Introduction to Sociology

This course is devoted to introduce students with the basic principles, concepts and theories of sociology. Also, the course will provide an introduction to the basic elements of professional culture, and it will form specific skills of sociological thinking in the analysis of various social phenomena and processes.

The theoretical basis of the discipline is based on the papers and studies of famous sociologists of both classical (H. Spencer, E. Durkheim, M. Weber e.t.c.) and modern (P. Bourdieu, A. Giddens, M. Castells e.t.c.) periods. The discipline pays attention to practical sociological studies in Russia and worldwide. Students are introduced to the pool of topics that contemporary sociology examines.

The course is divided into four parts. The first part gives an introduction to the sociological understanding of what is happening in the world around us. The second part deals with the classical period of sociology's development as a science. The third part contains basic information about modern sociological theories. The final part focuses on sociological data and directions of modern research. The level of knowledge of the students will be tested by individual and group assignments, essay writing, and final presentation.