later-year units. The later-year units available in 1999 for the social psycology major are Emotions and Society (SOCY2051) and Identity, Difference and Ethnicity (SOCY3022). In following years additional units will be added to complete the social psychology major. Please note that all the units in the Social Psychology (Sociology) major can be taken in the Sociology major also.

A major in Sociology consists of six sociology units to the value of no fewer than 44 credit points.

All first-year units are worth six credit points and extend over one semester, all later-year units are worth eight credit points and extend over one semester.

First-year units

The Self and Society (SOCY1002)
Contemporary Society (SOCY1003)
Introduction to Social Psychology (Sociology) (SOCY1004)

Later-year units

All of the following are eight credit point units

Theory units

Classical Sociological Theory (SOCY2040)
Modern Sociological Theory (SOCY3014)
Engendering Paradigms (SOCY3023)

Research Methods Units

Foundations of Social Research (SOCY2037)
Qualitative Research Methods (SOCY2043)
Methods of Social Research A (SOCY2038)
Methods of Social Research B (SOCY3018)
Methods of Social Research C (SOCY3019)
Population Analysis (POPS2002)

Other Units

Australian Society (SOCY2033)
Collective Behaviour and Social Movements (SOCY2041)
Community and the Individual (SOCY2020)
Economic Sociology (SOCY2026)
Education and Society (SOCY2021)
Emotions and Society (SOCY2051)
Energy, Environment and Society (SOCY2022)
Engendering Paradigms (SOCY3023)
Identity, Difference and Ethnicity (SOCY3022)
Intersexions: Gender and Sociology (SOCY2044)
Issues in Contemporary Social Structure (SOCY2036)
Law, Crime and Social Control (SOCY3016)
Modern Society (SOCY2034)
Political Sociology (SOCY2031)
Population and Australia (SOCY2032)
Population Health (SOCY2050)
Population and Society (POPS2001)
Selected Topics in Sociology (SOCY3003)
Sociology of Health and Illness (SOCY3021)
Sociology of Third World Development (SOCY2030)
Urban Society (SOCY2035)

The pass degree

FIRST-YEAR UNITS IN SOCIOLOGY

Students may complete any two of the first-year units in any order.

The units Self and Society and Contemporary Society may not be combined in a degree with the former SOCY1001.

The Self and Society    SOCY1002

(6cp)

First semester
Offered every year

Lecturers: Dr Bloul, Dr Hopkins

Prerequisite: None

Syllabus: This unit will deal with the social construction of the self. It will use film and biography to show how the self is constructed in both gender and class terms. The unit then addresses the paradox that although we are shaped by powerful social forces we have a sense of ourselves as autonomous individuals. It will show how this sense of individual selfhood is of recent origin, associated with the development of modern society, and how the rise of individualism accounts for the emergence of a concern for human rights. The Self and Society may follow or precede Contemporary Society.

Proposed assesment: To be discussed in class.

Contemporary Society    SOCY1003

(6cp)

Second semester
Offered every year

Lecturers: Dr Lewins, Dr Rowland

Prerequisite: None

Syllabus: This unit provides an introduction to modern society, its structures, processes of change and their impacts on everyday life. Australian society is discussed in a comparative context with particular reference to social institutions ¾ such as the education system, the family, and the political system ¾ and the urban and rural community settings of people’s lives. Explanations of trends are examined in the context of classical and modern sociological theories. Contemporary Society may follow or precede The Self and Society.

Proposed assessment: To be discussed with the class.

Introduction to Social Psychology (Sociology)    SOCY1004

(6cp)

Second semester
Offered every year

Lecturer: Dr Saha

Prerequisite: None

Syllabus: The unit will introduce students to major figures in the history of social psychology, and the theoretical legacy of their research. In particular the work of Le Bon (and Freud), Mead, Cooley, Simmel, Goffman, and Scheff will be examined. Students will be introduced to the analysis of interpersonal relations (mediated by face-to-face interaction) and social structural (the organizations of interaction into stable patterns). Particular topics to be treated in the unit include the formation and change of attitudes and values, group behaviour, the social psychology of protest, and the study of social memory and emotions.

Proposed assessment: To be discussed with the class.

LATER-YEAR UNITS IN SOCIOLOGY

Note: Students should consult the Department’s Guide for Continuing Students before enrolling in later-year units.

Theory Units

Classical Sociological Theory    SOCY2040

(8cp)

Second semester
Two hours of lectures and a one-hour tutorial a week (or equivalent)

Lecturer: Dr Barbalet

Prerequisite: Any two first-year Sociology units or permission of the Head of Department

Syllabus: The unit will examine the sociological theories of Karl Marx, Max Weber and Emile Durkheim. The social and intellectual contexts of the development of the classical sociological traditions will be considered. The influence of Marx, Weber and Durkheim on recent sociology will also be treated.

Proposed assessment: One 2000-word essay and a two-hour examination.

This unit may be included in a Social and Political Theory Program major.

Modern Sociological Theory    SOCY3014

(8cp)

Not offered in 1999
Two hours of lectures and a one-hour tutorial a week (or equivalent)

Lecturer: Dr Bloul

Prerequisite: One later-year sociology unit or permission of Head of Department.

Syllabus: Sociologically significant theories of rationality, social action, social structure and social reproduction are examined in this unit. The contribution of such theories to an understanding of power in modern society will constitute the primary focus of the unit.

Proposed assessment: To be discussed with students.

This unit may be included in a Social and Political Theory Program major.

Engendering Paradigms    SOCY3023

(8cp)

Not offered in 1999
Two one-hour lectures and a one-hour tutorial a week

Lecturer: Dr Bloul

Prerequisites: One later-year sociology unit or one Women’s Studies unit or permission of the Head of Department.

Syllabus: This unit examines the potential of various feminist social theories and critiques as exercises of the sociological imagination (according to C Wright Mills’ classic definition). There are two main components to this unit:

(1) The theory section evaluates the impact of feminist analyses on a range of sociological theories. It is argued that a variety of feminist critiques proposed a revision of existing sociological theories to accommodate new evidence on gender. The unsatisfactory results of such revisions prompted a more thorough deconstruction of such mainstream sociological theories and an attempt to promote new frameworks of sociological explanations and new ways of doing sociology.

(2) The methodology and research section analyses the construction of sociological knowledge. Are new ways of doing sociological research possible? Can feminist critiques of empirical methodology really promote the construction of an empowering sociological knowledge?

Proposed assessment: One theoretical essay of 3000 words and a research proposal, to be discussed with students.

Research Methods Units

Foundations of Social Research    SOCY2037

(8cp)

Not offered in 1999
Two hours of lectures and a one-hour tutorial a week

Lecturer: Dr Lewins

Prerequisite: Any one of: two first-year units of Sociology or Anthropology or Geography or Political Science or Prehistory, PSYC1001, BIOL1002, or permission of the Head of Department.

Syllabus: This unit examines key issues and assumptions in sociological research. It covers areas such as sociological theory as explanation; degrees of sociological explanation; operationalisation of concepts; validity; theory testing and theory construction; and strategies of analysis of research.

Proposed assessment: Details will be discussed with students at the beginning of the semester.

This unit may be included in a Social Research Methods Program major.

Qualitative Research Methods    SOCY2043

(8cp)

Second semester
Offered annually
Two hours of lectures and a one-hour tutorial a week (or equivalent)
Lectures will be taped

Lecturer: Dr White

Prerequisites: Any two first-year Sociology units or permission of the Head of Department

Syllabus: Students will be introduced to the theoretical basis of the interpretive tradition in sociology. This tradition has produced a range of methods for examining the social world. Those examined may include participant observation, in depth interviewing, oral histories, life histories and unstructured interviewing.

Proposed assessment: One essay, a short take home exam and two tutorial papers.

Methods of Social Research A    SOCY2038

(8cp)

First semester
Two hours of lectures and a one-hour tutorial a week

Lecturer: Dr Dent

Prerequisite: Any one of: two first-year units of either Sociology or Anthropology or Geography or Political Science or Prehistory, Foundations of Social Research, PSYC1001, STAT1003, STAT1004 or permission of the Head of Department.

Syllabus: An introduction to social research methods with emphasis on the testing of theories and models by quantitative techniques. Topics to be covered will include causal axiomatic theories; strategies for testing theories; research designs from true experimental designs to ex-post-facto designs such as survey research; statistical estimation and hypothesis testing; and computer-based statistical techniques.

Proposed assessment: To be discussed with students, but will be based upon a combination of regular assignments and a three-hour final examination.

This unit may not be combined in a degree with the former Methods of Sociological Research.

This unit may be included in a Population Studies or a Social Research Methods Program major.

Methods of Social Research B    SOCY3018

(8cp)

Not offered in 1999
Two hours of lectures and a one-hour tutorial a week

Lecturer: Dr Dent

Prerequisite: Methods of Social Research A or permission of the Head of Department.

Syllabus: This unit builds upon the material presented in Methods of Social Research A. Topics to be covered will include theory and techniques of social measurement; sampling theory and sample design; data collection procedures; computer-based analytical techniques including graphical methods and multivariate statistics with special emphasis on their application to sociological problems.

Proposed assessment: To be discussed with students.

This unit may not be combined in a degree with the former Methods of Sociological Research.

This unit may be included in a Program major in Population Studies or in Social Research Methods.

Methods of Social Research C    SOCY3019

(8cp)

Not offered in 1999
Two one-hour lectures and a one-hour tutorial a week

Lecturer: Dr Klovdahl

Prerequisite: Methods of Social Research A or permission of the Head of Department.

Syllabus: This unit builds upon the material presented in Methods of Social Research A. Data collection procedures and analytical techniques studied previously will be examined in greater depth and a variety of alternative computing packages will be introduced and used in analyses of available data sets. Other techniques not covered previously will also be examined.

Proposed assessment: To be discussed with students.

This unit may be included in a Program major in Population Studies or Social Research Methods.

Population Analysis    POPS2002

(8cp)

Second semester
Offered in 1999 and 2001
Two lectures, one tutorial and one computer laboratory per week

Lecturer: Dr Rowland

Prerequisite: Any one of: two first-year units of Anthropology or Archaeology or Geography or Sociology or History or Economic History or History or Political Science or Economics, a later-year unit of a Population Studies major, or permission of the Convener.

Syllabus: Demographic techniques and their applications in a wide range of contexts. Emphasis is given to methods that are most commonly needed for population studies in Australia; the focus is on practical applications of methods, rather than mathematics. Coverage will include: methods of analysing fertility, mortality, migration and population composition; standardisation of rates; life tables; population projections. Students will receive training in the uses of microcomputer spreadsheets for demographic calculations.

Prescribed reading

• Pollard, AH, Yusuf, F & Pollard, GN, Demographic Techniques, 3rd edn, Pergamon, 1990

Proposed assessment: Three assignments.

This unit may be included in a geography or sociology major or in a program major in Human Evolution and Ecology or in Social Research Methods.

Other Units

Australian Society    SOCY2033

(8cp)

First semester
Two hours of lectures and a one-hour tutorial a week

Lecturer: Dr Greig

Prerequisite: Any two first-year Sociology units or permission of Head of Department.

Syllabus: This unit will provide an overview of Australian society, its structure and institutions. It will explore the ramifications throughout Australian society of a small number of significant themes, such as ¾ social inequality, structures of power, sources of stability and change, the position of women, work and occupations, national identity and culture, unemployment and its causes, and movements for social change.

Proposed assessment: To be decided in consultation with students.

Collective Behaviour and Social Movements    SOCY2041

(8cp)

First semester
Two hours of lectures and a one-hour tutorial a week (or equivalent)

Lecturer: Dr Saha

Prerequisite: One later-year sociology unit or permission of the Head of Department.

Syllabus: This unit will cover theoretical explanations and research findings concerning collective behaviour, such as riots and mobs, and social movements. Particular attention will be directed to the objectives and strategies of social movements, such as passive resistance, sabotage and terrorism, and to attempts to control social movements by the State and/or other interested parties. The sociological factors related to recruitment to and exiting from movement activity, and the long-term social and personal consequences of activism will be studied. Selected social movements will be covered in depth, for example, student political movements, liberation movements, and the environmental movement.

Assessment: One 3000-word essay or report, a final examination, and tutorial participation will be required. Details will be discussed with students.

Community and the Individual    SOCY2020

(8cp)

Not offered in 1999
Two hours of lectures and a one-hour tutorial a week (or equivalent)

Lecturer: Dr Hopkins

Prerequisite: Any two first-year Sociology units or permission of the Head of Department.

Syllabus: This unit will examine the contrasting ideological themes of individualism and community. It will begin by showing how the discipline of sociology developed as a reaction to the breakdown of community in 19th Century Europe. We shall see that much of the present-day political debate involves a clash between the perspectives of individualism and community, for example debates about economic policy and about how best to prevent crime. Despite the dominance of individualist thinking in many areas of public policy, community remains a major theme in many of the movements for social change, in particular the alternative lifestyle seekers. The unit will also address questions of human motivation: are we simply rational, self-interested calculators, as the discipline of economics presumes, or are we also driven by moral imperatives, as sociologists would contend?

Proposed assessment: One 3000-word essay and a short examination ¾ to be discussed with students.

This unit may not be included in a degree course with Community and Urban Life in Contemporary Cities.

Economic Sociology    SOCY2026

(8cp)

Not offered in 1999
Two hours of lectures and one tutorial a week

Lecturer: Dr Barbalet

Prerequisite: One later-year sociology unit or permission of Head of Department.

Syllabus: In this unit economic relations, institutions and processes are examined sociologically. Concepts such as division of labour, exchange, property, market, and production are treated in various theoretical contexts. Next, variation in the social manifestation of economic relations of production and distribution is treated. Finally, the unit considers the connections between economic organisation and relations on the one hand, and social dynamics or change on the other.

Proposed assessment: To be discussed with students.

This unit may be included in Program majors in Political Economy and Social and Political Theory.

Education and Society    SOCY2021

(8cp)

Not offered in 1999
Two hours of lectures and one one-hour tutorial a week (or equivalent)

Lecturer: Dr Saha

Prerequisite: Any two first-year Sociology units, or permission of the Head of Department.

Syllabus: The purpose of this unit will be to examine the dialectical relationship between education and society, particularly with respect to socioeconomic development and change.

The unit will firstly consider the main theoretical perspectives which attempt to explain variations in educational systems and the ways that they change (eg functionalist, Marxist and interpretative). This will be followed by a socio-historical examination of the emergence of schooling, from antiquity through the industrial revolution to mass schooling in many societies today. Topics will include the relationship between education and the economy, the political system (the State) and the cultural and ideological system. The relationship between the family, schooling and life chances will also receive attention. Finally, alternative educational structures will be examined with respect to their appropriateness for different types of societies.

All topics will be treated in a comparative perspective, although the Australian context will receive considerable attention. The similarities and differences between school processes in industrialised and non-industrialised societies, as well as capitalist and socialist societies, will be a consistent theme throughout the course.

Proposed assessment: The suggested assessment program includes one 3000-word essay, tutorial participation, and a choice between a final report or an examination.

Emotions and Society    SOCY2051

(8cp)

First Semester
Two hours of lectures, and one-hour tutorial a week

Lecturer: Dr. Barbalet

Prerequisite:  Any two first-year Sociology units, or permission of the Head of Department

Syllabus: A recent literature recognizes that emotions are at the basis of every aspect of social and personal activity. While typically thought of as private and socially disruptive states, it is now clear that emotions play decisive roles in social organization and individual processes. In this unit leading theories of emotion will be introduced and assessed. In particular, the centrality of emotions to the following matters will be treated:  social order and conformity, rationality, human rights, the hidden and overt conflicts of social inequalities, the processes of social action, and structural change.

Proposed assessment: A 3,000 word essay, and class work

Energy, Environment and Society    SOCY2022

(8cp)

First semester
Two hours of lectures and a one-hour tutorial a week (or equivalent)

Lecturer: Dr Klovdahl

Prerequisite: Any two first-year units of Sociology or Anthropology or Prehistory or Political Science, any human sciences unit, any first-year science unit, or permission of Head of Department.

Syllabus: This unit covers such topics as the role of energy in the development of different levels of societal organisation; the question of whether particular levels of civilisation (e.g. modern Western) require specific levels of energy use; sociological theories pertaining to energy, environment and society relationships; the limits of growth versus the ultimate resource debate; energy and structure of cities; the impact of energy-induced urban structure on the well-being of city dwellers; the rise and development of the environmental movement; and so on.

The unit will provide an opportunity for participants to examine critically the sociological implications of recent environmental issues.

Proposed assessment: The proposed assessment includes a 3000-word research essay, tutorial/ seminar presentation and participation, and a final exam.

This unit can be included in an Art and Material Culture, Environmental Resources, Population Studies or Human Sciences Program major.

Identity, Difference and Ethnicity    SOCY3022

(8cp)

Second semester
Two one-hour lectures and a one-hour tutorial a week

Lecturer: Dr Bloul

Prerequisite: Any two first-year sociology units or permission of Head of Department

Syllabus: Ethnic relations form a central feature of many societies today, as colonialism and post-colonial migrations have created minority populations in many parts of the world. This unit examines the origins and maintenance of racial and ethnic divisions in a comparative perspective. It focuses on the social construction of ethnic identities in multicultural settings. The unit is concerned with general theoretical issues informing debates on identity and the cultural politics of difference, at both individual and collective levels. Special attention is given to case-studies, with an emphasis on new cultural pluralism, the place of individual self-projects and the status of difference in a global world.

Proposed assessment: One tutorial presentation and two essays (around 2000 and 4000 words respectively) in consultation with students.

This unit may be included in a Program major in Development Studies.

Intersexions: Gender and Sociology    SOCY2044

(8cp)

Not offered in 1999
Two one hour lectures and a one-hour tutorial a week

Lecturer: Dr Bloul

Prerequisite: Any one of: two first-year Sociology units, a Women’s Studies unit or approval of Head of Department

Syllabus: This is an upper-level unit whose aim is to introduce students to a range of gender issues in sociology. The stress is on gender rather than women’s problems. This course will introduce students to the many dimensions of gender and argue that gender is a central category of social analysis, in a similar way to class, race and ethnicity with which it intersects with varied, specific results. The unit will specifically focus on the emergence of gender as an analytical tool in sociology, on the reproduction of gendered social agents and on the analysis of gendered ideologies. It will also examine the impact of gender and feminist deconstructionism in the sociology of knowledge. The aim is to familiarize students with the impact of feminist theories on sociology as a whole.

Proposed assessment: One tutorial presentation and two essays (around 2000 and 4000 words respectively) in consultation with students.

Issues in Contemporary Social Structure    SOCY2036

(8cp)

Not offered in 1999
Two hours of lectures and a one-hour tutorial a week

Prerequisite: Any two first-year Sociology units or permission of the Head of Department.

Syllabus: This unit will demonstrate how sociological analysis can be applied to institutions and processes which are of importance in contemporary society. Areas such as the industrial, legal, political, educational and health spheres will be examined.

The course will develop a number of central themes in respect of the areas studied, such as the history of the institutions, the outcome of their operations for persons implicated in them and for related institutions, as well as the consequences for the wider society of their operation.

Different theoretical and methodological perspectives may be contrasted and a number of relevant empirical cases examined.

Proposed assessment: To be discussed with students.

Law, Crime and Social Control    SOCY3016

(8cp)

Second semester
Two hours of lectures and a one-hour tutorial a week (or equivalent)

Lecturer: Dr Hopkins

Prerequisite: Any two first-year Sociology units or permission of the Head of Department.

Syllabus: The unit focuses on the sociological analysis of issues in contemporary society concerned with the making, breaking and enforcement of laws, as well as those social behaviours considered deviant, even when these are not illegal. Particular attention may be paid to those processes that lead to an individual being incarcerated in institutions for the criminal, the delinquent or the insane. The unit will deal with questions such as how some behaviours or people are defined as deviant. It will look in some detail at the crimes of the powerful and at crimes against women, particularly domestic violence, sexual assault and sexual harassment.

Proposed assessment: To be discussed with students

Modern Society    SOCY2034

(8cp)

Not offered in 1999
Two hours of lectures and a one-hour tutorial a week (or equivalent)

Prerequisite: Classical Sociological Theory or permission of the Head of Department.

Syllabus: Modern society is usually taken for granted by us, yet is unique and differs substantially from previous societal forms. The transformations which brought it about represent some of the most significant changes since recorded civilisation began. Since then modern society has continued to change, is changing continually before our eyes and is likely to be considerably different in the future. This unit is concerned with comparative analysis of these changes and the meaning they have for us as individuals living in modern society.

Various theories which attempt to explain these changes will be considered. Changes in aspects of social structure, such as in the economic sphere, in class or in political, educational or similar institutions, and the impact of those changes on the lives and problems of individuals will be considered in the light of these theories.

Proposed assessment: This will be decided in consultation with students.

Political Sociology    SOCY2031

(8cp)

Not offered in 1999
One two-hour lecture a week and a two-hour tutorial a fortnight

Lecturer: Dr Barbalet

Prerequisite: Any one of: two first-year units of Sociology or Anthropology or Political Science, or permission of the Head of Department.

Syllabus: The unit will examine the power of elites and the participation of the public in the political process of modern democratic, capitalist societies. It will begin with a brief, critical overview of the main theories on this topic. It will then focus on the problems created by power in a democracy. The focus will then shift to the political participation and influence of the public. The problems of inequality, alienation and apathy will be reviewed. Finally, the democratic role of elections, initiatives and referenda will be considered.

Proposed assessment: To be decided in consultation with students.

Population and Australia    SOCY2032

(8cp)

Not offered in 1999
Two hours of lectures and a one-hour tutorial a week

Lecturer: Dr Rowland

Prerequisite: Any one of: two first-year units of Anthropology or Archaeology or Geography or Sociology or History or Economic History or History or Political Science, Economics I, a later-year unit of a Population Studies major, or permission of the Convener.

Syllabus: Population processes have contributed to many changes in Australian society, including urbanisation, the development of muliticulturalism, the diversification of family forms, the emergence of ageing as a major social issue and the growth and decline of urban and rural communities. This unit examines changes in Australia from the perspective of the causes and effects of demographic processes. Emphasis is given to the contemporary questions and their historical origins, referring to concepts and theories concerning migration, the demographic transition and social change.

Proposed assessment: Tutorial work, an essay and an open-book examination or a take-home examination or a final essay.

This unit may be included in Program majors in Population Studies and Environmental Resources.

Population Health    SOCY2050

(8cp)

Second semester
Two hours of lectures and a one-hour tutorial a week (or equivalent)

Lecturer: Dr Dent

Prerequisites: Any one of: two first-year units of Sociology or Anthropology or Prehistory or Geography or Economic History or Political Science, PSYC1001, ECON1001, or permission of the Head of Department.

Syllabus: The aim of this unit is to introduce the concepts and methods used in describing and analysing the health of human populations, with particular emphasis on health in Australia. The causes of illness and death will be reviewed for the population as a whole and for selected sub-groups within it such as Aboriginals, migrants and males as compared with females. Demographic and epidemiological techniques for studying health and disease will be introduced. Various interventions such as immunisation, population screening, health promotion programs and acute medical care will be examined in relation to their impact on population health.

Proposed assessment: The preferred model of regular tutorial assignments and a final examination will be subject to consultation with students.

This unit may be included in a Program major in Population Studies.

Selected Topics in Sociology    SOCY3003

(8CP)

Not offered in 1999
Two hours of lectures and a one-hour tutorial a week (or equivalent)

Prerequisite: Any two first-year Sociology units or permission of the Head of Department.

Syllabus: This will vary from year to year depending on the lecturer; however, in any given year the unit will provide intensive sociological examination of a topic(s) in a particular substantive area.

Proposed assessment: To be discussed with students.

Sociology of Health and Illness    SOCY3021

(8cp)

First semester
Two one-hour lectures and a one-hour tutorial a week
Lectures will be taped

Lecturer: Dr White

Prerequisites: Two later-year sociology units or permission of the Head of Department.

Syllabus: A range of theoretical analyses ¾ Parsonian, Marxist, Weberian and feminist ¾ of the role of medical knowledge in modern society are examined. In the second part of the unit these perspectives are developed in case studies. These case studies may reflect the interests of the students and may include the development of the medical profession, the hospital, the role of alternative medicines, the links between medical knowledge and power, as well as studies of specific diseases from a sociological perspective.

Proposed assessment: Two essays, the first of 2000 words on theoretical perspectives on medical knowledge. The second is a research essay of approximately 4000 words.

Sociology of Third World Development    SOCY2030

(8cp)

Second semester
Two hours of lectures and a one-hour tutorial a week

Lecturer: Dr Greig

Prerequisite: Any two first-year units of Sociology or Anthropology or Political Science or permission of the Head of Department.

Syllabus: The unit surveys various sociological approaches to the study of social and economic development in less developed societies. It includes a critical examination of modernisation theories, various forms of dependency theory, world systems theory, and the theory of imperialism. Case studies from one or more societies will be used to illustrate the dynamics of the development and underdevelopment processes, and various national liberation and revolutionary movements will be examined.

Proposed assessment: Details will be discussed with students.

This unit may be included in a Development Studies and Environmental Resources Program major.

Urban Society    SOCY2035

(8cp)

Not offered in 1999
Two hours of lectures and a one-hour tutorial a week (or equivalent)

Lecturer: Dr Klovdahl

Prerequisite: Any one of: two first-year units of Sociology or Anthropology or Prehistory or Political Science units, or permission of the Head of Department.

Syllabus: The purpose of this unit is to look at the origins of cities and the development of urban society in order to learn more about the foundations on which modern cities have been built. The urban revolution that saw the rise of the first cities will be the starting point for the course, followed by an examination of the pre-industrial city, the influence of the Middle Ages on modern cities, the profound effects of industrialisation and subsequent development of the Western industrial city to about 1950.

Particular topics likely to be included are unique factors affecting Australian cities as these developed in the 19th century and thereafter; and some reference to the development of non-Western, non-industrial cities in the period will be covered.

Proposed assessment: A 3000-word research essay, tutorial/seminar participation and presentation, and a final examination.

Population and Society     POPS2001

(8cp)

First semester
Normally offered in alternate years
Two lectures and one tutorial a week

Lecturers: Dr Rowland, Dr Wilson

Prerequisite: Any one of: two first-year units of Anthropology or Archaeology or Geography or Sociology or History or Economic History or History or Political Science, Economics I, a later-year unit of a Population Studies major, or permission of the Convener.

Syllabus: This unit introduces the main concepts in population studies, showing how they relate to issues in research, planning and policy development. Topics include contemporary thought on population growth, mortality control, changes in fertility, population mobility, the life cycle, the study of generations and the population dimension of environmental changes and social issues. The content is non-mathematical and coverage is global, with emphasis on comparisons between less developed and more developed countries.

Prescribed reading

• Lucas, D & Meyer, P (eds), Beginning Population Studies, Dev. Stud. Centre, ANU, Canberra, 1994

Proposed assessment: Tutorial work, an essay and an openbook examination or a take home examination or a final essay.

This unit may be included in a Geography or Sociology major or a program major in Development Studies or Human Sciences.

The Degree with Honours

Intending honours students should first read the general statement The degree with honours in the introductory section of the Faculty of Arts entry.

The course for the degree with honours in sociology extends over four years and normally consists of

(a) the completion of pass Bachelor of Arts requirements including 10 units of Sociology (not less than 76cp) which must contain:

(1) two theory units

(2) two research methods units, preferably one quantitative and one qualitative unit

(3) four additional units, at least two of which must be from the list of other units.

An average grade of credit must be attained over all later-year units and at least three of these units must be completed with grades of distinction or higher.

and

(b) completion of Sociology IV(H).

Sociology IV(H)

In the fourth year, candidates for the degree with honours will have three course components ¾

(a) The Honours Seminars ¾ two weekly seminars in first semester focusing on aspects of sociological theory and research. These seminars will contribute 25% each to the final honours grade;

(b) A Sub-thesis not exceeding 20,000 words which will count for 50% of the honours grade and will be completed in second semester.