Undergraduate - UnitATS1367 - Sociological reflections on everyday life

This unit entry is for students who completed this unit in 2015 only. For students planning to study the unit, please refer to the unit indexes in the the current edition of the Handbook. If you have any queries contact the managing faculty for your course or area of study.

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6 points, SCA Band 1, 0.125 EFTSL

Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered.

Level	Undergraduate
Faculty	Faculty of Arts
Offered	Gippsland First semester 2015 (Off-campus)
Coordinator(s)	Dr Nick Osbaldison

Synopsis

This unit is an introduction to the discipline, with a specific focus on using sociology to reflect on everyday life. Through the analysis of substantive social issues and institutions the unit explores the role of a sociological perspective in moving beyond 'common sense' and taken-for-granted understandings of society. Broad topics covered include: the nature of sociological knowledge; experiencing everyday life through gender, family and the body; the relationship between conformity, deviance and social control; and the role of social class and the mass media in shaping how we interpret and understand the world.

Outcomes

Understand the nature of sociological explanation and its difference to other forms of explanation.
Be able to recognize the different ways in which sociologists theorise and research the social world.
Be able to apply basic sociological concepts to issues of local and global concern.
Have gained skills in the written presentation of an argument, including the ways in which sociologists incorporate and acknowledge the ideas of other writers.
Begin to develop a critical, questioning approach to reading/assessing sociological material that provides a sound basis for further study in the discipline

Assessment

Within semester assessment: 60%
Exam: 40%

Workload requirements

Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. A unit requires on average three/four hours of scheduled activities per week. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.

Chief examiner(s)

Dr Nick Osbaldison

Prohibitions

GSC1201, SCY1801