Person Society

This introductory course explores what it means to develop the 'sociological imagination'. Moving beyond an understanding of the biological basis of behaviour, the course develops a perspective of the human person located in 'society' - within webs of social relationships and institutional forms of social organisation. Social life is governed by norms and constraints, but individuals as social actors also 'make history' and exercise choice in their lives. In addition, the course develops a comparative understanding of the diversity of societal forms and cultural traditions in human history, especially the key features of modern life and its continued transformation in contemporary times.