Page 213 - SYU Prospectus

Sociology

SOC 505 Religion and Market Economy
1 Term; 3 Credits
Religious resurgence, especially in mainland China amidst economic restructuring in
recent decades has prompted scholarly research on the relationship between religion and
market in Chinese societies. The theories of secularization and religious economy developed
in the west serve as conceptual tools for explaining Chinese religions. What are the method-
ological problems in the application of western paradigms for studying Chinese religions? How
far do recent empirical studies in Chinese religions offer an adequate understanding of
religious changes in modernizing Chinese societies? In what ways do the varieties of religious
faith, including Buddhism, Daoism, Christianity, Confucianism, and Chinese popular religions,
transform contemporary social life and generate new understandings of values and morality?
How do emerging religiosities across different Chinese societies shed light on questions about
morality and social order? These are some of the questions that this course attempts to
explore. Part one of this course will deal with theoretical issues and perspectives in sociology
of religion and the study of Chinese religions. Part two will cover a wide range of religions in
different Chinese societies, with special attention to the impacts of market economy and the
changes in values and morality. Part three will engage in reflections on Chinese religiosity and
morality.

SOC 506 Mobility, Migration and Inequality
1 Term; 3 Credits
Social mobility and migration are closely related with social transformation, and reflect
major changes in social structure. This course takes up social mobility and migration in
Chinese societies as related primary objects of study and categories of analysis, and will give
students some basic familiarity with key theories, concepts, and controversies associated with
the themes of social mobility, migration and social inequality. It aims to stimulate students to
reflect on and engage in critical analysis of the causes and mechanisms of internation-
al/internal migration in contemporary Chinese societies, the consequences these have for
social mobility, and how social inequality is perpetuated or re-calibrated through migration. It
will address the impact of gender, ethnicity and the rise of China on mobility, migration, and
social inequalities and compare migration patterns and mobility mechanisms among Chinese
societies.

SOC 507 Civil Society and Citizenship
1 Term; 3 Credits
This course introduces students to the role of civil society in relation to the rising interest
in the concept and meaning of citizenship in different Chinese regions. The first half of the
course outlines the main themes, concepts and debates for analysing the intricate interplay
between civil society and citizenship. The second half provides selected Chinese cases from
Mainland, Taiwan and Hong Kong for demonstrating the varying civic discourses and actions
in the practical context and their impact on the socio-political formation of the Chinese world.
The overall objective of this course is to offer students a comparative perspective and

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