Page 199 - HKSYU Prospectus 2023-24

Sociology

stakeholders in the community are met.

SOC 412 Contemporary Consumer and the Changing Community
1 Term; 3 Credits
Consumer lifestyles and mass consumption are central features of life in contemporary
societies. Sociologists believe that consumption is more than a simple economic exchange
involving the buying and selling of goods and services. Consumption is a fundamental element
in the social order and a major driving force of the modern society. Among other things, it is
closely related to political economy, reflects social class divisions, shapes social identity,
informs leisure practices, provides the basis for the identification and exclusion of outsiders,
and intersects with issues of power and dominance. This course provides students with an
opportunity to examine how modern consumer society develops and changes, how taste
communities form on the basis of social class and cultural capital, how to evaluate consumers’
awareness and movements for change, and how collective consumer behaviours affect the
production sphere of the society. Real examples and empirical cases in Chinese societies are
adopted as illustrations.

SOC 413 Digitized Media, Culture and Society
1 Term; 3 Credits
The evolution of digital media has triggered a civilizational revolution. In past decades,
we have witnessed revolutionary changes in every aspect of our society and culture due to the
pervasive influence of digital media. Our society is now thoroughly mediatized, our behaviour,
mindset, and lifestyle are totally transformed. We communicate, educate, entertain, conduct
business, and govern people, all through digital technology. This course investigates how
digital media and digital innovations are changing our society and culture. On the individual
level, we examine how digital media transforms our way of thinking, identity construction, and
social life. On the society level, we reveal how digital media transforms economic practices,
civic engagement, and governance. On the other side of the coin, we will examine how digital
media helps to inject new forms of expression into the arts and culture and bring innovation to
sustaining cultural heritage.
At the end of the course, students will be able to conduct evidence-based media research,
develop innovative ideas with digital media and apply them to real life situations. They will take
advantage of the opportunities opened up by the digital world and capitalize on those
opportunities to develop social good.

SOC 414 Heritage Studies: Critical and Innovative Dimensions
1 Term; 3 Credits
This course examines the field of critical heritage studies and how discourses of heritage
transform society, especially in terms of how we appropriate and consume heritage. It
interrogates the global dimension of heritage formation, and how this interacts with
stakeholders such as nation-states, ethnic groups, neighbourhoods and online communities in
defining what heritage means in everyday life. Among the issues addressed are: heritage

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