Page 196 - SYU Prospectus

Shue Yan University Prospectus 2021-22

reception and appropriation. Students will be equipped with a critical sociological reflection
upon the Asian popular culture they are already enjoying from this course.

SOC 321 Economic Sociology
1 Term; 3 Credits
This course aims to provide students with valuable understandings of economic life from
sociological perspectives and approaches. Firstly, the brief history of economic sociology as a
fast-growing subfield within contemporary sociology is introduced, including its history,
developments and new directions. Secondly, distinctive principles, theoretical debates and
research paradigms of economic sociology are elaborated. Different from the pure economic
perspective, economic sociology argues that economic action is not separated from social life
but instead is embedded or integrated into given social, political, cultural and institutional
processes. Such a viewpoint will lead students to seeking for alternative explanations of
economic activities beyond narrowly defined assumptions of neoclassical economics. Thirdly,
a variety of economic sociology topics and empirical studies are addressed, including impacts
of social capital on economic action, the role of state in economy, exchange in human goods,
connections of culture and economy, dynamic relations between family and business, social
meaning of money and so on. Here the central issue is to demonstrate how social forces
constrain or facilitate economic activities.

SOC 331 Western Classical Social Thought
1 Term; 3 Credits
This course enables student to master the philosophical basis and development of
western classical social thought. After completing this course, students will be familiar with the
main philosophical sources of western classical social thought and the relevant issues and
proposed answers that are considered as significant and influential in the field of western social
philosophy.

SOC 333 Urban Sociology
1 Term; 3 Credits
This course introduces students to a range of topics in urban sociology. The first half
introduces the origin and rise of city, the development of urban life in the modern world, and
basic theories in urban sociology, including urban ecology, critical theory, and urbanism. The
second half discusses current issues around the making of modern cities, including
globalization, urban growth, city marketing, gentrification and financialization. By comparing
the similarities and differences between Hong Kong and other global cities, students can make
use of local and global cases to evaluate cities, communities, and their consequences.

SOC 336 Love, Family and Kinship
1 Term; 3 Credits
This course adopts a comparative approach to examine how love is invented as an
important element of marriage, and how various kinds of family and kinship systems are

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