Overview
Using material from New Zealand and worldwide, key ideas in sociology are explored and applied to everyday life. These include theoretical approaches to modernity, social power, inequality, capitalism and social control.
This course will introduce students to the foundations of social and critical theory and enable them to develop an understanding of how these theories can be used to examine the multiple contradictions of society today. Topics covered include: capitalism, modernity and postmodernity, feminism, race, settler colonialism, social reproduction, the Anthropocene, and ideology.
Over the course, students will be introduced to the ideas of key historical social and critical theorists (e.g., Karl Marx, Max Weber, W. E. B DuBois, Frantz Fanon, Michel Foucault) and will see how their foundational ideas have been developed by contemporary theorists in the 21st century (e.g., Judith Butler, Frederic Jameson, Angela Davis, Mark Fisher, Nancy Fraser). Students will also study theory from outside the European tradition, particularly Māori and Pacific theories.
Each week, students will read a mixture of classic and contemporary texts, and in tutorial discussions and assignments, students will get the opportunity to use these theories to develop an understanding of contemporary social issues in Aotearoa New Zealand, the Pacific, and beyond. The paper will provide students with the foundational knowledge in social and critical theory that can be used throughout the rest of their studies.
About this paper
| Paper title | Big Ideas in Sociology |
|---|---|
| Subject | Sociology |
| EFTS | 0.15 |
| Points | 18 points |
| Teaching period | Not offered in 2026 (On campus) |
| Domestic Tuition Fees ( NZD ) | $1,103.10 |
| International Tuition Fees | Tuition Fees for international students are elsewhere on this website. |
- Prerequisite
- (SOCI 101 or SOCI 102 or SOCI 103) or 54 points
- Schedule C
- Arts and Music
- Eligibility
Suitable for all students; strongly recommended for Sociology majors.
- Contact
- More information link
View more information on Sociology, Gender Studies and Criminology's website
- Teaching staff
- Teaching Arrangements
This paper is taught through lectures and tutorials.
- Textbooks
No textbooks required. Readings will be made available on Blackboard and eReserve.
- Graduate Attributes Emphasised
Lifelong learning, Critical thinking, Self-motivation, Global perspective.
View more information about Otago's graduate attributes.- Learning Outcomes
Students who successfully complete the paper will:
- Gain a foundational knowledge of the key ideas in social/critical theory
- Have a developed understanding of the history of theoretical ideas in sociology
- Think theoretically and critically about contemporary social problems
- Have developed skills for clear and effective intellectual argumentation
Overview
Using material from New Zealand and worldwide, key ideas in sociology are explored and applied to everyday life. These include theoretical approaches to modernity, social power, inequality, capitalism and social control.
This course will introduce students to the foundations of social and critical theory and enable them to develop an understanding of how these theories can be used to examine the multiple contradictions of society today. Topics covered include: capitalism, modernity and postmodernity, feminism, race, settler colonialism, social reproduction, the Anthropocene and ideology.
Over the course, students will be introduced to the ideas of key historical social and critical theorists (e.g., Karl Marx, Max Weber, W. E. B DuBois, Frantz Fanon, Michel Foucault) and will see how their foundational ideas have been developed by contemporary theorists in the 21st century (e.g., Judith Butler, Frederic Jameson, Angela Davis, Mark Fisher, Nancy Fraser). Students will also study theory from outside the European tradition, particularly Māori and Pacific theories.
Each week, students will read a mixture of classic and contemporary texts, and in tutorial discussions and assignments, students will get the opportunity to use these theories to develop an understanding of contemporary social issues in Aotearoa New Zealand, the Pacific and beyond. The paper will provide students with the foundational knowledge in social and critical theory that can be used throughout the rest of their studies.
About this paper
| Paper title | Big Ideas in Sociology |
|---|---|
| Subject | Sociology |
| EFTS | 0.15 |
| Points | 18 points |
| Teaching period | Semester 1 (On campus) |
| Domestic Tuition Fees | Tuition Fees for 2027 have not yet been set |
| International Tuition Fees | Tuition Fees for international students are elsewhere on this website. |
- Prerequisite
- (SOCI 101 or SOCI 102 or SOCI 103) or 54 points
- Schedule C
- Arts and Music
- Eligibility
Suitable for all students; strongly recommended for Sociology majors.
- Contact
- More information link
View more information on Sociology, Gender Studies and Criminology's website
- Teaching staff
- Teaching Arrangements
This paper is taught through lectures and tutorials.
- Textbooks
No textbooks required. Readings will be made available on Aoroa and eReserve.
- Graduate Attributes Emphasised
Lifelong learning, Critical thinking, Self-motivation, Global perspective.
View more information about Otago's graduate attributes.- Learning Outcomes
Students who successfully complete the paper will:
- Gain a foundational knowledge of the key ideas in social/critical theory
- Have a developed understanding of the history of theoretical ideas in sociology
- Think theoretically and critically about contemporary social problems
- Have developed skills for clear and effective intellectual argumentation