Course List
Courses in Sociology: Course Description
1 Term; 3 Credits
This course provides a concise introduction to sociology which enables students to acquire a better understanding to the essence of sociological inquiry. The course content covers key paradigms in sociology, the importance of culture and socialization, the dynamics of social interactions in everyday life, and various essential institutions of modern society.
1 Term; 3 Credits
This course aims to provide a general introduction to the discipline of anthropology. This course offers students living in a globalized world a good opportunity to learn more about their own culture as well as other cultures and to examine cultural differences in an anthropological way (in particular, using cultural relativism perspective). As such, some key concepts, the main theoretical perspectives and the unique research methods that anthropologists use are explored. Major topics to be covered include the brief history of anthropology, studying culture, research methods and theories in anthropology, language and communication, religion, marriage, family, kinship, economic anthropology, ethnicity, cultural change, and applications of anthropology. In so doing, students will learn how to appreciate cultural diversity, evaluate culture in its own terms and reduce biases and prejudices associated with ethnocentrism.
1 Term; 3 Credits
This course provides sociology students with training in the principles and application of statistics to the social sciences. Topics covered include: basic concepts of statistics; the measures of central tendency and dispersion; probability and sampling theories; bivariate measures of association; and hypothesis testing. The meanings of statistics and statistical conclusions are stressed.
1 Term; 3 Credits
This course investigates social life from a perspective that is based on comparison, enabling you to gain an understanding of the world around you. It illustrates cultural variations within Hong Kong, within the great Chinese areas and Asia, and around the world in the context of rapid globalization today. It covers an analysis of a variety of topics, such as the cultures of beauty and body, love and marriage, religion and power, food and globalization, etc.
1 Term; 3 Credits
This course provides students with an overview of the classical sociological theory. The foundations of sociological theory as laid out by the classic writers at the end of the nineteenth century are examined in the light of current sociological perspectives. Special emphasis is given to the works of Durkheim, Marx and Weber. Through studying the classics in sociological theory, this course equips student with an understanding of the conceptual and historical foundations of the discipline.
The course introduces students to the key sociological concepts and theories concerning social stratification. It aims to assist students in developing specific knowledge and analytic skills necessary to evaluate the sources, patterns, and consequences of social stratification systems in contemporary society.
1 Term; 3 Credits
This course aims to enhance students’ theoretical knowledge of the major sociological trends, debates and issues from the mid 20th century onwards. Special attention is paid to the critical theories and post-modern turn in the study of the contemporary social world. The overall purpose of this course is to develop students’ intellectual capacity in applying the contemporary social theories as well as evaluating their analytical utility creatively and critically.
1 Term; 3 Credits
This course introduces students to key sociological concepts and theories concerning Hong Kong society and culture. The first half introduces the core discussions over the historical trajectory and recent developments in the political, economic and social context of Hong Kong society. The second half discusses the making of Hong Kong culture, which is interrelated to the social changes. It covers key cultural issues, including consumption, youth culture, and the making of local identity in response to national, regional and global influences. By acquiring these knowledges, students are able to analyse the changes and problems in today’s Hong Kong with a critical eye.
1 Term; 3 Credits
The course introduces students to the basic steps in conducting social research, including problem formulation, problem conceptualization, measurement, sampling, data analysis, and data interpretation. It also examines both principles and techniques of research designs commonly used in sociology, such as survey research, field research, and experimental/quasi-experimental designs.
1 Term; 3 Credits
The course focuses on the concepts, techniques and application of quantitative social research methods, and will provide students with basic and advanced knowledge and skills of quantitative social research methods necessary for their development as sociologists. It is also designed to help prepare students to use quantitative research methods in their final year project if they so wish. Students will be exposed to a variety of quantitative methodologies including path analysis and multivariate regression models with latent variables. This course adopts an experiential teaching and learning approach. Students will develop a critical awareness of the application of quantitative social research through discussion and application of topics including measurement, survey design, and computer-based data analysis.
1 Term; 3 Credits
This course introduces students to the essential qualitative research methods and skills including unobtrusive measures, documentary analysis, content analysis, online research, ethnographic investigation, in-depth interview, focus group interview, photovoice, and action research. This course provides students with the basic epistemological theories, practical strategies as well as computer skills to use the software NVivo 11 for conducting qualitative research. Students are given opportunities to conduct qualitative research in real settings.
1 Term; 3 Credits
This course introduces students to the sociological approach to understanding social problems. It consists of two components: theoretical perspectives and field work. The theoretical component is a lecture presentation of a variety of sociological perspectives on social problems, the purpose of which is to show that social problems are complex and multi-causal in nature. For the field work component, students will gain first-hand experience of certain aspects of social problems and apply one or more perspectives to the local context by conducting field observation in the community.
1 Term; 3 Credits
This course aims to draw a general picture of the relationship between art and society. We will find, on the one hand, ways in which social conditions shape our understanding of art as well as the self-understanding of artists. On the other hand, we will see how artists strive to engage the society with a view to changing it through their works.
1 Term; 3 Credits
With colonization, globalization and migration, societies have become much more heterogeneous than before. Even countries that are not migrant societies now have to deal with ethnic minorities and the challenge of multiculturalism. This course examines social differentiation based on notions of race and ethnicity. Such notions will be explored in both colonial and postcolonial contexts, as well as societies that claim to be relatively homogeneous. This course will introduce major theories, issues, controversies and policy implications related to the governance of multi-ethnic societies. At the same time, students will be encouraged to reflect on the existence of ethnic minorities in the contexts of China and Hong Kong, and the challenges this poses for both state and society.
1 Term; 3 Credits
This course aims to explore food issues and foodways in various societies from the perspectives of sociology and anthropology. The course will enable students to look at food beyond food science as well as nutrition factors and to situate food and eating in meaningful social and cultural processes. Also, this course will showcase how to apply various theoretical and conceptual approaches, such as cultural interpretations, symbolism, identity, gender analysis, social exchange, religious taboo and ritual, commercialization, community engagement, and globalization, to analyze food and eating critically.
This course offers a sociological approach to exploring the relationship between arts and culture within wider social contexts. It conceptualizes how art is considered a cultural practice and a reflection of the material and/or symbolic conditions of society. By integrating modern art works and art exhibition into sociological debates, it introduces Walter Benjamin’s concern for the loss of ‘aura’ of art works in modern age, Weberian concept of demystification of art and culture, and Bourdieu’s theory of cultural capital. It also examines how artists and curators respond to the social, cultural, and political issues of their time through art works and art exhibitions. With a focus on modernity, it explores the power and function of art from the emergence of industrialisation and capitalism to the 21st century, presenting the commercialization process of arts, characterising sequential ethical issues in art industry, including art crime and arts black market, and discussing the phenomenon of recently developed art forms such as NFT in the digital age.
1 Term; 3 Credits
With the advent and popular use of digital technology, the tools available for social research have expanded the scope of research methods significantly. The course introduces students to these tools, as well as the appropriate contexts for using them to complement conventional research methods. Students will also consider the ethical dimensions of using such tools and methods.
1 Term; 3 Credits
This course will introduce a rigorous sociological approach to study both social and commercial entrepreneurship and the role of entrepreneurship in enhancing balanced development of the community. This course will first introduce the principles of entrepreneurship including the economics of entrepreneurship and innovation, how to attract talents and how to develop creativity. Second, it will examine what social enterprises are and how they relate to social economy. It explores responsible management in relation to the sustainability of social enterprises, including how social entrepreneurs generate income, how to secure social and ethical capital, and how to measure social impact assessment. Third, it will discuss the challenges faced by entrepreneurship in enhancing sustainable development in the community.
This course examines the intersection between culture and heritage, and the impact that they have on modern society. This course articulates heritage as a cultural fact and looks into how it organizes meaning in everyday life, with implications for the production of cultural identities and capitalistic consumption. The course also surveys the different ways in which heritage issues have become increasingly important in the context of the nation-state. This course equips students with an understanding of how culture and heritage are relevant to different aspects of society and serves as an introduction to the Concentration on “Culture, Heritage and Innovation”.
1 Term; 3 Credits
This course aims to examine the theory and practice of community economy. Compared with market-oriented economy, community economy represents some new efforts to promote more inclusive, sustainable, and people-based economies. This course explores the new ideas of community economy with the examples of turning such ideas into reality. The focus is put on the key features of the conventional and new community-based economic forms. Major topics to be covered include defining community economy, co-operatives, community-supported agriculture, local time-honoured businesses, local independent and small businesses, street entrepreneurs and informal economy, and corporate community involvement. The advantages and disadvantages of different types of community economy are examined in this course.
This course aims to explore a variety of ideas and practices of social enterprise in some Asian countries and regions. Alongside the fast growth of social enterprise in Western societies, many Asian countries and regions also manage to incorporate social enterprise into their own socioeconomic development strategies. This course uses a comparative perspective to demonstrate different national and regional versions of social enterprise. Also, particular focus in put on the localization and integration processes of social enterprise under certain social, cultural, economic and political situations. To this end, some representative countries or regions in terms of developing social enterprise are selected as the subject of case studies, including China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. Students will learn how to analyse social enterprises from trans-national, trans-regional and comparative perspectives.
This course examines the different forms of modern cities such as gentrified city, heritage city, sustainable city, smart city, and global city. It will demonstrate how they are intricately interconnected and what are the dialogues among the past, the present and the future in city development. It then demonstrates the urgency of innovating, inheriting, and reinventing our culture to contend with the disruptive forces of globalization. By comparing Hong Kong with other global cities, students will make use of local and global cases to research how urban space and culture are constructed and the dialectical relationship in between them.
This course aims to explore the development of popular culture in an age where digital technology prevails. Taking into account the rapid pace of technological change, the course will discuss the evolution of popular culture and address topics such as mass culture theory, production and reception of ideologies in media texts, fans and the practices of prosumers, the construction of meaning in technological culture, surveillance in the digital era, streaming culture, and new media-mediated public sphere.
Education plays a central role in most societies throughout the world. It is a key element of our lives as social beings. Thus, to understand contemporary society more comprehensively, we need to examine the impact of education. This course provides students with an opportunity to explore the key debates within the sociology of education, such as sources of educational change, organizational context of schooling, impact of schooling on social stratification, social organization within the school and the classroom, social impact of the formal curriculum, and methods of selection and differentiation in elementary, secondary schools and higher education.
This course focuses on the development of arts in Greater China with case studies from artists of mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, ethnic groups, and overseas Chinese communities in the 20th and 21st centuries. It presents the ways in which contemporary Chinese artists have defined modernity against the complex background of China, discussing the influences of both Western and Chinese conventions: the degree to which Chinese artists have adopted or rejected Western traditions, the extent to which they have inherited or opposed the cultural legacy of Chinese traditions, and how these decisions were culturally shaped. It also relates the developments of contemporary arts to broader changes in Chinese culture by identifying the ways in which the material forms and contexts of art, as well as the social roles of its makers and audiences, change over this period. From a critical perspective, it explores how the concept of contemporary arts in Greater China have been shaped by the dynamic interaction of social, economic, cultural, and political forces. Particularly, it integrates ethical issues into the conceptualization of folk arts to address the politics of arts making in contemporary China. A broad range of visual materials, from painting in ‘traditional’ and ‘western’ formats, to performance and installation art, graphics, photography, craft work, and films, will be considered. English is the medium of instruction.
1 Term; 3 Credits
This course aims to provide students with valuable understandings of economic life from sociological perspectives and approaches. Firstly, the brief history of economic sociology as a fast-growing subfield within contemporary sociology is introduced, including its history, developments and new directions. Secondly, distinctive principles, theoretical debates and research paradigms of economic sociology are elaborated. Thirdly, a variety of economic sociology topics and empirical studies are addressed, including impacts of social capital on economic action, the role of state in economy, exchange in human goods, ethnicity and the economy, connections of culture and economy, sociological studies of consumption, dynamic relations between family and business, sociological implications of informal economy, social meaning of money and so on. Here the central issue is to demonstrate how social forces constrain or facilitate economic activities. Economic sociologists believe that economic action is embedded in or integrated into given social, political, cultural and institutional process. Such a viewpoint will lead students to seeking for alternative explanations of economic activities beyond narrowly defined assumptions of neoclassical economics.
1 Term; 3 Credits
This course introduces students to a range of topics in urban sociology. The first half introduces the origin and rise of city, the development of urban life in the modern world, and basic theories in urban sociology, including urban ecology, critical theory, and urbanism. The second half discusses current issues around the making of modern cities, including globalization, urban growth, city marketing, gentrification and financialization. By comparing the similarities and differences between Hong Kong and other global cities, students can make use of local and global cases to evaluate cities, communities, and their consequences.
1 Term; 3 Credits
Deviance is a central topic in sociology. What is normal or deviant is relative to existing social and cultural norms in the society. Deviant behaviour becomes a crime when it violates legal codes. Deviance and crime are controversial because social rules and the law are products of social construction partly based on the values and power relations of different groups in society. This course aims to use a variety of sociological theories to examine the nature of deviance and crime, and explain how they are affected by a variety of social, demographic and cultural factors. In order to understand more about deviance and crime in Hong Kong, students are encouraged to select a topic of deviance or crime in the local society as their group projects.
1 Term; 3 Credits
This course adopts a comparative approach to examine how love is invented as an important element of marriage, and how various kinds of family and kinship systems are developed. This course examines what romantic love is and how the meaning of love has changed over time. It addresses how passion, intimacy, and commitment have become important components in romantic love and marriage. The challenges implicated in modern love and marriage are also explored. The course provides students with different theoretical perspectives in analysing love, family, kinship structures, and related practices. Students are encouraged to critically evaluate these ideas and apply them to their own lives and experiences.
1 Term; 3 Credits
This course aims to introduce the study of crime, criminal behaviour, and criminalization. It will offer a general overview of the history and development of criminology and identify the multi-disciplinary perspectives on crime and criminal behaviour. It will also examine various research methods that are used to collect crime data, as well as their strengths and limitations. Towards the end of this course, we will assess the criminal justice system in Hong Kong, as compared to other countries, and will discuss effective methods for the prevention of crime.
1 Term; 3 Credits
Religious resurgence around the world in recent decades has prompted reconsideration of the proposition that religion declines as modernization progresses. What are the controversies over secularization? What are the implications and consequences of the shift towards rational scientific paradigm for the sociology of religion? This course explores the distinctive features of religion and examines the different ways in which religion continues to impact society. The first part of the course will introduce key theoretical perspectives that help us understand the role of religion in society and the different religious traditions we are familiar with in the contexts of Hong Kong and Asia. The second part of the course will examine the structure of religious experiences, practices and movements, and the social and political implications of religion.
1 Term; 3 Credits
The course introduces students to key sociological concepts and theories concerning social transformation and development processes. The first half introduces the historical trajectories of industrialization and major theoretical perspectives in sociology of development, including modernization theory and theories of underdevelopment. The second half discusses the globalization process with concepts like neoliberalism and financialization. By acquiring the historical knowledge and theoretical tools, students can learn the skill to criticize the dynamic of social change and problems according to the socio-politico-economic context in different societies.
Digital Sociology is a course that examines the intersection of society and digital technologies, drawing on sociologists' influence. It explores how digital platforms, online communities, and emerging technologies shape social life. Topics covered include digital sociology introduction, social relationships in the digital age, digital politics, digital identity, labor economics, , inequality, mobilization, migration, methodology, ethics, and future directions. Through theoretical frameworks and case studies, students gain critical insights into the social implications of living in a digital society and the contributions of sociological debates.
This course examines the interplay between science, digital technology, and society through a sociological lens. The first part introduces key sociological theories and approaches related to knowledge, science, and technology. The second part of this course then delves into the inherent nature of specific digital technologies and the broader societal contexts in which they develop, operate, and interact. Through this exploration, students will acquire essential digital literacy and cultivate the ability to conduct comprehensive sociological analyses of cutting-edge developments across the science and digital technology sectors.
This course aims to provide students with alternative understandings of economic life in the digitalized world from sociological perspectives. In recent years, digital technologies have been widely used in economic activities. Different from the pure economics perspective, this course will draw on insights from sociology to look at how digital technologies have been integrated into socioeconomic life and the sociocultural consequences of digital transformation. Such a viewpoint will lead students to thinking/rethinking about social implications of the new economy, labor protection in the digital age, interplay of digitalization and social life, and many others. A variety of case studies and theoretical debates will be introduced.
This course enables students to analyse social inequality via the lens of digital divide. Digital technology promotes information and resources sharing in modern lives but the differential chance of accessing to digital technology and learning the digital skills among the various groups of population might worsen inequality in the society. Based on the above observation, this course will be divided into two parts – the first part focuses on the role that digital technologies play in reproducing the existing social structures such as class, gender, race and ethnicity and age group and gives a general overview of digital divide in Hong Kong while the second part discusses and evaluates the strategies that the government, NGOs and the community used in bridging the digital divide. Students are expected to develop innovative ideas to alleviate digital divide towards the end of this course.
1 Term; 3 Credits
This course aims to enable students to develop a gender-sensitive perspective towards the society they live in and inherited from. It introduces a series of gender issues through feminist critiques, historical perspective, cultural studies and sociological analysis. It starts with conceptualizing sex and gender by various scholars and the implications of their theories. It then explores the process of becoming a man and a woman via the social construction of masculinity, femininity, sexuality and the body, and the ways in which cultural heritage transmits and disseminates gender-related values and norms. A larger part of the course examines gender roles and gender relations in the private and public domains of life including the family, labour market, political participation and policy integration.
1 Term; 3 Credits
This course posits that migration is not only a form of spatial mobility but has important implications for social mobility. It will give students some basic familiarity with major theories, issues, and controversies of contemporary migration. It aims to stimulate students to reflect on and engage in critical analysis of the causes, mechanisms, and social consequences of international migration, as well as internal migration in contemporary societies. It also examines the ways in which migration constitutes a form of social mobility, taking into account the experience of subjects and the structuring effects of institutions. In considering the relationship between migration and late modernity, the course will also investigate the impact of transnationalism and the formation of diasporic communities on the transborder dissemination of culture and heritage.
1 Term; 3 Credits
This course enables students to analyse the social causes of poverty and the ways in which social innovation is effective in poverty alleviation in Hong Kong. It starts with the sociological reasoning of how poverty comes into being. It then provides an empirical discussion of poverty in contemporary Hong Kong (e.g. the working poor, the elderly poverty, unemployment, etc.) and introduces the various policy initiatives for poverty alleviation developed by the government, NGOs and the business sector. A special emphasis is put on how each of these sectors attempts to introduce innovative measures beyond conventional practices. Innovative measures such as empowerment, microfinance, social entrepreneurship and corporate social responsibility will be discussed. This course will conclude by analysing how social innovation reduces poverty in Hong Kong.
The course aims to provide students with basic knowledge of the nature of the human self and emotion, and how they interweave with each other in different cultures. It also aims to strengthen students’ understanding of Western civilization and the uniqueness of Chinese civilization. Students are invited to reflect on their own self-understanding and self-evaluation based on this comparative understanding of Western and Chinese civilizations.
1 Term; 3 Credits
The course aims at providing students with basic knowledge in sociology on social change and modernity, and by applying those basic concepts and theories acquired in the course of study shed light on phenomena (global and local) of social changes that significantly affect contemporary social conditions of human existence; increasing students’ awareness on the impacts of modernity and postmodernity on people’s daily lives; and helping students to gain insight on their own life situations under those social dynamics.
1 Term; 3 Credits
This course aims to explore the interrelation between arts, tourism and culture from anthropological and sociological perspectives. The course will cover the major theories and methodologies associated with the study of arts and tourism. It will also analyze tourism as a cultural phenomenon with complex meanings for both host and guest societies. Topics, such as tourism based on the themes of visual arts, culinary arts, fashion, film, architecture and heritage, and the impact of tourism on indigenous arts, cultural heritage and sustainability, will be discussed. Students will explore the interplay among arts, culture and tourism by examining the socio-cultural complexities associated with a changing digital world. Particular emphasis is placed on the socio-cultural dimension of arts and travelling behavior, and the commodification of arts, the tourist and the toured.
1 Term; 3 Credits
This course will explore what “traditional” Chinese culture means in Chinese-speaking societies. It will also consider the new Chinese cultural identity of the urban “middle-class”, which has emerged through the processes of commoditization, urbanization, privatization, bio-politicization, individualization and migration, and how these processes might have opened up opportunities and threats for cultural industries. A special emphasis is placed on how the communist party has challenged traditional social structure and cultural values, and the socialist transformation in the Mainland shapes Chinese society with development, innovation and environmental change. Topics to be discussed include: Confucianism and familism; religion and superstition; food and migration; cosmology and health; consumerism and Chinese women’s liberation; education and inequality; urban development; and civil society.
1 Term; 3 Credits
This course aims to introduce the interrelation between digital technology and the development of arts and everyday life practices. By facilitating interconnectedness and interactivity, digital technology influences creative output and its reception in everyday life. Issues addressed in this course include the emergence of popular art, visuality and museum, arts and cultures of participation, production and relationships in social media, crafts and consumption, fashion, and music in everyday life.
The Senior Seminar is a capstone course that allows students to apply the sociological concepts, theories and methodologies they have learned to a research project. In line with the course instructor’s areas of expertise, students are encouraged to integrate sociological paradigms and analytical tools to critically analyze substantive areas of sociology, such as social problems, cultural phenomena, political events, regional changes or global trends. The overall purpose of this course is to give students an opportunity to undertake a full-fledged sociological research project, from the conceptualization of the research topic, to the review of the literature, designing of the methodology, collection and analysis of data, presentation of findings and writing of the research report.
2 Terms; 6 Credits
The Honours Project is designed to enable Final Year students to synthesize their knowledge and understanding of sociology and social research methods that they have acquired over the preceding three years of study. Staff supervisors provide direction and guidance in defining the project, writing a proposal, collecting material, analysing evidence, and producing a final project report. Student performance in the Honours Project is assessed at the end the First and Second Semesters: First Semester performance is assessed on the basis of a project proposal which should include among others things a clear statement of the topic under study, research design and methods, sources of information, and a literature review. Second Semester performance is based entirely upon submission of the Honours Project by a specified date. Supervisors and students should work closely to ensure that their work meets University standards.
1 Term; 3 Credits
This course aims to critically examine the relationship between globalization and global inequality. By “global inequality” we mean not only economic inequality but also social inequality. In order to accomplish the task of analysing the ways globalization affects economic and social inequality, this course will discuss the conceptual, descriptive, normative, and ideological issues arising from contemporary globalization.
1 Term; 3 Credits
This course is designed as a highly flexible option to allow examination and discussion of special topics not included in the regular degree curriculum. It is an exploration and analysis of selected topics involved in the study of social life and society with a specific theme indicated by course title listed in the course schedule for that semester. The course draws upon the rich and diverse intellectual traditions that constitute the Department of Sociology, which includes sociology, anthropology, philosophy and liberal studies. The specific content of the course will vary from year to year, depending on the instructor’s area of expertise and theoretical interests. In most cases the course will relate to the instructor’s research interests. The overall aim of this course is to encourage students to critically analyse major issues currently debated in the study of social life and society.
1 Term; 3 Credits
This course explains collective memory not as a static entity, but rather as an ongoing process of forgetting, remembering, encoding and reworking of the past. It examines how the past is recalled and understood via the categories and schemata of our own cultures. It also investigates how collective memories are conceptualized through a variety of means. Oral histories, narratives, public rituals, heritage, monuments, public space, and capitalism will be analysed to understand their role in shaping, reshaping, and maintaining memories within a community. With an emphasis on the influences of changing mnemonic devices, the course also addresses the emergence, development, and implication of digital memory facilitated by smart phones, social media, and blockchain technology. Students are encouraged to critically examine how Hong Kong people remember their collective pasts, how these are entwined with the heritage scene in Hong Kong, and how these collective pasts may be reshaped and reframed as digital memory.
1 Term; 3 Credits
This course aims to provide students with a deeper understanding of the nature of complex organizations in a modernized, industrialized and urbanized setting. In this context, organizations are viewed as structural entities as well as dynamic processes that exert immense influences on individuals, groups, institutions and societies in the areas of economic, political, social and even cultural development.
This course aims to examine the idea and practice of social impact assessment (SIA), i.e. an analysis of the impact of social and enterprise innovation on the socio-cultural aspects of the human environment. These impacts include the specific changes in attitudes, behaviour, knowledge, and skills of stakeholders that result from social and enterprise activities. This course starts by introducing the idea of social impact assessment in the context of policy innovation and enterprise initiation. The socio-cultural and economic conditions of the society will also be explored. The central part of the course lies in identifying the social impacts of social and enterprise innovation on various aspects of life, as well as exploring the various tools of programme evaluation to measure the social outputs of these innovations. This course demonstrates the rationale and process through which evidence-based practice can be used in social and enterprise innovation, which eventually ensures that the needs of different stakeholders in the community are met.
Consumer lifestyles and mass consumption are central features of life in contemporary societies. Sociologists believe that consumption is more than a simple economic exchange involving the buying and selling of goods and services. Consumption is a fundamental element in the social order and a major driving force of the modern society. Among other things, it is closely related to political economy, reflects social class divisions, shapes social identity, informs leisure practices, provides the basis for the identification and exclusion of outsiders, and intersects with issues of power and dominance. This course provides students an opportunity to examine how modern consumer society develops and changes, how taste communities form on the basis of social class and cultural capital, how to evaluate consumers’ awareness and movements for change, and how collective consumer behaviours affect the production sphere of the society. Real examples and empirical cases in Chinese societies are adopted as illustrations.
This course investigates how digital media and digital innovations shape our society and culture. At the individual level, this course examines how digital media transforms our way of thinking, identity construction, and social life. At the societal level, this course reveals how digital media transform economic practices, civic engagement, and governance. A special emphasis is put on how digital media inject new forms of expression into the arts and cultural practices. Hands-on training in the real-world context of an organization will be arranged for students to construct an innovation practice with digital media. Students will learn how opportunities opened up by the digital world can be used to develop social goods
This course examines the field of critical heritage studies and how discourses of heritage transform society, especially in terms of how we appropriate and consume heritage. It interrogates the global dimension of heritage formation, and how this interacts with stakeholders such as nation-states, ethnic groups, neighborhoods and online communities in defining what heritage means in everyday life. Among the issues addressed are: heritage diplomacy, the processes of heritage management, the impact of heritage on the culture and tourism industries, digital heritage, and intangible cultural heritage. Taking this course will sensitize students to the international dimension of heritage formation, help them understand how international organizations, government agencies, civil society and industries appropriate heritage, and encourage them to apply this knowledge in innovative ways.
Hong Kong has been one of the major production centres of film and television in the world since the 1950s. This course provides students with an introduction to the accumulated meanings, experiences and practices in the development of the film and television industries. It examines the innovations that emerge out of the interrelation between film, television and society – how Hong Kong film and television have shaped and been shaped by changing internal and external contexts in social, political, economic, discursive, and institutional terms. By the end of the course, students will acquire a broader picture of the history and heritage of Hong Kong film and television, the changing production and socio-historical contexts, and genres and their core concerns in film and television texts.
This course aims to examine critical heritage studies and examine how tangible and intangible cultural heritage are created, interpreted, managed, and contested in contemporary society. It explores the relationships between heritage, identity, communities, and global governance, while addressing issues such as heritage management, tourism, diplomacy, and ethics. Particular attention is given to the interconnected nature of tangible and intangible heritage and the growing role of digital and immersive technologies in heritage interpretation, participation, and communication. The course also introduces practical approaches to heritage designation and safeguarding, enabling students to engage with heritage in innovative, informed, and responsible ways.
1 Term; 3 Credits
Accountability and evidence-based practice are emphasized by social intervention programmes in recent era. The aim of this course is to equip students with the necessary research skills required to evaluate the effectiveness of social programmes. It introduces the students to different systematic evaluation research designs and their uses for continuous quality improvement of social programmes. After taking this course, it is anticipated that students will be able to conduct community needs assessment, as well as effectively assess the outcomes of social programmes organized by non-government organizations and public institutions. An experiential teaching and learning approach is used in this course. Students are required to design a project choosing one specific method and applying the relevant skills and techniques to conduct a social programme evaluation.
1 Term; 3 Credits
This course aims to explore the social implications and consequences of economic reform in contemporary China in the form of seminar. It draws on sociological and anthropological theories to examine the economic and social transformations in contemporary China. It situates economic reform within a specific sociocultural context and concentrates on the dialectic relationship between market-oriented reform and social restructuring. Topics to be introduced include the political economy perspective of China’s economic reform, market transition debates, social stratification and social inequalities in the reform era, theorizing local economic development, work unit (danwei) and household registration system (hukou) in transition, guanxi in theory and practice, consumer revolution, as well as implications of Chinese capitalism.
In the digital era, science, technology, and society are interconnected, especially in the field of Digital Sociology. Digitalisation in government and capitalist societies reflects how and why technologies apply to public policies, shaping the social order and power relationships. This course will examine global trends in digital governance, focusing on four key areas: the benefits and challenges of digital governance to a society, panoramic surveillance and power dynamics in digital and smart society, the lack of neutrality in big data and algorithms, and political participation in digital society. Through theoretical analysis, case studies of smart cities, and group research projects, students will learn how digital governance enhances citizens’ quality of life in smart cities. Students will also be able to critically assess the impact of digital governance on various aspects of daily life.
This course enables students to analyse the impacts of digital technology on body and self and will be divided into three parts. First, it will discuss the regular use of digital devices in collecting and tracking body data leads to the phenomenon of “quantifying self” which includes countless sensoring, analyzing and altering the human body and will identify the implications for the medical and health fields. The second part focuses on how digital avatars, for which people create in virtual spaces based on the imagination of their bodies and selves, shapes the ways an individual perceives and presents the self as well as the virtual communities emerge. The third part critically analyses some larger social issues emerged from quantifying self and digital avatars including the power relations among the users, technology producers and the authorities, digital knowledge economy and the re-consideration of ethical issues. Through the above exploration, students will acquire essential sociological framework to analyse the impacts of digital devices on human body, self and related social phenomenon.
This course aims to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of key data mining techniques and their practical applications in the field of social research. Through a combination of theoretical lectures and hands-on exercises, the course will equip students with the necessary skills to collect, process, and analyze complex datasets using popular Python libraries and frameworks. The course will emphasize the importance of ethical considerations in data mining, including privacy-preserving techniques and responsible data practices. Additionally, students will learn how to effectively communicate data-driven insights through data visualization and storytelling, supporting evidence-based decision-making in social research and policy. By the end of the course, students will be prepared to pursue careers in data-driven social research, data science, or to continue their studies in related graduate programs, with a strong foundation in leveraging data mining to address complex social challenges.
1 Term; 3 Credits
This course enables students to analyse social movement and contentious politics through a sociological lens. The main objectives of this course are to examine research in the sociology of contentious politics and to reveal how sociological perspectives can inform our understanding of state-society dynamics. This course will present a broad spectrum of theoretical perspectives and research methods employed by sociologists to study social movement.
1 Term; 3 Credits
This course seeks to apprise students of developments in social theories since the latter part of the 20th century. Besides sociological theories, the course will explore social theories in other disciplines that nevertheless have a profound impact on the study of society. Building on the foundation provided by SOC205 and SOC207, this course will equip students interested in writing an Honours Thesis, pursuing postgraduate studies, or developing insights into the relevance of social theories in understanding the contemporary world. Instruction will take a seminar-style format and students will be encouraged to engage with primary theoretical texts.
1 Term; 3 Credits
Enterprise Learning is an experiential course offered by the Department of Sociology in conjunction with social and business enterprises. The course aims to maximize learning opportunities for students through hands-on experience in dealing with real world issues and contexts. It combines engagement in the daily operation of a social or commercial enterprise and reflection on what they have experienced using the tools and concepts of sociology. The course is designed for Year 3 to 4 Sociology students. Students must successfully complete a placement for 100 to 120 hours in an enterprise under a co-supervision from a Workplace Supervisor and an Academic Supervisor.
1 Term; 3 Credits
This course provides a concise introduction to sociology for non-major students and enables them to obtain a better understanding of human society. This course concentrates upon the key paradigms in sociology, the importance of culture and socialization, the dynamics of social interactions in everyday life, and various essential institutions of modern society.
1 Term; 3 Credits
This course provides a critical introduction to social problems with special reference to Asia and Hong Kong. In aims to systematically enhance students’ understanding of emerging social issues from both the micro and macro sociological perspectives. Key topics include poverty, gender inequality, drug abuse, prostitution, crime, marriage and fertility, and aging. By the end of this course, student will be able to think critically about social problems and to gain a better understanding of the complex interplay between the self and society.