Page 201 - SYU Prospectus

Sociology

SOC 332 Sport and Society
1 Term; 3 Credits
Sport plays a pervasive role in our social life. As a microcosm of society, it is an arena in
which sociological processes can be investigated. Thus, by studying sport we can have better
understanding of ourselves and our society. This course is organized in three modules. It will
begin with the focus on the development of sport as a modern social phenomenon, and
followed by a systematic exposition and appraisal of the various theories in the field. The
second module will focus on the relationship of sport to social institutions, class, gender,
deviance and fan culture. The role of sports in contemporary society and its interaction with
economy, media, politics, technology and globalization will be covered in the final module. By
the end of the course, students would have a comprehensive understanding of how sociolo-
gists examine and explain sport as a social phenomenon.

SOC 333 Urban Sociology
1 Term; 3 Credits
This course introduces students to a range of topics in urban sociology. It starts with the
history of urban life and urban theories. It then proceeds to investigate the relationship
between urban space and social life through analysing the spatial structure and social aspects
of public space in local and global contexts. The second half of the course focuses on current
issues around the making of livable and sustainable cities, including the study of social
networks, urban problems, sustainability, redevelopment and globalization. By comparing the
similarities or differences between Hong Kong and other global cities, students can make use
of local and global cases to evaluate cities, communities, and their consequences.

SOC / ENG 335 Popular Culture
1 Term; 3 Credits
This course provides students with an introduction to contemporary debates on how
subjectivities and everyday practices of popular culture take shape in mass society. It also
delineates the ways popular culture constitutes a common and thereby important part of our
lives. By drawing upon consumer's culture, pop music, media and sports, advertisements,
films, TV drama, anime and comics, theme parks, etc, this course endeavours to show to
students that an informal consciousness of class, gender and race is essential to any
understanding of the sociology of popular cultural practices, both in the West and in Hong
Kong. Issues such as postmodernism, identity and gender politics, subculture, technoscience
and media will be brought forth to bear on popular cultural texts which are already parts of
students' literacies and practices.

SOC 336 Love, Family and Kinship
1 Term; 3 Credits
This course adopts a comparative approach to examine how love is invented as an im-
portant element of marriage, and how various kinds of family and kinship systems are
developed. This course examines what romantic love is and how the meaning of love has

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