SubjectsSubjects(version: 965)
Course, academic year 2021/2022
  
Sociology and research methodology - AM501050
Title: Sociology and research methodology
Guaranteed by: Department of Economics and Management (837)
Faculty: Central University Departments of UCT Prague
Actual: from 2021 to 2023
Semester: winter
Points: winter s.:4
E-Credits: winter s.:4
Examination process: winter s.:
Hours per week, examination: winter s.:2/1, C+Ex [HT]
Capacity: unlimited / unlimited (unknown)
Min. number of students: unlimited
State of the course: taught
Language: English
Teaching methods: full-time
Level:  
Note: course can be enrolled in outside the study plan
enabled for web enrollment
Guarantor: Novotný Lukáš doc. Dr. Mgr. M.A.
Examination dates   Schedule   
Annotation
In this course we introduce a range of basic sociological principles. We study about the origins of sociology as a discipline, and some major sociological theories and research methods. We also explore the topics of sex and gender, deviance, and racism. As we move through the course, try to develop your sociological imagination by relating the topics and theories you read about to your own life experiences. This course provides also a introduction to research in sociology. We will begin by learning about the basic concepts that are essential to understanding social research, addressing such topics as: ethics in social research, theory in research and research design. We will then learn about different types of research, including experiments, surveys, field research, and unobtrusive research (completing survey, field research, and content analysis projects). And, finally, we will cover what happens after data collection, learning about the preparation and description of data, and taking a very brief (and very preliminary) look at inferential statistics. In the last part we introduce a set of core writings in the field of urban and rural sociology. Topics include the changing nature of community, social inequality, political power, socio-spatial change, technological change, and the relationship between the built environment and human behavior. We examine the key theoretical paradigms that have constituted the field since its founding, assess how and why they have changed over time, and discuss the implications of these paradigmatic shifts for urban and rural scholarship, social policy and the planning practice.
Last update: Novotný Lukáš (05.12.2020)
Course completion requirements

written test and case study.

Last update: Novotný Lukáš (13.01.2021)
Literature

Core:

Löw, Martina. The Sociology of Space. Materiality, Social Structures, and Action. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2016. ISBN 978-1-137-48771-1. 10.1057/978-1-349-69568-3.

Mann, Peter. An approach to urban sociology. London: Routledge, 2000. ISBN 9780710068965.

Naiman, Joanne. How Societies Work, (5th ed.). Black Point, NS: Fernwood Publishing, 2012. ISBN 978-1-552-66465-0.

Supplementary:

Chambliss, Daniel F.; Schutt, Russell K. Making Sense of the Social World. Methods of Investigation. Los Angeles: Sage Publishing, 2019. ISBN 978-1506364117.

Flanagan, William. Urban sociology. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2010. ISBN 978-1-442-20190-3.

Fulcher, James.; Scott, John. Sociology. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011. ISBN 978-0-199-56375-3.

Mynaříková, Lenka; Novotný, Lukáš. Knowledge Society Failure? Barriers in the Use of ICTs and Further Teacher Education in the Czech Republic. Sustainability 2020, 12, 6933. https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/17/6933.

Novotný, Lukáš. Sociology of European Integration. Sociologia 48(2), 2016, 119-138.

Skovajsa, Marek; Balon, Jan. Sociology in the Czech Republic. Between East and West. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2017. ISBN 978-1-137-45026-5.

Stolley, Kathy. The basics of sociology. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2005. IDBN 978-0-313-32387-4.

Last update: Novotný Lukáš (05.12.2020)
Syllabus

1. Introduction to Sociology

2. Culture, the Socialized Self, and the Individual in Society

3. Social Inequality

4. Institutions

5. Social Change and Social Issues

6. Exploring Methods (Surveys, Discourse analysis, Learning Analytics, Interviews, Focus groups, Ethnography, Social Network Analysis (SNA), Experimental intervention, Visual and image analysis)

7. Critical perspectives on quantitative data analysis, Critical perspectives on qualitative data analysis

8. The Rise of Urban Sociology

9. Urban Communities

10. Urban Political Economy: Growth, Gentrification, and Revitalization

11. Rural sociology, extension education, agricultural extension – meaning and definitions

12. Importance of rural sociology in agricultural extension and their interrelationship

13. Social group(s) – classification – formation and organization of groups and roleof social groups in agricultural extension

14. Interaction/Discussion

Last update: Novotný Lukáš (05.12.2020)
Learning outcomes

Learn basic sociological principles and develop your sociological imagination by studying the origins of sociology as a discipline, the major sociological theories and methods of research, and the concepts of sex, gender, deviance, and racism.

Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:

  • define sociology and its purpose;
  • define and discuss sociological imagination;
  • use the sociological perspective or imagination to interpret or describe social phenomena, such as stratification, racism, sexism, and deviance;
  • describe and critically discuss major theoretical perspectives, such as conflict theory, structural functionalism, and symbolic interactionism; and
  • apply sociological concepts to observable events and social issues.

Only the final exam is considered when awarding you a grade for this course. In order to pass this course, you will need to earn a 70% or higher on the final exam.

Last update: Novotný Lukáš (05.12.2020)
 
VŠCHT Praha