SV-304 Global Sociology (Autumn 2023)
- ECTS Credits:
- 10
- Responsible department:
- Faculty of Social Sciences
- Course Leader:
- Amanda Margaret Machin
- Lecture Semester:
- Autumn
- Teaching language:
- English
- Duration:
- ½ year
Table of contents
The course is connected to the following study programs
Teaching language
Recommended previous knowledge
Learning outcomes
In this course students will
- Consider the meaning and problems of ‘the global’ in sociology
- Examine some urgent global issues of today
- Engage with some key thinkers and texts
- Practice critical thinking
- Hone presentation skills
Contents
Sociology has long suffered from a Eurocentric perspective and focus. The issue is not only that many (if not all) of the social thinkers who appear on university curriculums are situated within (and focused upon) the global north, but that the concepts and categories that they take for granted are underpinned by various exclusions and hierarchies that have remained largely invisible. In this course we will not violently reject dominant social theories, but will, with creative generosity, open up sociological thought to the multiple and diverse approaches that exist outside of the established mainstream. With these alternative perspectives we hope to ask new questions, and search for new solutions to the global problems that concern us today.
The aims of the course:
- To introduce students to important sociologists outside ‘the canon’ such as Shmuel Eisenstadt, Gurminder Bhambra, Edward Said, Patricia Hill Collins, Abdelmalek Sayad, Walter Mignolo and Akinsola Akiwowo.
- To discuss key concepts including: ‘multiple modernities’; ‘double absence’; ‘orientalism’; ‘the outsider within’ and ‘epistemic disobedience’.
- To expand students understanding of sociology and global issues.
- To encourage students to reflect on their own learning.
- To foster critical and creative thinking
Teaching and learning methods
Examinations
Portfolio assessment, more information in Canvas at semester start