Students

SOC 325 – Understanding Contemporary Societies

2016 – S2 Day

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Norbert Ebert
norbert.ebert@mq.edu.au
Tutor
Evelyn Honeywill
evelyn.honeywill@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
3
Prerequisites Prerequisites
39cp including (12cp in SOC units and 3cp in SOC units at 300 level)
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description
This unit provides essential sociological skills that enable you to understand contemporary societies and the lives we live in them. The goal is to guide students from sociology and other disciplines through the complexities of sociological thinking by exploring diverse areas such as work, identity, relationships, politics, racism and multiculturalism, crime, health, the environment, and the media. The unit has a strong focus on practical applications of social theory and prepares graduates to deal with and make sense of major social developments, which shape our lives and the world we live in.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • 1. A familiarity with key sociological concepts as they are applied to the study of contemporary societies. 2. An understanding of a range of theoretical perspectives on social life from the 19th century to the present. 3. Reading, summarising and applying basic concepts of Sociology in order to understand contemporary societies. 4. Practicing how to think sociologically.

General Assessment Information

All written work in SOC325 has to be submitted online through the appropriate turnitin link provided on iLearn. The tutorials / online discussion forums are the space for you to discuss any questions regarding the assignments.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Due Groupwork/Individual Short Extension AI assisted?
Participation 18% ongoing No
Reading Log Book 42% weekly No
Short Essay 40% 07/11/2016 No

Participation

Due: ongoing
Weighting: 18%
Groupwork/Individual:
Short extension 3: No
AI assisted?:

Internal students

All students are required to participate  in lectures and tutorials every week. Physical attendance in both is not enough. Active participation in class discussion is required on the basis of course material and topics. The participation mark is for participating in both, lectures and tutorials.

External students

All external students are required to listen to the lectures and participate in online discussions on iLearn every week. Active participation in online class discussion is required on the basis of course material and topics. There will be online discussion forums every week to do so on iLearn. You are required to engage meaningfully every week. Just logging on and asking questions is not enough. You need to engage with other students, not the lecturer or tutor and you need to keep your contributions relevant to the course material and not just make general statements.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • 1. A familiarity with key sociological concepts as they are applied to the study of contemporary societies. 2. An understanding of a range of theoretical perspectives on social life from the 19th century to the present. 3. Reading, summarising and applying basic concepts of Sociology in order to understand contemporary societies. 4. Practicing how to think sociologically.

Reading Log Book

Due: weekly
Weighting: 42%
Groupwork/Individual:
Short extension 3: No
AI assisted?:

All students (internal and external) are required to keep a log book of the readings from week 2-11 except week 8 (Berger & Luckmann) which is a long reading for which you will have two weeks to prepare your log book (due in week 9). What this means is that you need to write a 1 page summary per reading (two pages total if there are two readings required for a week) identifying the main topics, concept(s) and the main argument of the reading. Your own opinion is not required. The summary is to be submitted before 12pm before the next lecture starts through turnitin. All readings are available through iLearn.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • 1. A familiarity with key sociological concepts as they are applied to the study of contemporary societies. 2. An understanding of a range of theoretical perspectives on social life from the 19th century to the present. 3. Reading, summarising and applying basic concepts of Sociology in order to understand contemporary societies. 4. Practicing how to think sociologically.

Short Essay

Due: 07/11/2016
Weighting: 40%
Groupwork/Individual:
Short extension 3: No
AI assisted?:

At the end of week 9, several essay questions will be made available out of which you have to choose and answer one. The questions will be related to the topics, readings, concepts discussed and explained in the course. The short essay is due in week 13 and has to be submitted through turnitin. You are required to use course readings mainly. There is no minimum or maximum number of references (quality over quantity). There is also no 10% rule for the word count (2000 means 2000).
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • 1. A familiarity with key sociological concepts as they are applied to the study of contemporary societies. 2. An understanding of a range of theoretical perspectives on social life from the 19th century to the present. 3. Reading, summarising and applying basic concepts of Sociology in order to understand contemporary societies. 4. Practicing how to think sociologically.

Delivery and Resources

All resources for the course will be made available through iLearn. For a list of readings please refer to the schedule in the next section.

Unit Schedule

1

01/08/2016

Introduction to SOC325: Thinking Sociologically!

(no tutorials / readings this week)

2

08/08/2016

Sociology as a Science

 

Elias N (1970) What is Sociology? Columbia University Press pp. 33-49.

 

Mills C Wright (1959) The Sociological Imagination in Wrong D H and Gracey H L (eds) Readings in Introductory Sociology, Macmillan: London, pp.134-138.

 

3

15/08/2016

The Rise of Modernity and Capitalism

 

Marx K and Engels F (1859) 'A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy' in Wrong D H and Gracey H L (eds) Readings in Introductory Sociology, Macmillan: London, pp. 196-205.

 

Fromm E (1961) 'Marx's Concept of Man' in Wrong D H and Gracey H L (eds) Readings in Introductory Sociology, Macmillan: London, pp. 219-227

 

4

22/08/2016

The Characteristics of Modern Life

 

Weber M (1967) The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, in Wrong D H and Gracey H L (eds) Readings in Introductory Sociology, Macmillan: London, pp. 205-218.

 

Weber M (1946) Essays in Sociology in Wrong D H and Gracey H L (eds) Readings in Introductory Sociology, Macmillan: London, pp. 246-252.

 

5

29/08/2016

Differentiation and Integration

 

Durkheim E (1951) Suicide in Wrong D H and Gracey H L (eds) Readings in Introductory Sociology, Macmillan: London, pp. 238-246. Coser L (1984) Introduction to The Division of Labour in Society, Macmillan London, pp. ix-xxiv

 

6

05/09/2016

Individual and Society

 

Elias N (1991) The Society of Individuals Continuum, New York / London, pp. vii-20.

 

Mead G H (1934) Mind, Self and Society in Mizruchi E H The Substance of Sociology, Meredith Publishing Company: New York, pp. 182-189.

 

7

12/09/2016

Critical Theory

 

Honneth, A. (2009) A Social Pathology of reason: On the Intellectual Legacy of Critical Theory, in Pathologies of Reason, Columbia University Press, p.19-42.

 

 

19/09/2016

mid-session break

 

26/09/2016

mid-session break

8

03/10/2016

Study Week

9

10/10/2016

Social Reality: Systems and Institutions

 

Berger P. and Luckmann T. (1975) The Social Construction of Reality, Penguin University Books, Whitstable, pp 64-109.

 

10

17/10/2016

Identity, Self and Society

 

Baumeister, R. F. (1997), 'The self and society. Changes, problems, and opportunities', in Ashmore, R. D. & Jussim, L. (Eds.), Self and Identity: Fundamental Issues, New York: Oxford University Press, pp. 191-217.

 

11

24/10/2016

Public Sociology

 

Burawoy M. (2005)For Public Sociology, in American Sociological Review, Vol. 70, pp. 4-28.

 

12

31/10/2016

Reading and Watching Society: It’s your turn!

 

13

07/11/2017

Conclusion (no tutorials this week)

 

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central. Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Academic Honesty Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html

New Assessment Policy in effect from Session 2 2016 http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy_2016.html. For more information visit http://students.mq.edu.au/events/2016/07/19/new_assessment_policy_in_place_from_session_2/

Assessment Policy prior to Session 2 2016 http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy.html

Grading Policy prior to Session 2 2016 http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grading/policy.html

Grade Appeal Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html

Complaint Management Procedure for Students and Members of the Public http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/complaint_management/procedure.html​

Disruption to Studies Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html The Disruption to Studies Policy is effective from March 3 2014 and replaces the Special Consideration Policy.

In addition, a number of other policies can be found in the Learning and Teaching Category of Policy Central.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/student_conduct/

Results

Results shown in iLearn, or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Learning Skills

Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.

Student Services and Support

Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.

Student Enquiries

For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/. 

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Graduate Capabilities

Capable of Professional and Personal Judgement and Initiative

We want our graduates to have emotional intelligence and sound interpersonal skills and to demonstrate discernment and common sense in their professional and personal judgement. They will exercise initiative as needed. They will be capable of risk assessment, and be able to handle ambiguity and complexity, enabling them to be adaptable in diverse and changing environments.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Assessment tasks

  • Reading Log Book
  • Short Essay

Commitment to Continuous Learning

Our graduates will have enquiring minds and a literate curiosity which will lead them to pursue knowledge for its own sake. They will continue to pursue learning in their careers and as they participate in the world. They will be capable of reflecting on their experiences and relationships with others and the environment, learning from them, and growing - personally, professionally and socially.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcome

  • 1. A familiarity with key sociological concepts as they are applied to the study of contemporary societies. 2. An understanding of a range of theoretical perspectives on social life from the 19th century to the present. 3. Reading, summarising and applying basic concepts of Sociology in order to understand contemporary societies. 4. Practicing how to think sociologically.

Assessment tasks

  • Participation
  • Reading Log Book
  • Short Essay

Discipline Specific Knowledge and Skills

Our graduates will take with them the intellectual development, depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content in their chosen fields to make them competent and confident in their subject or profession. They will be able to demonstrate, where relevant, professional technical competence and meet professional standards. They will be able to articulate the structure of knowledge of their discipline, be able to adapt discipline-specific knowledge to novel situations, and be able to contribute from their discipline to inter-disciplinary solutions to problems.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcome

  • 1. A familiarity with key sociological concepts as they are applied to the study of contemporary societies. 2. An understanding of a range of theoretical perspectives on social life from the 19th century to the present. 3. Reading, summarising and applying basic concepts of Sociology in order to understand contemporary societies. 4. Practicing how to think sociologically.

Assessment tasks

  • Participation
  • Reading Log Book
  • Short Essay

Critical, Analytical and Integrative Thinking

We want our graduates to be capable of reasoning, questioning and analysing, and to integrate and synthesise learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments; to be able to critique constraints, assumptions and limitations; to be able to think independently and systemically in relation to scholarly activity, in the workplace, and in the world. We want them to have a level of scientific and information technology literacy.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcome

  • 1. A familiarity with key sociological concepts as they are applied to the study of contemporary societies. 2. An understanding of a range of theoretical perspectives on social life from the 19th century to the present. 3. Reading, summarising and applying basic concepts of Sociology in order to understand contemporary societies. 4. Practicing how to think sociologically.

Assessment tasks

  • Participation
  • Reading Log Book
  • Short Essay

Effective Communication

We want to develop in our students the ability to communicate and convey their views in forms effective with different audiences. We want our graduates to take with them the capability to read, listen, question, gather and evaluate information resources in a variety of formats, assess, write clearly, speak effectively, and to use visual communication and communication technologies as appropriate.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcome

  • 1. A familiarity with key sociological concepts as they are applied to the study of contemporary societies. 2. An understanding of a range of theoretical perspectives on social life from the 19th century to the present. 3. Reading, summarising and applying basic concepts of Sociology in order to understand contemporary societies. 4. Practicing how to think sociologically.

Assessment tasks

  • Participation
  • Reading Log Book
  • Short Essay