Sociology looks at the processes that structure and transform social relations, and the complex interrelationship between individuals and the environments and societies they inhabit. It explores how identities and institutions are formed, and dynamically shaped, by activities occurring in different social contexts. Sociologists examine a broad spectrum of behaviours and explain how and why social problems and inequalities emerge, how they are experienced, and how they are responded to. The discipline draws on diverse theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches to analyse various social agents, fields and issues, ranging from climate change, globalisation, colonialism and urbanisation, to inequality, conflict, surveillance, health, education and work.
Students taking this major develop a ‘sociological imagination’, a distinctive way of thinking that enables them to (a) problematise taken-for-granted assumptions, (b) ask critically informed questions, (c) conduct independent social research, and (d) formulate in-depth understandings of social life and relations. They also learn a set of cognitive and transferable skills which help them shape broader intellectual and policy debates on various social issues. It is, therefore, a recognised and highly valued qualification in many career paths.
Learning Outcomes
- understand the effects of phenomena such as age, class, disability, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, nationality, environment, health, media, religion, work and technology on social relations;
- draw on a diverse range of sociological methods and theories to research the social world by collecting and critically analysing evidence; and
- communicate with and engage specialist and non-specialist audiences in the analysis of social issues and processes.
Relevant Degrees
Requirements
This Sociology major requires the completion of 48 units, which must include:
A maximum of 12 units of courses at 1000 level
A minimum of 18 units of courses at 3000 level
12 units from the following list:
SOCY1002 - Self and Society (6 units)
SOCY1004 - Economy and Society (6 units)
SOCY1006 - Society and Technological Change (6 units)
A minimum of 6 units and a maximum of 12 units from the following list:
SOCY2038 - Introduction to Quantitative Research Methods (6 units)
SOCY2043 - Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods (6 units)
A minimum of 6 units and a maximum of 12 units from the following list:
SOCY2040 - Classical Social Theory (6 units)
SOCY2161 - Contemporary Social Theory (6 units)
A minimum of 6 units and a maximum of 12 units from the following list:
CRIM2003 - Controversies in Crime Control (6 units)
CRIM2005 - Alcohol, Drugs and Crime: Promoting Health and Preventing Consequences (6 units)
CRIM2006 - Young People and Crime: Developmental Criminology and its Discontents (6 units)
CRIM2009 - Corruption in Our World (6 units)
CRIM3002 - Corruption in Sport (6 units)
GEND2023 - Gender, Sex and Sexuality: An Introduction to Feminist Theory (6 units)
GEND2037 - Young People and Sex (6 units)
HIST2112 - Plagues, Pandemics and Public Health in History (6 units)POLS2100 - Genocide in the Modern World (6 units)
SOCY2022 - Environmental Sociology (6 units)
SOCY2026 - Excessive Appetites: Sociocultural Perspectives on Addiction and Drug Use (6 units)
SOCY2030 - Social Inequalities and Development (6 units)
SOCY2035 - Cities and Urban Transformation (6 units)
SOCY2059 - Sociology of Resistance (6 units)
SOCY2101 - Social Policy: Principles and Practice (6 units)
SOCY2157 - Surveillance and Society (6 units)
SOCY2162 - Sociology of Health and Illness (6 units)
SOCY2166 - Social Science of the Internet (6 units)
SOCY2168 - Special Topics in Sociology (6 units)
SOCY2170 - Media, Technology and Society (6 units)
A minimum of 12 units from the following list:
SOCY3001 - Research Internship (6 units)
SOCY3005 - Quantitative Projects for Inclusion and Diversity (6 units)
SOCY3007 - Understanding Neoliberalism (6 units)
SOCY3010 - Posthuman Bodies (6 units)
SOCY3050 - Education and Society (6 units)
SOCY3057 - Marriage and Family (6 units)
SOCY3167 - Populism: Gender, Race, Class and Backlash (6 units)
SOCY3169 - Online Research Methods (6 units)
6 units from the completion of the following course:
SOCY3124 - Transforming Society: Towards a Public Sociology (6 units)
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