Disciplines and areas of study
Sociology
Program Coordinator: Dr Helen Lee
Contact number 9479 2690
Sociology is concerned with the study of social life: the structural arrangements and cultural patterns that shape group behaviour at every level of social action whether local, national or global.
Sociologists work from a range of theoretical perspectives and adopt a variety of methodological approaches. The sociology subjects offered reflect this diversity and provide students with a wide range of choice. The program is structured to provide an understanding of core concepts and basic research methods. The Sociology Program offers a fourth year at honours level and a postgraduate degree by research.
In the first year of study, students are introduced to basic concepts in a range of topic areas and social processes. In the second and third years, students can select from a broad range of subjects covering topics such as gender, family, social policy, health and medicine, the environment, crime and deviance, multiculturalism, culture, everyday life, community studies, social theory, and many others.
Students who wish to proceed to honours must have successfully completed at least 130 credit points in sociology; however, these students are encouraged to take additional sociology subjects.
Programs of study
Sociology Major
To complete a major in sociology students must complete:
- a sociology core subject at each year level of their degree.
- 30 credit points at first year level,
- 40 credit points at second-year level and
- at least 60 credit points at third year level of subjects from the list below.
All subjects are offered subject to the availability of appropriate staffing and minimum enrolments.
| Teaching period | Subject title | Subject code |
|---|---|---|
| First year core subjects (15 credit points) | ||
| TE-SEM-1 | Introduction to sociology | SOC1SAC |
| OR | ||
| TE-SEM-2 | Australia and Beyond: introduction to sociology | SOC1AAB |
| Second year core subject (20 credit points) | ||
| TE-SEM-1 | Theory, Culture and Society | SOC2TCS |
| Third year core subject (20 credit points) | ||
| TE-SEM-1 | Social Research Methods | SOC3MSR |
| Teaching period | Subject title | Subject code |
|---|---|---|
| First year subjects (15 credit points) | ||
| TE-SEM-1 | Culture and Globalisation: introduction to anthropology | ANT1CAG |
| TE-SEM-1 | Introduction to Asia: Japan and Indonesia | AST1IJI |
| TE-SEM-1 | Introduction to Aboriginal Australia | ABS1IIA |
| TE-SEM-1 | Introduction to Sociology | SOC1SAC |
| TE-SEM-2 | Australia and Beyond: introduction to sociology | SOC1AAB |
| TE-SEM-2 | Our Global Village: introduction to anthropology | ANT1FET |
| TE-SEM-2 | Introduction to Asia: China and India | AST1ICI |
| Second or third year subjects (20 credit points) | ||
| TE-SEM-1 | Culture, Race and Difference | ANT2CRD/ANT3CRD |
| TE-SEM-1 | Current Issues in Sociology | SOC2CIS/SOC3CIS |
| TE-SEM-1 | Development, Globalisation and Culture | ANT2DGC/ANT3DGC |
| TE-SEM-1 | Deviance, Criminality and Social Control | SOC2DCS/SOC3DCS |
| TE-SEM-1 | Discover Australia: current issues and debates | SOC2DAU/SOC3DAU |
| TE-SEM-1 | Gender and Sexuality: contemporary debates | SOC2GES/SOC3GES |
| TE-SEM-1 | Social Research Methods | SOC2MSR/SOC3MSR |
| TE-SEM-1 | Peace and Change | POL2PAC/POL3PAC |
| TE-SEM-1 | Nature, Conservation and Society: the human impact | SOC2SOE/SOC3SOE |
| TE-SEM-1 | Social Movements | SOC2SMT/SOC3SMT |
| TE-SEM-1 | Sociology and Everyday Life | SOC2SEL/SOC3SEL |
| TE-SEM-1 | Sociology of Religion and Spirituality | SOC2SRS/SOC3SRS |
| TE-SEM-1 | The Crisis of Meaning in the Twenty-First Century | SOC2CRM/SOC3CRM |
| TE-SEM-1 | Theory, Culture and Society | SOC2TCS/SOC3TCS |
| TE-SEM-2 | Asian-Pacific Cities | SOC2APC/SOC3APC |
| TE-SEM-2 | Contesting Social Policy | SOC2CSP/SOC3CSP |
| TE-SEM-2 | Doing Anthropology | ANT2MQA/ANT3MQA |
| TE-SEM-2 | Gender and Development | SOC2GAD |
| TE-SEM-2 | Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods | SOC2MQB/SOC3MQB |
| TE-SEM-2 | Landscape and the Human World (on-line and block mode delivery) | SOC2LL/SOC3LL |
| TE-SEM-2 | Quantitative Methods in Social Research | SOC2MTB/SOC3MTB |
| TE-SEM-2 | Sociology of Culture | SOC2SOC/SOC3SOC |
| TE-SEM-2 | Sociology of Health and Medicine | SOC2SHM/SOC3SHM |
| TE-SEM-2 | Theories of World Politics | POL2TWP/POL3TWP |
| TE-SEM-2 | Worlds of Exclusion: global social inequalities | SOC2WOE/SOC3WOE |
| Third year subjects (20 credit points) | ||
| TE-SEM-1 | Free Reading A | SOC3FRA |
| TE-SEM-2 | Development in Practice1 | SOC3DIP |
| TE-SEM-2 | Free Reading B | SOC3FRB |
Key: 1 Only available to Bachelor of International Development students.
| Subject title | Subject code |
|---|---|
| Second or third year subjects (20 credit points) | |
| Australian Cities and Regions | SOC2ACR/SOC3ACR |
| Community Studies | SOC2CMS/SOC3CMS |
| Disintegration and Dread in Modern Society | SOC2DDM/SOC3DDM |
| Ethnicity and Identity: social and political approaches | SOC2EAI/SOC3EAI |
| Families and Change | SOC2FAC/SOC3FAC |
| Migration,Transnationalism and Diaspora | SOC2TDM/SOC3TDM |
| Social Policy, Welfare and the State | SOC2SWS/SOC3SWS |
| Social Theories of Deviance | SOC2STD/SOC3STD |
| Sex, Gender and Work | SOC2SGW/SOC3SGW |
Policy studies
Students who wish to pursue an interest in policy studies may consider the following second and third year subjects to develop a policy focus for their degree.
| Subject title | Subject code |
|---|---|
| Aborigines and the State | ANT2AAS/ANT3AAS |
| Contesting Social Policy | SOC2CSP/SOC3CSP |
| Development, Globalisation and Culture | ANT2DGC/ANT3DGC |
| Deviance, Criminality and Social Control | SOC2DCS/SOC3DCS |
| Families and Change | SOC2FAC/SOC3FAC |
| Nature, Conservation and Society: the human impact | SOC2SOE/SOC3SOE |
| Social Movements | SOC2SMT/SOC3SMT |
| Social Policy, Welfare and the State | SOC2SWS/SOC3SWS |
| Social Theories of Deviance | SOC2STD/SOC3STD |
| Sociology of Health and Medicine | SOC2SHM/SOC3SHM |
| Worlds of Exclusion: global social inequalities | SOC2WOE/SOC3WOE |
Honours
The course comprises a core subject, an elective or internship, a second-semester research seminar and a research thesis. The length of the honours thesis is between 12,000 and 15,000 words. Research for the thesis extends through the honours year and is undertaken with the guidance of a supervisor.
The department welcomes enquiries about the structure of the course, the elective subjects available, the internship program, and other aspects of the honours course.
Entry into the honours year is by application at the end of the student’s third year of study. Students considered for admission will normally have at least a B average in subjects of sociology or anthropology up to a total of 130 credit points. These subjects will include each of the core subjects. Prospective honours students are encouraged to take additional sociology subjects to this minimum requirement.