Faculty of Arts

 Sociology

Table of Contents

Subject Lists
    First Year subjects
    Second/Third Year subjects
        Core Second/Third Year subjects
        Optional Second/Third Year subjects
    Fourth Year Honours subjects
    Core subjects not offered in 2000
        Core Second/Third Year subjects not offered in 2000
    Optional subjects not offered in 2000
        Optional Second/Third Year subjects not offered in 2000
        Optional Honours subjects not offered in 2000

Convener: Dr Kevin McDonald

Sociology at the University of Melbourne is a new and innovative program housed in the Department of Political Science. It engages with central dimensions of social life, from transformations in the life course, contemporary families, gender relations, ethnic and sexual identity, to the urban experience, while engaging with emerging patterns of social inequality and new forms of social problems such as unemployment.

Sociology also explores emerging questions of action and identity - from new social movements, to subcultures, to forms of crisis evident in contemporary social problems such as addiction or social dislocation.

The program aims at ensuring students have a solid grounding in the discipline of sociology, while seeking to engage with social and cultural questions at the centre of contemporary life.

Sociology is defined by its engagement with social actors, so the program emphasises field work skills ranging from interviews, data collection and analysis. It encourages students to make use of other research skill subjects in the Faculty of Arts. The program has its own staff, and offers subjects from Anthropology, Political Science, Criminology, Geography and Social Theory.

 1. Prerequisites

The program commences at First Year and there are no prerequisites for entry at this level.

The general prerequisite for Second/Third Year subjects in Sociology is 25 points of First Year Sociology. Students with a 12.5 point Sociology subject and another First Year subject from Anthropology, Criminology, Political Science or Geography may also proceed.

 2. Requirements for a Major

A Major in Sociology usually consists of nine 12.5 points subjects, totalling 112.5 points. It comprises:

• two First Year subjects in Sociology (25 points) and;

• seven Second/Third Year subjects (totalling 87.5 points), five of which must be chosen from the list of Sociology core units.

 3. Sociology subjects

 3.1. First Year

Students take two of the following First Year subjects towards a Major in Sociology.

First Year subjects
	166-003 Inequalities in Australian Society	1
	166-006 Media, Politics and Society	2
	166-080 Society and Self Identity	1

 3.2. Second/Third Year

Students must take five of the following subjects at Second/Third Year toward their Sociology Major. Please note the Honours entry requirements.

Core subjects
Sociology		Semester
	166-081 Quantitative Social Research	1
	166-082 Work, Management & Globalisation	1
	166-083 Sociology of Youth & Youth Policy	2
	166-084 Global Cities: Sociological Explorations	1
	166-085 Identities & Action: Social Movements	Not Offered
	166-086 Intro to Qualitative Research Strategies	2
	166-087 Sociological Theory	2
	166-088 Manhood/Womanhood in Chinese Contexts	Not Offered
	166-089 Sociology Internship Research Project	2
	166-090 Love, Family and Sexuality	1
	166-091 Medicine, Health and Illness	Not Offered
Geography
	121-017 Society and Environments	2
History and Philosophy of Science
	136-074 Theoretical Foundations of Sociology
Criminology
	191-008 Sociology of Crime and Deviance	2

Optional subjects
Political Science		Semester
	166-015 Transforming Australian Culture	1
	166-032 Sexual Politics	1
Social Theory
	136-073 Critical Theories	1
Anthropology
	121-057 Ethnic Nationalism and the Modern World	Not Offered
	121-060 Power, Ideology and Inequality	1
Criminology
	191-003 Crime and Public Policy	1
	191-014 Youth Crime and Society	1
	191-015 Corporate and White Collar Crime	2
	191-020 Women, Gender and Crime	1
Geography
	121-015 Development and the Third World	1
	121-016 Landscapes of Power	1
	121-020 Aust.&Pacific Rim in a Global Economy	1

 4. Honours entry

The prerequisite for entry to Fourth Year Honours in Sociology is:

• completion of all the requirements for the BA and;

• completion of a Major in Sociology with an average grade of H2A or higher over the Second/Third Year subjects within the Major and;

• completion of 166-081 Quantitative Social Research and 166-086 Intro to Qualitative Research Strategies.

Entry to Honours must be approved by the convenor of Sociology and the Faculty of Arts Honours course adviser.

Students wishing to undertake their thesis in Sociology will need to make a written application to the Sociology convenor by October 31. Forms are available in the Political Science office from September.

 5. Honours requirements

 5.1. Pure Honours

Students undertaking pure Honours in Sociology must complete:

• 166-094 Sociology Honours Thesis, (37.5 points) and;

• five Honours subjects in Sociology chosen from the list below (totalling 37.5 points).

 5.2. Combined Honours

Students undertaking combined Honours in Sociology and another area of study must complete:

• 166-094 Sociology Honours Thesis, (37.5 points) and;

• two Honours subjects chosen from the list below and;

• three Honours subjects in the combined area of study (totalling 37.5 points).

or

• Honours Thesis in the combined area of study (37.5 points) and;

• two Honours subjects in the combined area of study (totalling 25 points) and;

• three Honours subjects chosen from the list below (12.5 points).

Honours subjects
Sociology		Semester
	166-092 Advanced Sociological Theory	Not Offered
History and Philosophy of Science
	136-079 Reading Texts in Social Theory	Not Offered
	136-080 Theories of Modernity	1
Politics
	166-055 Approaches to Political & Social Inquiry	1
	166-062 Globalisation and the State	2
	166-066 Globalisation and its Discontents	1
	166-067 Australia's Welfare State: Comparisons	2
Criminology
	191-015 Corporate and White Collar Crime	2
	191-020 Women, Gender and Crime	1
	191-029 Victims	2

 6. Further study

Masters and Doctoral thesis supervision is available, depending on the area of research of the candidate. Currently there are no postgraduate Sociology subjects offered.

 7. Career opportunities

Sociologists work in a wide range of areas, in government, private and community sectors. They work on questions such as changing family patterns, changes in ethnic communities, health and employment issues. In the public sector sociologists work in areas such as neighbourhood and community service development, or in social policy in areas dealing with ageing, youth or women's issues or services. They are involved in program implementation and development, in social and environmental impact assessment, and in evaluation in areas such as health programs, urban development or housing policies.

Sociologists also work in the media, public communication and marketing. They are involved in workplace change, employed by union or employer organisations, or working as consultants. They are found in private and public social forecasting organisations. They are involved in community consultations and community relations work, where for example, large organisations such as hospitals have to understand and respond to community concerns or specific groups.

Sociologists are also found in non-government organisations such as social change groups, peak bodies and research and policy organisations such as the Institute of Family Studies.

Sociologists are involved in policy evaluation and program implementation. They are involved in promoting public debate, constructing competing ways of exploring questions facing our society and culture. In a whole range of areas, sociologists are employed in jobs that are part of shaping and making sense of the world we live in.

 8. For more information

Dr Kevin McDonald
Sociology Program Coordinator
Department of Political Science
Fourth Floor, John Medley Building
The University of Melbourne
Victoria 3010
Tel. +61 3 9344 6565
Fax. +61 3 9344 7906
Web: http://www.sociology.unimelb.edu.au

First Year subjects

166-080 Society and Self Identity
166-003 Inequalities in Australian Society
166-006 Media, Politics and Society

Second/Third Year subjects

Core Second/Third Year subjects

Optional Second/Third Year subjects

Fourth Year Honours subjects

166-094 Sociology Honours Thesis
136-080 Theories of Modernity
166-055 Approaches to Political & Social Inquiry
166-062 Globalisation and the State
166-066 Globalisation and its Discontents
166-067 Australia's Welfare State: Comparisons
191-029 Victims

Core subjects not offered in 2000

Core Second/Third Year subjects not offered in 2000

Optional subjects not offered in 2000

Optional Second/Third Year subjects not offered in 2000

Optional Honours subjects not offered in 2000

Status:                   Official 2000
Last Modified:            Thursday November 25 15:10
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Email Enquiries:          Course_Information@registrar.unimelb.edu.au