Teaching plan for the course unit

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General information

 

Course unit name: Sociology I

Course unit code: 360493

Academic year: 2025-2026

Coordinator: Jesus Matamala Bacardit

Department: Department of Sociology

Credits: 6

Single program: N

 

 

Estimated learning time

Total number of hours 150

 

Face-to-face and/or online activities

60
 

-  Lecture with practical component

Face-to-face

  

45
 

-  Group tutorial

Face-to-face

  

15

Supervised project

40

Independent learning

50

 

 

Learning objectives

 

Referring to knowledge

  • Understand the historical origins of sociology as a discipline.
  • Acquire a basic grounding in the ideas of the leading authors and major schools of sociological thought.
  • Understand the principal themes and questions of sociological analysis.

 

Referring to abilities, skills

  • Develop critical reading skills of texts in sociology.
  • Learn to extract the principal ideas from the sociological literature.
  • Identify schools of sociological thought based on close reading of texts.

 

Referring to attitudes, values and norms

  • Learn to apply a gender perspective.
  • Develop an awareness of the analyst’s responsibility vis-à-vis social reality.
  • Acquire capacity to reflect critically and self-critically in relation to social phenomena.
  • Acquire an understanding of the ethical framework of sociology.

 

 

Teaching blocks

 

1. The origins of sociology and the formalization of sociological knowledge

1.1. The origins of sociology

The Enlightenment: Adam Smith and Jean-Jacques Rousseau
The English socio-economic revolution: industrialization and urbanization
Political revolutions: the French Revolution and American Independence

1.2. The formalization of sociological knowledge

Early sociology: Auguste Comte and Karl Marx
The consolidation of sociology in Europe: Max Weber, Émile Durkheim and Ferdinand Tönnies
The professionalization of sociology in America: the Chicago School, Talcott Parsons and functionalism

2. Major themes in sociological analysis

2.1. Population, family and work

Population: structure and dynamics
Family, gender and sexuality: definitions and approaches to the study of the family. Forms of cohabitation. The family life cycle
Work and labour market dynamics

2.2. Culture, socialization and education

Culture: key concepts and interpretations
Socialization: processes, types and agents
Education: analytical perspectives

2.3. Social integration, anomie and deviance

Social integration: social integration as a necessity. Culture conflict and acculturation
Anomie: concept and types. Case analyses
Social deviance: behaviour and its variants. Criminality

3. Social inequality and power in modern society

3.1. Classes and class structure

Classes and stratification
Social mobility and its myths
Classes in contemporary society
Gender, ethnicity and age

3.2. Authority, power and citizenship

Types of authority
Power and legitimacy
Civil society and the state
The development of citizens’ rights

3.3. Industrial society vs. information society

Bureaucratization of the modern world
Autonomy of elites and democracy
Economic and social globalization

 

 

Official assessment of learning outcomes

 

Continuous assessment of the course consists of:
a) Practical activities (20% of the final grade).
b) Various multiple-choice tests or essays (80% of the final grade).

In accordance with the course objectives, assessment takes into consideration not only the assimilation of course content but also the student’s capacity for synthesis and critical reflection.

 

Examination-based assessment

Single assessment of the course comprises the following activities:
a) Written work (worth 20% of the final grade).
b) Thematic development and/or multiple-choice test (80% of the final grade).

Repeat assessment has the same format as that of single assessment.
 

 

 

Reading and study resources

Check availability in Cercabib

Book

ARON, Raymond. Las etapas del pensamiento sociológico. Madrid: Tecnos 2013

Catāleg UB  Enllaç

GINER, Salvador. Historia del pensamiento social. Barcelona: Ariel, 2013

Catāleg UB  Enllaç

BERGER, Peter. Invitació a la sociologia. Barcelona: Herder, 2009

Catāleg UB  Enllaç

BERGER, Peter. ; LUCKMANN, Thomas. La construcció social de la realitat. Barcelona: Herder, 1996

Catāleg UB  Enllaç

BOUDON, Raymond. La lógica de lo social. Madrid: Rialp, 1981

Catāleg UB  Enllaç

BOURDIEU, Pierre [et al]. El oficio de sociólogo. 2ª ed. Madrid : Siglo XXI, 1989

Catāleg UB  Enllaç

CARABAÑA, Julio, (ed.). Desigualdad y clases sociales. Madrid: Argentaria-Visor, 1995

Catāleg UB  Enllaç

DEL CAMPO, Salustiano. Tratado de sociología. 2a ed. corr. y aum. Madrid: Taurus, reim. 1992

Catāleg UB  Enllaç

ESPING ANDERSEN, Gosta. Fundamentos sociales de las economías postindustriales. Barcelona:  Ariel, Reimp. 2011

Catāleg UB  Enllaç

GIDDENS, Anthony. El capitalismo y la moderna teoría social. Barcelona: Labor, 1992

Catāleg UB  Enllaç

GIDDENS, Anthony. Sociología. Madrid: Alianza Editorial, 2014

GiNER, Salvador. Sociologia. Barcelona: Península, 2010

LEFEBVRE, Henry, Sociologia de Marx, Península, Barcelona 1969

MACIONIS, John. J.; PLUMMER, Ken. Sociología. Madrid: Prentice Hall, 2011

MARSHALL, T. H. Ciudadanía y clase social. Madrid: Alianza editorial, 1998

MILLS, Charles Wright. La imaginación sociológica. México: Fondo de cultura económica, 1999

MOUZELIS, Nicos P. Organización y burocracia. Barcelona: Península, reimp. 1991

SENNETT, Richard. La corrosión del caracter. Barcelona: Anagrama, reimp. 2006

WEEKS, Jhon Robert. Sociología de la población. Madrid: Alianza Editorial, reimp. 1993

WEBER, Marianne  Biografia de Max Weber. Madrid: FCE, 1995.

Chapter

WRIGHT, Erik O. Análisis de clase. En Carabaña,Julio.(ed.) Desigualdad y clases sociales: un seminario en torno a Erik O. Wright. Madrid: Argentaria-Visor, 1995

Web page

Centre d’Investigacions Sociològiques (CIS). [en línia]. Madrid [Consulta: 13 juliol 2017]. Disponible a: http://www.cis.es/cis/opencms/ES/10_contactar/  Enllaç

Ajuntament de Barcelona. [en línia]. Barcelona [Consulta 13 juliol 2017]. Disponible a: http://ajuntament.barcelona.cat/ca/  Enllaç

Institut Nacional d’Estadística (INE). [en línia]. Madrid. [Consulta 13 juliol 2017]. Disponible a http://www.ine.es  Enllaç

EUROSTAT. [en línia]. Luxemburgo [Consulta 13 juliol 2017]. Disponible a: http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat  Enllaç

Institut d’Estadística de Catalunya (IDESCAT) [en línia] Barcelona [Consulta 13 juliol 2017]. Disponible a https://www.idescat.cat  Enllaç