Sociology focuses on the organisation of social life. It looks at how people’s lives are influenced by their opportunities and experiences; and the impact that people have on society through taking action and creating change. Sociology provides insights into the ways factors such as class, wealth, race, gender, ethnicity, age, sexuality, disability and religion shape people’s lives, but this is only one part of it. Sociology is diverse and covers all aspects of social life. Most importantly, sociology is a perspective on the social world that values critical thinking. Sociologists question the commonsense and popular explanations of social life and look at the dynamics of power and inequality in everyday life. A central concept to sociology is that of the sociological imagination. The sociological imagination allows sociologists to make connections between personal experiences and larger social issues. This course is designed to introduce you to a range of basic sociological principles so that you can develop your own sociological imagination. Throughout this unit you will learn about the origins of sociology as a discipline and be introduced to major sociological theories and methods of research. You will also explore such topics as sex and gender, deviance, and racism and how the Christian worldview speaks into these spaces. As you move through the course, try to develop your sociological imagination by relating the topics and theories you read about to your own life experiences. Topics: + Introduction – Sociological Imagination + Major sociological perspectives + Worldviews + Socialisation and social interactions + Social stratification and class + Race, ethnicity and migration + Sexuality and gender + Education + Poverty, social exclusion and welfare + Globalisation Media + Crime and deviance + Review