Sociology I

6 ECTS credits
158 h study time

Offer 2 with catalog number 1000197AER for all students in the 1st semester at a (A) Bachelor - preliminary level.

Semester

1st semester

Enrollment based on exam contract

Possible

Grading method

Grading (scale from 0 to 20)

Can retake in second session

Yes

Taught in

Dutch

Partnership Agreement

Under agreement for exchange of courses

Faculty

Faculty of Social Sciences & SolvayBusinessSchool

Department

Sociology

Educational team

Christophe Vanroelen
Bram Spruyt (course titular)
Laura Emery

Activities and contact hours

39 contact hours Lecture
142 contact hours Independent or External Form of Study

Course Content

This course intends to be an exploration of sociology and, at the same time, an exploration of society. All subject dealt with are ilustrated with day-to-day experiences, contemporary social trends and results of scientific research.

The first section tries to define sociology as a science by focusing on an important lesson and the task and attitude of sociologists. Furthermore, two different ways of approaching society, and thus two different kind of sociologies, are introduced.
In the second section of this course, we discuss a number of the basic foundations of society. Unintended effects, roles, norms and expectations etc. are treated against the background of the newest insights. This serves as a basis for exploring the way people influence and control each others behaviour. Special attention is also given to power structures and social inequality.
In the third section the focus lies on power, stratification and social inequality. What is power? And what kind op powers exist? What is poverty? And what about social exclusion?
In the fourth part of the course, the focus lies on modernity, modernization and transformation.

Course material

Handbook (Required) : Sociologie, een inleiding (versie 3: opgelet momenteel nog in productie, verschijnt in de zomer van 2021), Hoofdstukken 1 tot en met 16, Elcharuds, M., Spruyt, B. & Vanroelen, C., 3de, Pearson Education Benelux, Amsterdam, 9789043038508, 2021

Additional info

Attention: we use the second edition of this handbook!
Suggestions for further reading are included in the handbook.

See Canvas for a study guide which include more details on the practical organization of this course.

Learning Outcomes

General competencies

After following this course, students should be able to:

translate prevailing views concerning social life and society into empirically verifiable statements (e.g. describing how we can test if social inequalities still persist in the Flemish education system);
critically analyze statements about social situations and evolutions on premises, assumptions and empirical evidence (e.g. distinguishing the problems of criminal statistics and being aware of the difference between the occurrence of criminal facts and the occurrence of reporting these facts);
handle a number of sociological terms and concepts (e.g. being able to make the connection between expectations and roles);
distinguish between individualistic and collectivistic social scientific approaches of the study of individual and society (e.g. between neoclassical economic theories and classical sociological theories)

This course mainly aims at the acquisition of a number of theoretical frames and concepts which can be used in observing social phenomena and evens and in critically analysing them. As a by-product of the course and as an outcome of the illustrations which are discussed in the lessons, students are expected to gain specific knowledge about contemporary society (cf. demographic and cultural trends).
During the lectures the discussed topics will be illustrated with current examples, themes and empirical results (slides). Also new sociological research will be incorporated in these lectures.
By means of self-study and film projection an active study attitude is reached.

Grading

The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Written Exam determines 100% of the final mark.

Within the Written Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:

Written Exam with a relative weight of 100 which comprises 100% of the final mark.

Additional info regarding evaluation

Written exam with multiple choice questions (no correction for guessing).

Allowed unsatisfactory mark

The supplementary Teaching and Examination Regulations of your faculty stipulate whether an allowed unsatisfactory mark for this programme unit is permitted.

Academic context