Sociology Level 3000 courses

All Sociology 3000 level modules have the following entry requirement:

Students must have passed at least three units of Sociology at the 1000 and 2000 levels, i.e. three units from the following: SOCL1015; 1014; 1013; 2012; 2008; 2004; and 2001.

Students majoring in Sociology must do SOCL3008 and SOCL3002 as well as at least two other modules.

Students majoring in Industrial Sociology must do SOCL3013 and SOCL3008 as well as at least two other modules.

SOCL3016 - Sociology of Africa

Module Description

This module provides students with a solid grounding in the history, politics and societies of Sub-Sahara Africa.

This course introduces students to post-colonial Africa, focusing on development, political economy, the state and culture. The first part of the course focuses on the contemporary development crisis in Sub-Saharan Africa, examining the causes and possible solutions to the situation. Among the debates examined in this section is the legacy of colonialism, the nature of the post-colonial state, and of post-colonial class relations, international economic relations, and the impact of the debt crisis and of neo-liberalism. This section concludes with an examination of the role of labour movements and ''second liberation'' democratisation struggles in the post-colonial period, of South Africa's role in the continent, and a critical review of current proposals for African recovery.

The second half of the course examines questions of culture and power in post-colonial Africa. Particular attention is paid to the contemporary African state, examining the legacies of colonial state, post-colonial challenges, relations between state and civil society, and the current crisis of the state, which faces challenges from below (mass resistance to domination, ethnic violence, secessionist movements, disintegration) and above (the diminished capacity of the state within the global structure of power and moves towards regionalism). The question of African identity also forms an important theme in this section, focusing upon the rise, demise and possible revival of pan-African nationalism, and the role of culture, religion and ethnicity in post-colonial African societies.

Schedule

First semester on the B2 timetable slot

Pre-requisites and Co-requisites

Students must be eligible for a third level course.

Module Load

Two lectures and one tutorial per week. Examined by tutorial submissions and two essays and one three-hour exam.

Lecturer/s

Professor Roger Southall and Mr Paul Germond

Coordinator

Mr Paul Stewart

SOCL3015 - States, Markets and Economic Policy

Module Description

This module introduces social students to economic concepts, theory and policy debates with particular reference to neo-liberal restructuring in South African.

The course introduces students with a background in the social sciences to economic concepts, theory and life. The aim is to ground students in contemporary economic policy debates through an examination of the variety of ways in which states and markets interact in different socio-historical contexts. The course starts from the premise that economic action is a form of social action, embedded in social structures and social struggles.

Taking as its case study the international emergence and consolidation of the neo-liberal agenda from the 1970, the course provide student with a solid and relevant grounding in economic theory and in global and local economic issues and a thorough grasp of key economic and industrial policy debates in South Africa.

In order to achieve analytical clarity the course examines fundamental concepts such as capitalism, class, market, state, planning, freedom and equality. Issues concerning politics and ideology are at the centre of the course which focuses particularly on differing ideological conceptions of the functioning of markets, and of the effects and desirability of state interventions in markets.

This is undertaken through a study of different approaches to the analysis of economic life, in the first half of the course, and then, in the second half of the course, through an examination of economic change in the post-1945 world. With particular reference to neo-liberalism, in the second half. This section pays particular section to GEAR macro-economic policy in South Africa. The course concludes with an examination of the social consequences of neo-liberalism, locally and internationally and with an examination of the prospects for alternatives to the neo-liberal agenda in the 21st century.

Schedule

First semester on the B2 timetable slot.

Prerequisites

Students must be eligible for a third level course. Students from allied disciplines, such as Political studies, Economic History, Geography, History and Social Anthropology may be admitted with the permission of the lecturer or head of the department

Module load

Two lectures and one tutorial per week. Examined by two essays and one three-hour exam

Lecturer/s

Dr Lucien van der Walt

SOCL3013 - The Sociology of Work

Module Description

This course aims to introduce the student to conceptual issues relating to the changing nature of work in modern industrial societies.

The course involves examining the definition and meaning of work, scientific management and skill formation, the transformation of work from Fordism to Post-Fordism, workplace participation and control, other workplace identities in the production process, the new forms of work that have emerged in the past two decades and key issues in the South African workplace during the transition.

It is hoped that by the end of the course students will not only be able to understand the concepts and issues covered in this course, but they will also be able to apply them critically to specific contexts, particularly workplaces in South Africa. The main aim of this course is to investigate the impact of globalization on the workplace and industrial relations in South Africa.

Schedule

First semester on the B1 timetable slot.

Prerequisites and co-requisites

Students must be eligible for a third level course. Other 3000 level students from allied disciplines may be admitted with the permission of the Head of Department.

Module load

Two lectures a week and one tutorial. Weekly tutorial papers, one tutorial presentation, one long essay, one two-hour exam.

Lecturer/s

Ms Prishani Naidoo and Dr Bridget Kenny

Coordinator

Mr Paul Stewart

SOCL3014 - South African Industrial Relations

Module Description

Faced by economic globalization and neo-liberalism many countries are experiencing profound challenges to establish work practices and industrial relations institutions. This course is concerned to identify this global challenge and examine its impact on work and industrial relations in South Africa. We will examine the emergence of the apartheid workplace regime and its persistence into the present, exploring the extent to which the labour reforms introduced recently constitute an innovative challenge to the global agenda of neo-liberalism.

The course examines the impact of globalisation on workplace and industrial relations in South Africa. Faced by economic globalisation and neo-liberalism, many countries are experiencing profound changes to established work practises and industrial relations institutions. In this course we are concerned with identifying this global challenge and examining its impact on work and industrial relations. To what extent do the labour reforms introduced by the democratic government since 1994 constitute an innovative challenge to the global agenda of neo-liberalism? This is the intellectual question that runs through the entire course and it will be explored through various topics during the lectures and tutorials. Innovative teaching and learning methods will be used including the role-plays, visit to a relevant industrial relations institutions and guest speakers.

Schedule

Second semester on the B1 timetable slot

Prerequisites and co-requisites

Students must be eligible for a third level course. Other 3000 level students from cognate disciplines may be admitted with the permission of the Head of Department.

Module load

Two lectures a week and one tutorial; weekly seminar papers or presentations; one long essay; one two hour exam.

Lecturer/s

Dr Raji Matshedisho

Coordinator

Mr Paul Stewart

SOCL3008 - Researching Social Life

Note: This course depends on small group teaching methods; there may be a restricted intake depending on demand, as the small group methods are its great strength.

Module Description

This course introduces students to the various research methods used in the social sciences and teaches students to do social research using practical methods.

The course offers students an opportunity to acquire basic research skills directly. The following issues in social research will be examined: Drawing up a research question, sampling, interviewing, surveying, participant observation and analysing data. In addition to a programme of lectures and small-group discussions, students will have the opportunity of operationalising their research skills in their own, independent research projects.

Schedule

Second semester on the B2 timetable slot

Prerequisites and co-requisites

Students must be eligible for a third level course. Other students may be admitted if they are eligible for 3000 level courses, and with the permission of the Head of Department. If numbers are too high, then space in the course will be reserved for students majoring in Sociology or Industrial Sociology, for whom it is compulsory.

Module load

Two lectures a week; one two hour practical; supervision meetings; practical research in the student s own time; one research project as well as weekly tutorial presentations and papers; one three-hour exam.

Lecturer/s

Ms Kezia Lewins (Lecturer) and Ms Louise Hagemeier (Research project Co-ordinator).

Project Supervisors:

Mr Paul Stewart, Dr Samuel Kariuki, Mr Paul Germond and Professor David Dickenson.

SOCL3003 - Demography and Development

Module Description

The aim of this course is to equip students with a good sociological understanding of the place of demography in the process of socio-economic development. Students will be exposed to ways in which demographic techniques may be applied to planning in a variety of substantive areas in the public and private sectors.

The course has two objectives. The first is to give students an understanding of the place of demographic changes in socio-economic development and cultural change. The course will deal with various major theoretical approaches to the understanding of the relationship between demographic dynamics and development. Recent theoretical changes that have informed the changing boundaries of national, regional and global population debates will be examined in detail.

The second objective is to introduce students to the theory and practice of the integration of demographic dynamics into national development planning. Case studies of countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe will be used to examine recent advances in the integration of demographic factors and national development plans. Issues to be covered include techniques for formulation, implementation and evaluation of national population policies; demographic techniques for planning in health, social services, education and environment; local area and regional demographic analysis, and the application of demography in the development of human resources and in various private sector decision-making situations.

The course will involve formal lectures and practical training sessions, the latter involving the use of specialist demographic packages designed for population analysis, estimations and projections. Workshops will be organized that will expose students to institutions and persons that are involved in the production, analysis and application of demography in development.

Semester

Second semester on the B1 timetable slot

Prerequisites and co-requisites

Students must be eligible for a third level course. Students from Town Planning, Architecture, Engineering and Medicine are welcome.

Module load

Two lectures and one tutorial per week for fourteen weeks. Weekly tutorial papers, practical assignments and/or presentations, one long essay entailing independent work, and one two-hour exam.

Lecturer/s

Professor Clifford Odimegwu

Project Supervisors:

Mr Paul Stewart, Dr Samuel Kariuki, Mr Paul Germond and Professor David Dickenson.

SOCL3002 - Culture, Power and Identity

Module Description

This course will discuss concepts of power, culture and identity from various theoretical perspectives and applied contexts.

The course explores the ways in which relations of power and knowledge are manifested in society. In introducing students to innovative theories and debates, the course focuses on different theorists. The implications of these core theoretical approaches for contemporary social issues, such as new gender practises, racial identities and conflicts, form a major component of the course. Another component addresses work that engages with issues of colonial domination and resistance, and with the challenges of post-colonial African realities.

Semester

First semester on the B1 timetable slot.

Prerequisites and co-requisites

Students must be eligible for a third level course. Other 3000 level students from cognate disciplines may be admitted with the permission of the Head of Department.

Module load

Two lectures a week and one tutorial. Weekly tutorial papers, one tutorial presentation, one long essay, one two-hour exam.

Lecturer/s

Dr Michelle Williams

SOCL 3026 - Contemporary Social Issues in Southern Africa III

Module Description

This course addresses a range of sociological issues from both a theoretical and empirical perspective.

The course addresses some of the key questions and concerns of our time, including, amongst others, debates on gender, race, ethnicity, and class, as well as themes in urban and rural sociology, the environment, education, state formation and civil society. It provides a sociological understanding of these issues by means of an engagement with both classical and dynamic contemporary social theory produced internationally and in the region. A selection of these and other issues will be focused on in any particular academic year, depending on staff and student interest.

3rd block - choose between:

The Political Economy of Nature and Development OR Gender in Society

4th block:
Confronting Race: Key questions and debates

The Political Economy of Nature and Development

This section examines the relationship between human development and the natural environment. As such, it critically reflects on deep ecology perspectives that privilege nature over human beings, at the one extreme and economic development perspectives that ignore the long-term sustainability of the natural environment, for current and future generations, at the other extreme. Given the accelerated destruction of the natural environment with the onset of industrial capitalism a little over two hundred years ago - including threats to bio-diversity, global warming and the depletion of fossil fuels - the course critically reflects on whether capitalism has reached its ''natural limits'', or whether a renewed form of ''green capitalism'' is on the horizon.

Gender in Society

Women's rights and gender equality are enshrined in the South African constitution. Yet South Africa still has one of the highest rates of rape in the world. Domestic violence is rife; and women still receive less pay than men for jobs of equal worth. This section tries to understand the persistence of gender inequality and oppression, not just in South Africa but across the globe. It begins by asking, what exactly do we mean by gender? The student will be introduced to a range of theories about gender. The aim will be to think about how these theories apply to the oppression of women and how they enable strategies to contest it. We will trace the trajectory of gender theory. In particular, we will focus on the groundbreaking scholarship by major black feminist theorists that has revolutionized the way we think about gender relations, the body, sexuality, the family, and empowerment.

Confronting Race: Key Questions and Debates

This section explores the concept of race as one of the primary categories of social difference in modern society. We look critically at some of the fault lines internal to debates on race, such as biological ''facts'' of racial difference; race understood as ''common sense'', and the idea of race as a ''social construction''. We also explore intersections between race and other social categories. Questions about race are posed in relation to colonialism and nationalism, with an emphasis on the state and state power. We consider the articulation between race and ethnicity and examine the phenomenon of race riots and xenophobia. Finally, we turn to the raced body and to race as experience and its meanings in everyday life. This module aims to provide students with knowledge of and analytical perspectives on the status and place of race in contemporary South Africa, but has a built-in comparative dimension and draws on a vibrant body of scholarship from all over the world. Students will encounter texts by provocative and renowned social theorists, some of whom write in defence of and others against race.

Schedule

Second semester on the B1 timetable slot

Prerequisites

Entry Requirement: Students must have passed at least THREE units in Sociology at the 1000 and 2000 levels.

Module load

Two lectures and one tutorial per week. Examined by essays, tests and a three hour exam

Lecturer/s

Dr Lisa Brown, Dr Irma du Plessis and Professor Devan Pillay

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