2018-2019 -Semester One

APSS1A08/ APSS112 - Introduction to Sociology

Fridays 1830-2120 --- TU107
Dr. Luke Fung
Department of Applied Social Sciences
(Office – EF711, Tel: 2766-4695, Email: ssluke@polyu.edu.hk)
(Letter Box located on 4/F between Cores G and H)

What is sociology?
If you registered this subject because, say, its assigned time slot “fits into” your schedule, it is only natural that you have paid little attention to the core
content of this subject. If you registered this subject on purpose because it seems, as non-comprehensively informed by previous students you met at
orientation activities, to be an “easy” subject to get a pass grade, you might have paid equally little attention to where this subject is heading. Either way,
unless you drop this subject in the coming two weeks, we will be exploring the world of sociology in the coming 13 weeks. Together with those who chose
to take this subject relatively seriously and, thus, are likely to feel less painful in the coming 13 weeks, it is perhaps wise, before the game starts, to
address an important question: What is sociology?

In practice, a good way to understand the core concerns of sociology is to explore the questions sociologists ask. These questions often cover a wide range
of human activities, ranging from those at the personal level to the collective level. There are also questions gear towards concerns at the conceptual
level.

Sometimes, these questions posted by sociologists may appear to have no “practical” significance. At first glance, these are “not important” as they do
not fulfill substantial, daily needs of most individuals. To many, and in particular those who are apparently living comfortably in their cozy worlds, these
questions are better kept buried, unnoticed and untouched, for revealing them may trigger minor (or even major) earthquakes in their personal universe.

Sociologists are not enthusiasts actively attempting to open the Pandora Box every single day. Nevertheless, these seemingly trivial questions are of
fundamental significance because, among other reasons, the very fact that these questions are considered distinguishes us from other animals.
Sociologists regard these questions as related to established behavioral patterns found in human society. Often, these behavioral patterns form visible
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practices and organizations, which sociologists named “institutions”. The core matter of sociology is, therefore, the study of “institutions”. Sociologists
strive to examine the linkage among individuals’ behavioral patterns. You may regard this process as seeing the world through a pair of “sociological eyes”.

The Sociological Eyes

Now, how would a pair of “sociological eyes” see differently the abovementioned seemingly trivial questions? Let us have a taste of them.

Questions of personal concerns:

“Why have I chosen this outfit today?”

When you open your wardrobe this morning, you are, apart from choosing the daily outfit, formulating the “personal statement” that “summarizes” who
you are, or at least, who you want to be today. It could range from the coolest K-Pop outfit to the more “conventional” college student image. Whatever it
is, the outfit is a reflection of your self-perception, which in turn, is a function of the relationship between you and other individuals in society. In short,
we are all “relational beings”. One defines one’s identity according to the relationship he/she established with others. Most of us are constantly subject to
this dilemma: “To be different or to be the same?” This has a lot to do with the formation of groups and culture, which ultimately help form our “comfort
zone”. The study of groups and culture is a fundamental part of sociology.

“Am I a good student?”

To measure a student’s behavior, one needs to adopt some sort of agreed scale. Common, but not necessarily accurate, criteria include attendance,
assessment result, participation in group-discussions etc. The necessity of measuring an individual’s performance against some social rulers applies to
other aspects of societal life. Not only does this scale help differentiate the mainstream (normal) members from exceptional (abnormal) members, it is
also the basis upon which society imposes encouraging and discouraging actions (social control) on individuals in response to their behaviors. The study of
deviance and social control is an important area in sociology.

“Why can’t I be richer?”

How much money (and resources such as education, social connection, power etc.) an individual end up with is a function of the opportunities (life
chances) offered to him/her. These opportunities, in turn, are results of the individuals’ social status. The uneven distribution of resources (or social
inequality) is a core concern of sociologists.
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“How does the government work?”
No government could possibly function well without the consent, or legitimacy (explicit or implicit) from its people. This consensus is usually built upon
some “commonly agreed views” on what a government should be like, what its functions are, and how the authority from the people to the government
is granted and balanced. More importantly, the people must share the same set of values in order to maintain social stability. To this end, all governments
are well aware of the importance in socializing the nationals with a set of manageable societal acts. This process is entitled “socialization”, which we will
go into more details later in this course.

“Why is the accumulation of stray dogs a problem in the city?”

Very often, the accumulation of stray dogs is considered problematic because stray dogs “worsen hygiene”, “occupy public areas”, and “create traffic
congestion” etc…. On second thought, nonetheless, these dogs are “problems” only because they were not born as “city dwellers”. The “problem” would
be invalid if these animals live in the middle of the safari, or if they are not cohabiting with human beings. Thus, the core of the “problem”, if at all, is not
the lifestyle of these animals, but that of us, human beings. Urban life emphasizes “organization” because organization brings along “efficiency” which is
fundamental to economic production. We need substantial items and abstract concepts to be well organized. Goods in supermarkets are well stocked and
spaced out on shelves. Buses arrive at and leave the terminus on schedule. Personal particulars must be well-arranged in standardized format on
application forms. In short, anything/anyone that attempt to disturb the organized urban life is to be “managed”. This style of living we are familiar with
today is a product of industrialization, in which “mother nature” has only a minor role to play. As a topic of study in sociology, the study of city, or “urban
sociology”, has some views to offer in the discussion of these apparent “problems”. An interesting point here is that we assume dogs and cats are born as
“pets” while ignoring their primary identity of “animal”. This is equivalent to imposing “pet” as the only acceptable “occupation” for dogs and cats. This in
turn gives the apparently logical deduction that they should be kept at “human homes”, which in turn gives another apparently logical deduction that
those found on the streets are “problematic” ones and thus must be “dealt with”.

“Why is gay marriage a challenging concept to some while acceptable to others?

Individuals in society are often expected to behave according to their assigned gender roles. While some sociologists see this a convenient means for
social division of labor, others see it a form of exploitation. Either way, the “genderization” of society leads to a lot of important discussion.

“Is education the only function of the school?”

This seems a silly question to ask because offering education to students is the most frequently “professed function” of the school. Nonetheless, some
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sociologists believe that there are, hidden, untold, massive but important “latent functions” performed by the school. These “latent functions” include
protecting the labor market and wage system against the undesirable impact by the young and relatively “inexpensive” workforce, offering a potential
“marriage market” for young people from comparable social classes; fostering the development of a “youth culture” for possible innovation, exerting
surveillance on children during daytime so as to release the workforce of their parents, and, last but not least, conveying mainstream values in society
which in turn contribute to social stability. Thus, it is likely that the school is doing so much more than educating students. The same logic may apply to
other institutions in modern society.

“Is suicide real?”

A classical piece of work by Emile Durkheim, a founding father of sociology, suggested that in all suicidal cases, the society has a role to play. Those who
chose to end their lives were suffering from problems in either “social integration” (to be legitimate members of society) or “social regulation” (to make
reference to accepted members of society). In short, they were, at least partially, murdered by society, which is an entity including YOU and ME. (This is
pretty scary, isn’t it?)

“Is it fate that lovers find each other?”

Whilst most of you believe that the choice of date/ partner/lover in modern society is a matter of fate, sociologists suggest that the apparent “accidental
encounter” between two individuals is a result of institutional arrangement. Social class, educational level, consumption pattern, religious affiliation,
family background, political attachment and even housing policy and urban planning of the cities concerned, are all contributing factors as to the “fate” of
the romance concerned.

You may see from the above that Sociology is a discipline aiming at examining regularity behind collective activities (including thoughts, behaviors,
customs, ideas, beliefs etc.) in human society. For those who are interested in why human beings live the way they (we) live, this could well be a fun
subject.

House Rules
General Principle:
I regard you as adults and I presume you will echo my expectation by corresponding acts.

E-mails:
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I check my email inbox at least twice a day ON WORKING DAYS. Please do not expect me to respond to your “electronic door-knocking” instantly a round-
the-clock. Responding overnight is the best I can offer.

When sending a message to me, leave your full (and therefore real) name as printed on your Student ID. (You have no idea how many “Maggies”, “Sukies”
and “Handsomes” I have dealt with in the past.) Do include the subject you are taking. (You are unbelievably cute if you assume I am teaching only one
class/subject each semester.) Last but not least, I strongly advise you to describe your question(s) as detail as possible. For times, students solved their
own problems simply by clarifying them. And perhaps by so doing, you may find sending the email message totally unnecessary.

Office telephone:
You will find me at my office telephone (2766-4695). But if I am out-of-office, please DO NOT count on the voice-mail system. For times, messages stayed
in the voicemail inbox for weeks before they floated to the top. I suggest you to leave messages in writing or through email.

Meeting in person:
My office is at EF-711. (BUT my letter box is NOT outside my office.) If you want to meet me in person, you DO need to make an appointment by sending
me an email message. Again, leave your full name, the subject you are taking, a brief description of your question(s) and your available time slots to meet
up. DO NOT assume the appointment successful unless you receive my reply message. If you come up with questions that must be dealt with
immediately, try drop by my office and see if I am available. I have the habit of keeping the office door open wh ile working in the office. If the door is
closed, please DO NOT knock. Closed door is a synonym of “Thinking in progress. Please do not disturb.” I adopt “farmer hours” and am usually on-
campus between sunrise and sunset. Having said so, rest assured that when we meet, I will put behind all my work at hand and attend only to your
needs/ questions/ queries/ concerns/ difficulties.

Language:
English is the official medium of instruction and assessment for this subject. This is a rule set down by the University.

Recording in class:
Please do not conduct any video (or audio) recording in class without my prior consent. A copyright issue is involved therein.

Students with special needs:

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Students with special needs are strongly advised to seek help from your program leaders. If you need my help, come to me as soon as the semester starts,
preferably before the end of Week 2, so that necessary arrangement can be made. Content of our meeting will be kept straightly confidential. I will only
seek help from the Student Affairs Office or the Office of General University Requirements with your consent.

Subject Administration
Classes:
There is only one 3-hour lecture per week for this subject. Nonetheless, I have set aside consultation sessions, during which you are encouraged to discuss
the content of the lecture, and the preparation of assignments and term papers with me either as individuals or in groups.

Lecture notes, readings and reference materials:

I have assigned readings and audio-visual reference materials to lectures. As a matter of copyright, I will not make photocopies of the readings for you.
You will find all the readings and the audio-visual reference materials at the University Library. If the edition of the book you have at hand is different from
that of the one assigned, do not panic. As long as the title of the chapter/ article is correct, you are reading what I want you to read. To help you follow
the lecture, I will also upload lecture notes onto the PolyU on-line learning environment “Blackboard” prior to the lecture.

Thinking Exercise
I expect you to go through all lecture notes, readings and reference materials after, if not before, class. More importantly, you need to digest the content
therein and let the information sink in. To this end, I will give you “thinking exercises” at the end of each lecture to work on. I suggest you to dedicate at
least 30 minutes per week to these exercises.

This is how it works: after going through all the notes, readings and materials, find a place at which you will be undisturbed for 30 minutes. Get off-line
and ask yourself these questions: “Do I agree/ disagree with the content of the readings? Why so? Why not?”, "What is it to do with me, professionally
and personally?", and “If the authors are meeting me now, what do I want to ask/ tell them?” Record your answers to these questions and revisit the
questions from time to time. This exercise is most helpful in preparing for the quiz and the individual paper. It is also a useful tool in the construction of
your personal, sociological knowledge base. Remember, the more effort you put in, the more sociologically conscious you will become.

Submission of assignments and papers:

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Only electronic submission of assignments and papers through the PolyU on-line learning environment “Blackboard” is accepted. You will receive relevant
notification through email once the questions for the assignment are ready.
Please note the following points concerning on-line submission:
- Only on-line submission through Blackboard is accepted. Submission through other means (hard copies, email etc.) will NOT be accepted.
- Only MS Word format submission is compatible to Blackboard. Do NOT employ any other formats (e.g. hyperlink).
- Make sure that your paper is “submitted’ and NOT JUST “uploaded”.
- Only papers with submission COMPLETED by the deadline will be regarded on time by Blackboard. Any submission completed after the deadline
will be remarked “late”. Note that one minute late will be regarded as equivalent to 1 day late. 10 marks per calendar day will be deducted
from late papers.
- You will be given 3 attempts to submit your paper. Later attempts supersede former attempts. ONLY the final attempt will be marked.

Academic Integrity:
We take academic integrity very seriously at HK PolyU. Any proven plagiarism will immediately result in failing the entire subject. You will find relevant
stipulations in the Student Handbook.

Assessment:
Assignment One (one short question) – 20%
Assignment Two (two short questions) – 40%
Term Paper – 40%
An assessment guideline is attached to this document for your information.

Assignments:
The two assignments contribute 20% and 40% respectively to the total grade. You are required to analyses current issues/ controversial topics /
hypothetical situations and support your analysis by the sociological tools and concepts covered in class. Assignment topics will be uploaded onto
Blackboard once they are ready.

Assignment One is due 23:59 October 15 (Monday), 2018. Assignment Two is due 23:59 December 3 (Monday), 2018.

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Term Paper:
Each student is to select one drama series/ movie listed below and submit a 800-word paper highlighting and discussing at least 4 different sociological
concepts/ ideas put forward in the story line of the drama series/ movie selected. These 4 concepts/ ideas can be taken from the same lecture or
different lectures. If your selection is a Drama Series, you are requested to watch at least 3 episodes of your choice. If your selection is a movie, you are
request to watch the entire movie. Your submission should be able to show your understanding on and application of these sociological concepts/
ideas. You may, if you so wish, connect the concepts/ ideas to your professional field or personal experience. The paper is NOT assessing your general
understanding in social sciences. It is a paper that assess your understanding of sociological concepts and ideas covered in the lectures. This should NOT
be a drama/ movie critique. DO NOT give a summary of the story. Do NOT comment on the performance of the director/actors/actresses. The Term Paper
is due 23:59 December 10 (Monday), 2018. Please refer to the points on late submission and academic integrity as presented above.

To facilitate your preparation of the term paper, the drama series and the movies have been reserved for use within the University Library for the first
semester.

Hereunder are the drama series and movies:

1. Age Harassment (PN1992.77. A16 E54 2016 DVD)

2. JSA Joint Security Area (PN1997.A18 K663 DVD)
3. Thirst (PN1997.A18 P352 DVD)
4. A clockwork orange (PN1997.C5624 DVD)
Lecture Theme/ Event Date
Introduction/ The nature of sociology September 7 Course
Historical background for the birth of Sociology September 14
Major perspectives and schools in sociology September 21 Schedule
Major perspectives and schools in sociology September 28
Socialization, deviance and social control October 5
Consultation Session #1 October 12
Assignment One due October 15
In-class Thinking Exercise on “Instrumental Rationality” October 19
Sex, gender, and the family October 26
Religion November 2
Consultation Session #2 November 9
Social stratification and discrimination 8 November 16
School Education November 23
Consultation Session #3 November 30
Assignment Two due December 3
Term Paper due December 10
 Reference List
The following is a list of core reference material to help you set the scene for the study of sociology. Reference list for individual lecture can be found on
corresponding lecture notes to be uploaded onto PolyU’s on-line learning platform “Learn@PolyU” nearer the time.

Berger, P (1963) Invitation to Sociology: A humanistic perspective, New York: Anchor Books.
Brym, Robert J. (2007) Sociology: your compass for a new world, California, Thomson/Wadsworth
Bauman, Zygmunt (1990) Thinking sociologically, Cambridge, Blackwell
黃樹仁, 劉雅靈合譯 (1982) <社會學導引 : 人文取向的透視> / 彼得．柏格 (P. Berger) 著, 臺北, 巨流圖書公司
Charon, Joel M. (2001) Ten Questions – A sociological Perspective, 4th ed., Wadsworth, Belmont
Fine, G.. and D. Shulman (2003) Talking Sociology, 5th ed., Boston, Mass, Allyn and Bacon
Susan Ferguson ed. (2008) Mapping the Social Landscape – Readings in Sociology 5th edition, Boston, McGraw-Hill, pp. 127-143
Hunt, Elgin F. (2002), Social Science: An Introduction to the Study of Society, Boston, Mass, Allyn and Bacon
Matson, R. (2005) ed. The Spirit of Sociology: a Reader. London: Pearson.
Mills, C. (1959) The Sociological Imagination, New York, Penguin
張君玫, 劉鈐佑譯 (1996) <社會學的想像> / C. Wright Mills 著, 臺北, 國立編譯館主譯
Schwalbe, M. (2005) The Sociologically Examined Life – Pieces of the Conversation, Boston, McGraw-Hill
Thio, Alex (2000), Sociology: A Brief Introduction, Boston, MA, Allyn and Bacon
何強星 主編 (1999) <社會學探論 – 理論與香港本土研究>, 香港, 學峰文化事業公司
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畢浩明 (1987) “社會學不是甚麼”, 畢浩明編 (1987) <社會學 – 界限與局限>, 香港, 商務印書館, pp. 132-178
吳俊雄 (1987) “社會學就是工業社會學”, 畢浩明編 (1987), pp. 225-250
成令方, 林鶴, 吳嘉苓 等譯(2001) <見樹又見林: 社會學作為一種生活 , 實踐與承諾>, 群學出版社, 台北, pp. 174-199 “ 實踐社會學: 思索未來” (原著
Johnson, Alan G. (1997) The forest and the trees: sociology as life, practice and promise, Temple University Press, Philadelphia)
馮一冲 （2011）<吃掉社會：走出廚房看世界>， 香港，香港三聯出版社

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 APSS112/ APS1A08 – Introduction to Sociology
Assessment Guidelines
Assessment Indicating Indicating Mark(s) Rubrics
Result Grade(s) Agmt#1 Agmt#2 Paper
Outstanding A to A+ 16-20 31-40 31-40 Structure and Organization
- content highly relevant to the topic and cover all issues
- thorough and clear analysis
- sections are interlocking and echoing with one another
Clarity and Soundness of Argument
- exceptionally clear and logical
- demonstrate full understanding of concepts and theories
Collection and Analysis of Information
- excellent collection of information to support the content
Quality of Writing
- superb use of language with appropriate word choice
Very Good B to B+ 11-15 21-30 21-30 Structure and Organization
- content consistently relevant to the topic and cover most issues
- analysis demonstrates good understanding
- with good introduction and summary on top of a smooth flow
Clarity and Soundness of Argument
- demonstrates clear and logical argument
- shows signs of internalizing concepts and theories when applying
Collection and Analysis of Information
- good collection of information to support the content
Quality of Writing
- good use of language with occasional good word choice
Wholly Satisfactory C to C+ 6-10 11-20 11-20 Structure and Organization

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 - content wholly / barely relevant to the topic but missing out some
significant issues
- analysis demonstrates general / limited understanding
- flow of ideas is apparent but emphasis inconsistent
Clarity and Soundness of Argument
- some evidence of logical argument
- shows signs of basic understanding of concepts and theories when
applying
Collection and Analysis of Information
- some evidences of effort shown in information search
Quality of Writing
- acceptable use of language with some problems of word choice
Less than Satisfactory D or below 0-5 0-10 0-10 Structure and Organization
- Less than half of / most of the content not relevant to the topic and
missing out most significant issues
- Lack of analysis and have poor /no understanding of the topic
- Little / no evidence of planned structure and lack of organization
Clarity and Soundness of Argument
- Little / no evidence of logical argument
- Unclear focus and meaning in content, and misuse of concepts and
theories
Collection and Analysis of Information
- little evidence of showing effort in literature and information search
Quality of Writing
- barely adequate / inadequate use of language with problems in
sentence structure

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 Mark-Grade Conversion Table

Total Marks Final Grade

85 and above A+
80-84 A
75-79 B+
70-74 B
65-69 C+
60-64 C
55-59 D+
50-54 D
49 and below F

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