This course aims to introduce students to the methods, subject matter, and perspectives of sociology.

Course Code and Title : SOC 101 Introduction to Sociology (1 st term 2010-11) Instructors Dr Annie Chan 陳效能博士 ; SO 218; tel: 2616-7204; annchan@ln.edu.hk Office hours Tuesdays 11:30-1:30, Wednesdays 11:30 1:00, 2:00-2:30 Ms Sharon Chan 陳鮮叡女士 ; BU G09; tel: 2616-7275; sharon@ln.edu.hk Office hours Tuesdays 10:30-1:30, Thursdays 3:30-4:30, Friday 11-1 Brief Course Description This is an introductory course in Sociology. We start with an overview of the nature of the discipline, followed by a survey of various aspects of the structures and dynamics of social life. General and specific examples are used to illustrate how thinking sociologically adds to our knowledge of the world around us. Aims This course aims to introduce students to the methods, subject matter, and perspectives of sociology. Learning Outcomes (LOs) Upon completion of this course, successful students will be able to: (1) recall fundamental perspectives, methods, and concepts in sociology (2) demonstrate understanding of readings in basic sociology texts (3) effectively consolidate and communicate course materials in class discussions and presentations as well as in the form of academic essays (4) apply sociological thinking to analyze everyday social life issues Assessment and Measurement of Learning Outcomes Four assessment components measure the learning outcomes (LOs) above: 1. Leading a tutorial discussion (10%) (measures LOs 1-4) 2. Participating in tutorial discussion (10%) (measures LOs 1-4) 3. Essays (20%) (measures LOs 1-4) 4. Mid-term Test (20%) (measures LOs 1, 2) 5. Final exam (40%) (measures LOs 1 4) Indicative Content 1. The Sociological Imagination 2. Theoretical Perspectives 3. Culture 4. Socialization 5. Social Interaction 6. Formal Organizations 7. Deviance, Conformity and Social Control 8. Social Stratification 9. Race, Ethnicity and gender 10. Education 11. Religion 1

Required/Essential Readings: Ferrante, Joan. Sociology a Global Perspective Enhanced 7 th Edition (International Edition). Wadsworth Publishing. Lectures and tutorials follow the textbook closely, so you are strongly advised to get a copy. Recommended/Supplementary Readings: Berger, P. 1986. Invitation to Sociology. London: Penguin. Bruce, Steve. 1999. Sociology: a very short introduction. Oxford:Oxford University Press. Cargan, Leonard and Jeanne H. Ballantine. 2000. Sociological footprints : introductory readings in sociology. Belmont, Calif. : Wadsworth Pub. Co Charon, Joel M. 2004. Ten Questions: A Sociological Perspective. 2nd ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Collins, Randall. 1992. Sociological insight: an introduction to non-obvious sociology. New York : Oxford University Press. Giddens, Anthony. 1982. Sociology: a brief but critical introduction. London : Macmillan. Lau Siu-kai et al (eds.) Indicators of social development: Hong Kong : (various years). Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, (various years). Levin, William C. 1991. Sociological ideas: concepts and applications. Belmont, Calif. : Wadsworth. Mills, C. Wright. 1970. The Sociological Imagination. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. Ruggiero, Vincent Ryan. 1996. A guide to sociological thinking. Thousand Oaks, CA : Sage Publications. 何強星主編. 2002. 社會學入門學習指南香港 : 香港城市大學李明堃, 黃紹倫主編. 1992. 社會學新論香港 : 商務印書館莫家豪. 1998. 社會學與社會分析香港 : 香港人文科學出版社 An important learning objective of this course is to develop students skills in applying sociological thinking to everyday life. Pay attention, therefore, to local and international news. Make it a habit to scan daily newspapers and read up on items which are of particular relevance to that week s lecture and tutorial topics. Use the internet to search for facts and figures on Hong Kong society (try http://www.gov.hk and the Census and Statistics Department http://www.censtatd.gov.hk) 2

Course rules and general information GENERAL All course information and notices will be posted on WebCT. Do not over-rely on lecture outlines as they are merely extractions from the textbook and not its substitute. English is the medium of instruction for lectures, tutorials and all written work. During the week of the mid-term test you will need to complete an on-line course teaching and learning evaluation. An email will be sent to you with instructions. It is important that you give adequate feedback to the instructors so as to enhance teaching and learning effectiveness. CLASS ATTENDANCE Each unexcused absence from tutorials will result in a 5% (1 sub-grade) deduction from your final grade if you are unable to come to class for legitimate reasons, notify your instructor well in advance so that alternative arrangements could be made. If you miss class because of illness or other unforeseeable circumstances, you must notify the instructor within 24 hours of your absence or it will be counted as an unexcused absence. In case of illness, show the instructor a doctor s certificate; in all other cases, a written explanation together with any supporting documents must be provided. Be punctual for lectures and tutorials. If you are late, enter the classroom quietly. For tutorials, to be fair to students lead the discussion, anyone arriving over 10 minutes late will be considered absent. TUTORIAL DISCUSSION AND PARTICIPATION For each tutorial topic, the responsible students will lead a discussion (i.e. the discussion leaders). Discussion leaders are NOT to give a presentation they need to actively engage the class in discussion and NOT do all the talking. Seek your instructor s advice if you are not sure what to do. ALL students should come to tutorials prepared. You should do the specified readings and think over the discussion questions so that you will have something to say in class. If you do not participate in discussions0, you will lose out on the 10% participation grade. WRITTEN WORK AND ASSESSMENT Submit all written work through WebCT, which will automatically be checked for plagiarism (i.e. presentation of another person's work without proper acknowledgment of the source). Familiarize yourself with University regulations about dishonest practice in course work as stipulated in the Regulations Governing University Examinations. Examples of dishonest practice include plagiarism, copying the work of other students, deliberately allowing other students to copy from you, and submitting the same piece of work for more than one course (whether from this or another institution). All academic dishonesty cases will be reported to the university, and a student considered to have cheated in course work or examination would be given a zero mark for that particular piece of work or exam paper. Reported academic dishonesty cases would be used to build up a database for future reference. 3

You need to write TWO essays (1,000 words each). Essay 1 can be written individually or jointly with other students in your group, and must be on your tutorial discussion topic. Essay 2 must be written individually, and can be on any other tutorial topic. Due date for both essays will be within ONE WEEK of the tutorial class that the topic is discussed. For example, if you write an essay on topic 5 (whether or not you led the discussion on that topic), you need to submit your essay within one week that topic 5 is discussed in tutorials. Essays will receive a 10% reduction in marks (cumulative) for each day past the due date. Essays over 5 days late will not be marked. Always do a spell-check and proof read before submitting your essays. Shoddy papers give a terrible impression and will not get high marks. MID-TERM TEST AND FINAL EXAM The mid-term test will take place on 19 th October during regular lecture time. This will be a multiple choice test. Final exam will take place during exam week and will include multiple choice questions, short questions and/or long essays. Supplementary mid-term test and final exam will only be granted if (1) an application is made at least one week before the test or exam date, or (2) in case of unforeseeable circumstances such as illness or emergencies, that an application is made within 24 hours after the missed test or exam. Course instructors are the final arbiters on whether there are legitimate grounds for a supplementary test or exam to be granted. FEEDBACK AND KNOWING YOUR GRADES Your tutorial discussion grade (as discussion leader) will be available normally within 1 week, and essay grades will normally be available within 2 weeks of submission. However, as this is a large class, instructors have a heavy workload so please be patient if this guideline cannot be strictly observed. Instructors will write summative comments on the general performance of all the groups after they have finished discussion on each topic. This will be posted on WebCT. Your tutorial participation grade will be available after term ends and before your final exam. The mid-term test results will be made available to you within 2 weeks of the test. There will be a general discussion session on the final exam after exam week. Details will be announced later in the term. If you are dissatisfied with your grades for any of the assessment components, discuss with your instructors. If you are unhappy with your final grade, I encourage you apply for a reassessment of your final exam. At any point during the course that you are uncertain about the assessment criteria, or have any other course-related queries, let the instructors know as soon as possible DON T WAIT TILL DECEMBER! 4

Guide to assessment criteria Assessment Points Level of attainment/assessment criteria Leading a tutorial discussion 10% (group) 8-10% Demonstrate excellent preparation and understanding of the topic Able to lead and stimulate discussion, able to incorporate relevant materials from lectures and the textbook Able to consolidate and summarize discussion from the class in a meaningful manner, Able to critically reflect on the discussion 6-8% Demonstrate adequate preparation and understanding of the topic Able to steer class discussion in a focused manner Able to incorporate some materials from lectures and the textbook Some critical reflection on the discussion 4-6% Demonstrate some preparation and understanding of the topic Able to incorporate some materials from lectures and the textbook 0-4% Lack of preparation and understanding of the topic Unable to incorporate materials from lectures and the textbook in the Tutorial participation 10% (individual) 2 Essays 10% each (at least one written individually) Mid-term test 20% (multiple choice) Final exam (multiple choice, short questions and/or long essay) discussion 8-10% Nearly always participate in class tutorial discussions Demonstrate good understanding of sociological thinking through questions and comments on the discussion 6-8% Regular contribution to tutorial discussion Demonstrate some understanding of sociological thinking through questions and comments on the discussion 4-6% Sometimes contribute to tutorial discussion, limiting mainly to questions about facts and/or asking for clarification of concepts 0-4% Rarely contribute to tutorial discussions, seldom ask questions, offer insights or give comments 8-10% Demonstrate excellent understanding and application of contents covered in lectures and tutorials Clear and logical organization of paragraphs and contents, fluency of language use and conformity to styles of academic writing 6-8% Demonstrate good level of competence in the understanding and application of course contents Adequate consideration and effort in the organization and style of writing 4-6% Demonstrate some understanding and application of course contents Acceptable use of language and style 0-4% Demonstrate little understanding of course content and how they can be applied in daily life Careless in the organization of materials and below average ability in the use of language and conformity to academic writing style 16-20% Excellent ability to recall fundamental sociological perspectives, methods and concepts as covered in lectures, tutorials and the textbook 11-16% Good ability to recall fundamental sociological perspectives, methods and concepts as covered in lectures, tutorials and the textbook 6-11% Average ability to recall fundamental sociological perspectives, methods and concepts as covered in lectures, tutorials and the textbook 0-6% Poor ability to recall fundamental sociological perspectives, methods and concepts as covered in lectures, tutorials and the textbook 31-40 Demonstrate excellent level of accomplishment in all four learning outcomes under an exam environment 21-31% Demonstrate good level of accomplishment in all four learning 5

outcomes in an exam environment 11-21% Demonstrate average level of accomplishment in all four learning outcomes in an exam environment 0-11% Demonstrate low level of accomplishment in all four learning outcomes in an exam environment Tutorial topics these will be allocated in our first tutorial meeting (refer to the schedule on the last page) 1. The Sociological Imagination (6 th and 8 th October) Read chapter 1 The Sociological Imagination, pay special attention to the core concepts. Leading students: Briefly explain these five core concepts in this chapter (10 minutes). For discussion: Which of these concepts are most difficult to understand? Can you come up with your own examples to illustrate these concepts? Discuss the meaning of sociological imagination through examples. How can we apply the sociological imagination to everyday life? 2. Sociological Perspectives applying theory (13 th and 15 th October) Read chapter two Theoretical Perspectives and Methods of Social Research up to p. 39. Leading students: Briefly explain the three major sociological perspectives discussed in this chapter (10 minutes). For discussion: Bring to class one or more pieces of recent local or international news. Discuss which of the sociological perspectives described in the book can be best applied to understand the chosen news items. 3. Culture (20 th and 22 nd October) Read chapter 3 Culture, pay attention to the section the transmission of culture from p. 68. Leading students: Briefly explain what sociologists mean by culture, and give examples of material and non-material culture. (5 minutes) For discussion: Do you agree that culture is learned and transmitted? Can you think of some examples of cultural transmission? Try to identify forms of cultural transmission that are overt (obvious, formal) and those that are covert (hidden, informal). What factors influence how well a form of culture is transmitted or learned? Why are some cultures slowly being forgotten or even disappeared? 4. Socialization (27 th and 29 th October) Read chapter 4 Socialization, especially the section Development of the social self from p. 93 onwards. Leading students: Briefly define the term socialization and illustrate with examples (5 minutes), then explain the concepts of I and me and the looking glass self (5 minutes) 6

For discussion: Do you agree that our sense of self is strongly related to others? If so, does this mean that we are not free to be who we want to be? What kinds of people in society are less dependent on others for a sense of self than others? Is this a good or bad thing for society and for individuals? 5. Social Interaction (3 rd and 5 th November) Read chapter 5 Social Interaction, especially the section Solidarity: the ties that bind from p. 121 onwards. Leading students: Briefly explain the two types of solidarity by using your own examples (5 minutes). For discussion: How would you describe social solidarity in Hong Kong (or another society of your choice)? Is solidarity strong or weak? Is mechanical or organic solidarity more applicable? Can you propose ways to increase society s solidarity? Is stronger social solidarity always desirable? 6. Formal Organizations (10 th and 12 th November) Read chapter 6 Formal Organizations, especially the section Multinational and global corporations from p. 151 onwards. Leading students: Identify some of the multinational and global corporations in Hong Kong which in your view have an important influence on our lives. Provide some evidence to support your view (10 minutes) For discussion: Some people think that multinational and global corporations are too powerful, and their influence on individual lives is increasingly. Do you agree? In what ways can individuals fight back? 7. Deviance (17 th and 19 th November) Read chapter 7 Deviance. In this tutorial discussion we focus on comparing formal and informal sanctions of deviance. Leading students: Briefly define deviance, formal and informal sanctions, and give examples to illustrate each concept (5 minutes). Prepare news reports that can serve as examples for formal and informal sanctions and introduce them to the class (5 minutes). For discussion: Consider the examples of formal and informal sanctions and discuss how effective they are in addressing the particular form of deviance in question. Can you think of other ways to deal with these kinds of deviance? Are there situations when sanctions might actually do more harm than good? 8. Social stratification (24 th and 26 th November) Read chapter 8 Social Stratification, especially the section A response to global inequality: the millennium declaration on p. 216 onwards. Leading students: Briefly describe theories of social inequality which in your view are relevant to the Millennium Project (5 minutes). For discussion: What are your views on the Millennium Project? Do you think it is an effective or desirable way to reduce global inequality? Would a similar project on a local scale work for reducing social inequality 7

in Hong Kong? If you are to design a plan to reduce social or global inequality, what would this plan look like? What might be the problems encountered? Tentative course schedule Lectures Tutorials Date Contents Read Tutorial discussion topic Wed Fri 7 Sept Introduction to the course Ch 1 Introducing and allocating 8 Sept 10 Sept What is Sociology? discussion topics 14 Sept The Sociological Imagination Ch 1 On tutorial discussion and essays 15 Sept 17 Sept 21 Sept Sociological Perspectives Ch 2 No tutorial this week 22 Sept 24 Sept 28 Sept Culture Ch 3 No tutorial this week 29 Sept 1Oct 5 Oct Socialization Ch 4 1. The Sociological Imagination 6 Oct 8 Oct 12 Oct Social Interaction Ch 5 2. Sociological Perspectives 13 Oct 15 Oct 19 Oct Mid-term test (1 hour) 3. Culture 20 Oct 22 Oct Formal Organizations Ch 6 26 Oct Formal Organizations Deviance 2 Nov Deviance Social Stratification 9 Nov Social Stratification Race, Ethnicity and Gender Ch 6 Ch 7 Ch 7 Ch 8 Ch 8 Ch 9, 10 4. Socialization 27 Oct 29 Oct 5. Social Interaction 3Nov 5 Nov 6. Formal Organizations 10 Nov 12 Nov 16 Nov Education Ch 13 7. Deviance 17 Nov 19 Nov 23 Nov Religion Ch 14 8. Social Stratification 24 Nov 26 Nov 30 Nov CTLE and review 8