Courses Taught
The Social World (SOC 110)
This course introduces students to a sociological perspective of
the world. It does so by examining the key concepts, theories
and methods which underpin sociological knowledge. In addition
to exploring the basic precepts of sociological thinking, the
course examines the complex relationship between society, the
individual and the physical environment. Focusing on the social
processes and societal institutions through and in which human
relations are conducted, it explores a range of questions
including: the ways in which human behavior and resources are
socially influenced, distributed and persist over time; the
social origin and bases of societal continuity and change; and
the ways in which we, as individuals, both shape and are shaped
by the social world in which we live. In order to illustrate the
social dimensions of the taken-for-granted world we inhabit,
special attention will be given to key social categories and
various social institutions of which we are inevitably a part.
Prerequisites: none
Religion and Society (SOC 315)
This course introduces students to the sociological study of religion. It is not intended to evaluate the truth-claims
underpinning religious belief but, rather, to explore the role
and function of religion in society. It does this by examining
key theories, concepts and debates within the sociology of
religion.
The course explores the social, cultural and
historical context in which religion operates. In so doing, we
will examine a range of issues, including: the social
organization, distribution and bases of religious practice and
belief; the influence of religion upon individual behavior and
basis for shared group identity; and the relationship between
religion, the public sphere and other social institutions within
society. In addition, the course will critically examine a range
of issues and debates central to the sociology of religion,
especially: secularization, fundamentalism, globalization and
the rise of New Religious Movements (NRMs); as well as the
relationship between religion, social inequality and social
stability and change. In order to illustrate the social
dimensions of religion, these questions and issues will be
explored
comparatively across a variety of contemporary
societies and social contexts.
Prerequisites: none
Early Sociological Theory (SOC 390)
What is sociological theory? Who were the early theorists whose ideas gave
rise to the social scientific discipline we call sociology? What
were their main ideas, and why are their theories still
relevant? In this course, we will examine the key ideas of
classical social theorists of the nineteenth century and the
ways in which their work has provided the foundations for modern
sociology. This course provides an opportunity to critically
explore the theoretical contribution of the
founding thinkers
of sociology. Not only will we explore in depth the core ideas
of Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, Max Weber and others besides, but
we will examine the personalities, as well as the social and
historical context, that both gave rise to, and helped shaped,
their thinking. Drawing upon the original works of these
thinkers, as well as texts that offer a secondary analysis of
their work, this course will provide you with the theoretical
tools with which to examine the social world in which we live.
In so doing, and whilst seeking to tease out the comparative
similarities and differences, strengths and weaknesses of each
of the theorists we will examine, we will also discuss the major
dualisms – between individual
and society,
agency and structure
– that are manifested in their ideas. If indeed theory is a framework for
exploring and understanding the world in which we live, this
course asks just how plausible these frameworks are and whether
ideas first developed in the nineteenth century are still
relevant to our own contemporary society.
Prerequisites: SOC 200
Death, Grief and Bereavement (SOC 422)
This course introduces students to the sociological study of
death, dying and bereavement. In so doing, and because the topics addressed in this
course are multi-dimensional in nature, it adopts an inter-disciplinary approach that draws not only
upon sociology, but a range of other subject areas including
history, psychology and cultural studies.
In this course, we will
examine the social dimensions of death, dying and bereavement.
For whilst death is a universal biological fact, the grieving
rituals and practices surrounding it, the processes leading up
to it, and the attitudes toward it, can be seen to be socially
constructed. We will see evidence for this – i.e. the social
aspects of death, dying and bereavement – by exploring a variety
of issues and topics, including: historical and cross-cultural
variation in attitudes and practices related to grief and
mortality; theories of grief, loss and the process of
bereavement; and the relationship between death, religion and
afterlife beliefs. In addition, we will examine the social
context in which the majority of deaths occur in contemporary
Western societies – namely, institutional health-care settings
such as hospitals, hospices and residential care facilities –
and the issues which this raises not just for the dying patient
and their relatives but for health-care professionals. In turn,
we will also consider some of the ethical, practical and
emotional dilemmas raised by end-of-life care, especially by
euthanasia, advance directives and physician assisted suicide.
Prerequisites: SOC 110 or SOC 120 or SOC 200 or ANT 101