SO4554: POLITICAL SOCIOLOGY (2015-2016)

This course aims to give students an understanding of the social basis of political power. It begins by examining the classic paradigms of political sociology, paying particular attentions to those developed by Marx, Weber, and Tocqueville. It then examines several substantive issues and debates on the nature of contemporary political life, such as those surrounding the changing nature of civil society, the power of large corporations, the relative decline of class politics and rise of cultural politics, the media's influence on public opinion, and globalization's effect on democracy.

• One of SO3017 Religion and Society (Passed) or SO3066 Thinking Sociologically (Passed) or SO3067 Religion and Society (Passed) or SO3566 Thinking Sociologically (Passed) or SO3567 Religion and Society (Passed) or MA European Studies (Studied)
• Either Sociology (SO) (Studied) or MA European Studies (Studied)
• One of SO2503 Study Social Life 2 (Passed) or SO2504 Studying Social Life 2 (Passed) or SO2505 Studying Social Life 2 (Extended) (Passed) or MA European Studies (Studied)
• One of SO3522 Social Research Methods (Passed) or SO3524 Social Research Methods (Passed) or MA European Studies (Studied)
• One of SO2003 Study Social Life 1 (Passed) or SO2004 Studying Social Life 1 (Passed) or SO2005 Studying Social Life 1 (Extended) (Passed) or MA European Studies (Studied)
• Either Any Undergraduate Programme (Studied) or MA European Studies (Studied)
• Either Programme Level 3 or Programme Level 4