Бакалавриат
2025/2026
Современная социология 1
Статус:
Курс обязательный (Международная программа по экономике и финансам)
Кто читает:
Международный институт экономики и финансов
Когда читается:
2-й курс, 1 семестр
Охват аудитории:
для своего кампуса
Язык:
английский
Контактные часы:
60
Course Syllabus
Abstract
This is a course that will introduce you to sociological ways of analysing
the rapidly changing social world of the 21st century. It covers different areas that today's sociologists focus their research on. Sociology is the study of society. But what is sociology? In which way sociological thinking is different from economic explanations? Whereas economists focus on costs and benefits, sociologists are interested in the impact of informal social norms, networks, culture, ideology, power and the like on human behaviour. For example, traditional economic analysis takes the atomistic individual as its starting point, sociology generally begins with groups, or whole societies, which it views as existing independently of and partially constituting the individual. When sociologists do focus on individuals, it is generally to examine the ways in which their interests, beliefs, and motivations to act are mutually shaped through the interactions between them. This focus on economic action as social—that is, as oriented toward other people—allows sociologists to consider power, culture, organizations, and institutions as being important factors which shapes human behaviour. During the course students are introduced to sociological approach to human behaviour as an alternative to economic theory way of explanation.This course is structured into the following way. The first lecture introduces students into the subject matter of sociology. Then the course focuses on the methodology of sociological research. In the following lectures the major sociological perspectives such as conflict theory, functionalism and social constructionism are described and compared. The rest of the course is devoted to the key sociological theories about class, markets, gender and sexuality. It offers the conceptual background of these research fields and presents specific cases as illustration. The course forms the basis of further studies in disciplines such as: Sociology of Consumer Finance, Management, etc. An important contribution of this course to ICEF syllabi is made by developing academic essay writing skills which students will use for all further courses where these skills are necessary, as well as for course and diploma papers. The course is taught in English. Contemporary sociology in a global age 1 is an obligatory one-semester course which can be taken separately or in combination with Contemporary sociology in a global age 2.