nau mai haere mai, a warm welcome to sociology for social practice: inequality and social change.
I (craig) will be your lecturer and course coordinator this semester and I am super excited to meet you all on Friday for our first class. We start at 10.30 so please be on time. I try and open the room 30mins before class so you can locate yourself in the room before hand. The room is 510 1035 (the big room with all the TV screens on level 1).
Sociology is a big subject (it explores lots of different topics/areas) and uses a lot of different concepts to make sense of the world we live in. As this is an introduction course do not be concerned if these concepts seem overwhelming, as you will become familiar with the terms used and develop a deeper understand as the course progresses and in other courses, and future courses in the degree.
Sociology is an important subject as it gives us the tools to begin to unpack the society(ies) we live in. It does this firstly by asking us to become curious about the world around us and then to begin to ask some critical questions about how it came to be this way.
Sociology can be a personally rewarding subject as it can help us see the forces that influence our lives and to challenge the forces that may limit us (both as individuals and as a collective). In this way it can be an empowering subject to explore.
Do feel free to explore moodle, including the course outline, which will give you a sense of the areas we will cover. Also please engage with this week’s readings, particularly The sociological imagination: insights, themes and skills. This reading gives a sense of the breadth and depth of sociological thinking.
See you all on Friday
Craig (he/him).