Download Sociology 1 Course Outline 2017

Introduction to
Sociology
Department of Sociology
Rhodes University
Sociology I
First Term 2017
Lecturer: K. Helliker
[email protected]
Introduction
Welcome to the Department of Sociology and to the first course in Sociology I. The
Department believes that you will enjoy first year Sociology and will benefit
immensely from it.
Prior to entering university, most students are in large part unaware of the existence of
the academic discipline of Sociology. However, Sociology is a well-established
discipline at universities around the world and, at Rhodes University, it is one of the
most popular.
The purpose of this ‘Introduction to Sociology’ course in first term is to give you a
broad understanding of what Sociology is about, and what sociologists study and
how. In other words, it gives you an introduction to what is often called the
‘sociological perspective’, or the way in which sociologists go about studying the
social world.
You will find out that sociologists seek to understand human society in general as
well as particular societies (such as South Africa) in a manner which highlights the
term ‘social’ – as all human societies consist of various kinds of social groups. Thus,
examining social relationships and social interactions is fundamental to Sociology.
Just as important, all individual human lives (including your own) are the product of a
particular set of social relationships and interactions, and these are based upon your
social background and social experiences up until now. This is because we live and
act within social groups, whether it be our family, our school or our friends. There is a
very close relationship between societies and individuals in society.
Three further points are worth mentioning at the onset. First of all, individual lives
and human societies are always changing, and this means that history and the study of
history is important to Sociology. Secondly, you will come to realise that, within
Sociology, there are differences of opinion about society. Thus, Sociology is marked
by many debates and controversies over a range of issues. This is encouraged within
Sociology. Thirdly, Sociology can be unsettling for the student of Sociology in the
sense that the discipline will likely challenge many of your long-held views about the
social world. In particular, things which we might consider as natural and inevitable
are often the result of society’s influences. In this way, Sociology opens up new ways
of understanding yourself and the social world around you, and this can be very
enlightening and empowering.
Course Structure
The course is divided into four main sections:
 Individual biographies and human societies
 Sociological perspective
 Socialisation, culture and ideology
 History of Sociology – a critical understanding.
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The first section discusses specific issues pertinent to your experiences as a student in
tertiary education in South Africa, and the last three sections focus explicitly on
concerns central to Sociology as a discipline. These concerns though will be initially
raised and discussed in the first section.
Benefitting from the Course
Sociology is an exciting discipline and it provides you with the opportunity to explore
social life in a critical and thoughtful manner. But, like all academic disciplines,
studying Sociology requires effort and preparation. Indeed, Sociology entails a form
of thinking about society that as a student you must nurture and develop. It is thus
imperative that you take full advantage of all the opportunities that arise during this
particular course to enhance your capacity to think and reason sociologically.
The lectures are a good starting point. But in order to benefit fully from
lectures, it is necessary that you first read any assigned reading or readings cited for
each lecture. If you do so, then you will be able to listen attentively to the lecture
being given, to take notes only where necessary, and to participate when given the
chance. Taking lengthy and cumbersome notes without first looking over the assigned
reading distracts from your ability to concentrate and reflect thoughtfully on the
material being presented during the lecture.
Besides the assigned reading for each lecture, you will also be given
supplementary readings during the course. Try to read as widely as possible on each
topic covered in the course, as different readings tackle the particular topic from a
unique angle that will further enrich your understanding. You will also find that your
writing skills improve dramatically as you read and study more and more.
Tutorials, videos, visiting speakers and other forms of instruction and
interaction are integrated into the course. Again, take full advantage of these.
Tutorials are mandatory. Participate as fully as possible in the tutorials, because
expressing yourself sociologically will deepen your grasp of the tutorial topic.
Each student will receive a Course Reader, which includes most of the
assigned readings for the course.
Course Outcomes
Aim to achieve the following by the end of the course:
 Be conceptually clear on the relationship between individual biographies and
human societies.
 Be able to offer an account of the sociological imagination including the
importance of debunking widely-held views about human society.
 Be in a position to understand the relationship between socialisation, culture
and ideology.
 Be able to discuss the history of Sociology as a discipline and criticisms of
this history.
 Be able to apply your sociological insights to understanding the social
problems currently besetting South Africa.
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Course Outline and Assigned Readings
The list below details the subject matter to be covered in each lecture and the assigned
reading/s. The assigned readings appear in the Course Reader and/or are available via
RUConnnected.
LECTURE 1 (Feb. 20) – INTRODUCTION TO COURSE
SECTION ONE – INDIVIDUAL BIOGRAPHIES AND HUMAN
SOCIETIES
LECTURE
2 – Feb. 21
3 – Feb. 22
4 – Feb. 23
5 – Feb. 27
TOPIC
Entering University
Rhodes Must fall/Rhodes so
White [video]
Rhodes Must fall/Rhodes so
White [lecture]
Race and Racism in South
Africa
READING
see READER
Video
see READER
see READER
6 – Feb. 28
Fees Must fall [video]
Video
7 – Mar. 1
Fees Must fall [lecture]
see READER
8 – Mar. 2
9 – Mar. 6
10 – Mar. 7
11 – Mar. 8
Rich and Poor in South
Africa
Disrupting rape culture
[video]
Disrupting rape culture
[lecture]
Sex and gender in South
Africa
see READER
Video
see READER
see READER
SECTION TWO – SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE
What is sociology?
Giddens, A. 2006. Sociology (5th ed.)
(pp. 4-7; 26-27).
13 – Mar. 13
Social Imagination
Mills, C W. 1981. ‘The promise’. In:
Henslin J M (ed.) Down to Earth
Sociology. (chap. 2)
14 – Mar. 14
Debunking
Berger, P. 1963. Invitation to
Sociology. (chap. 2).
15 – Mar. 15
Debunking
Berger, P. 1963. Invitation to
Sociology. (chap. 2).
12 – Mar. 9
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SECTION THREE – SOCIALISATION, CULTURE AND IDEOLOGY
16 – Mar. 16
17 – Mar. 20
18 – Mar. 22
19 – Mar. 23
Socialisation
Culture
Power and Ideology
Sexuality and Sexual
Orientation
Berger, P. 1976. Sociology: A
Biographical Approach. (chap. 3).
Stewart, P and Zaaiman, Z. (eds.).
2014. Sociology: A South African
Introduction. (chap. 5).
Haralambos, M. and Holborn, M.
2008. Sociology: Themes and
Perspectives. (7th ed.) (pp. 10-11, 522523).
Kimmel, M. 1994. ‘Masculinity as
homophobia: fear, shame, and silence
in the construction of gender identity’.
In: Brod, H. and Kaufman, M. (eds.).
Theorising Masculinities.
SECTION FOUR – HISTORY OF SOCIOLOGY – A CRITICAL
UNDERSTANDING
20 – Mar. 27
21 – Mar. 28
22 – Mar. 29
23 – Mar. 30
Haralambos, M. and Holborn, M.
Rise of Sociology in Europe
2008. Sociology: Themes and
and Sociological Theoretical
Perspectives. (7th ed.) (pp. 7-13, 866Frameworks
872, 874-878).
Marx and Weber
Haralambos, M. and Holborn, M.
2008. Sociology: Themes and
Perspectives. (7th ed.) (pp. 7-13, 866872, 874-878).
Sociology in South Africa
Stewart, P and Zaaiman, Z. (eds.).
2014. Sociology: A South African
Introduction. (chap. 23).
De-Colonising Sociology
Mangcu, X. 2016. ‘Decolonising
South African Sociology’. Du Bois
Review 13(1).
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Supplementary Readings:
There are a significant number of Sociology textbooks on short loan in the main
library and in the open bookshelves. Extra reading will greatly benefit your
understanding of Sociology. Three useful textbooks are as follows:
Haralambos, M. and Holborn, M. Sociology: Themes and Perspectives. London:
Collins. (any edition).
Giddens, A. 2006. Sociology. Cambridge: Polity. (any edition).
Stewart, P and Zaaiman, Z. (eds.). 2014. Sociology: A South African Introduction.
Cape Town: Juta.
Course Evaluation
There will be a one-hour test to be held on the evening of Tuesday March 28th. This
test will count 30% towards the overall mark for the course. The balance of the course
mark (70%) consists of the June exam. In June, there is a three-hour exam, with this
course forming half of the exam and the second term course constituting the other
half.
Tutorials
Tutorials are compulsory. There will be three tutorials for this course. These tutorials
will take place in the weeks starting March 6th, March 13th and March 20th. There is a
separate handout for the tutorial schedule.
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