Bachelor of Arts (BA) - The University of Hong Kong

322SOCI0032.Religion, rituals and myths (6 credits)This course will consider the central role of religion in the transition from traditional to industrialsociety and the problematic status of religion in the modern world. It will examine the contributions ofclassical social theorists, Marx, Weber and Durkheim, and also the more recent work on such issues assecularization, new religious movements, and alternatives to religion. It will ask: is religion in declinein the modern world?SOCI0034.Science, technology and society (6 credits)This course looks at science and technology in their wider social context. It aims to provide studentswith an understanding of how science and technology have been shaped by social forces, and how theyhave influenced social developments in developed and developing countries. To this end, it will studythe rise of science and technology in China, Europe and the United States, and look at the role of thevarious scientific and technological professions in these countries. It will also introduce students to keyissues in the history and sociology of science, and the sociology of knowledge more generally. It willexamine sociological issues such as images of science and their social uses, and examine the use ofscience as a resource in public policy. In addition to these wider issues, the course will look atsociological studies of scientific work in the laboratory, scientific culture, and the concept of 'fraudulent'or 'bogus' knowledge.SOCI0035.Selected topics in social and cultural anthropology (6 credits)This course will examine the development of theory and empirical research in one or more selectedtopics in social and cultural anthropology. The topics to be covered will vary from year to year and willbe announced before the beginning of the academic year.Assessment: 40% coursework, 60% examination.Prerequisite: None, but SOCI0008 recommended.SOCI0036.Social anthropology of Hong Kong and Guangdong (6 credits)This course examines the transformation of culture in Hong Kong and compares it with developmentsin neighbouring Guangdong. It looks at changes in family organization, ritual and popular culture andproblems of urban anthropology in Hong Kong.Assessment: 40% coursework, 60% examination.SOCI0037.Social change in Southeast Asia (6 credits)An introduction to the societies of Southeast Asia, and to the vast social changes occurring in the regiontoday. The course begins with an elaboration of traditional cultures, followed by an examination ofspecific social realities, including changing caste/class roles; economic development andunderdevelopment; the role of religious ideology as a political force; the situation of women.Assessment: 40% coursework, 60% examination.SOCI0038.Social control (6 credits)A discussion of the problems of social order and control; basic techniques of social control; control ininterpersonal relationship and small groups; the role of ideology and mass media in social control; theuses of conflict in establishing order.Prerequisite: None, but SOCI0027 recommended.