General Sociology
Code: 100474 ECTS Credits: 6| Degree | Type | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Criminology | FB | 1 |
Contact
- Name:
- Julio Martinez Cava Aguilar
- Email:
- julio.martinezcava@uab.cat
Teaching groups languages
You can view this information at the end of this document.
Prerequisites
The course will be held according to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) perspective.
Objectives and Contextualisation
This subject will introduce the criminology student into sociological perspective: What questions does sociology ask, how it has developed into different subdisciplines, and what answers are offered by its main theoretical currents; putting special emphasis on understanding how social order is built and reproduced, and on the role of the main social institutions in modern societies.
Learning Outcomes
- KM09 (Knowledge) To clearly define the ideas of classical sociological thinkers and their link with criminology.
- KM10 (Knowledge) Identify the sociological foundations of criminology.
Content
1. The Sociological Perspective: Introduction to Basic Concepts
2. The Major Currents of Classical Sociological Thought
3. Sociology of Everyday Life: Socialization, Relationships, Roles, and Social Institutions
4. Sociology of Education: Schools and Educational Institutions
5. Sociology of Culture: The Role of Culture in the Reproduction of Social Order
6. Economic Sociology: Institutions of Property, Market, and Economic Agents
7. Political Sociology: The Modern State, Political Institutions, and Globalization
8. Sociology of Conflict and Institutional Change
9. Sociology of Crime: Deviance, Crime, and Social Control
10. Gender Sociology: The Family as an Institution
11. Digital Society
Activities and Methodology
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type: Directed | |||
| Lectures | 19.5 | 0.78 | |
| Seminars. Working in small groups. | 19.5 | 0.78 | |
| Type: Supervised | |||
| Tutorials | 5 | 0.2 | |
| Type: Autonomous | |||
| Group work | 31 | 1.24 | |
| Individual work. Analysis and study of texts and other documentation. Exam preparation. | 75 | 3 |
The teaching methodology combines, on the one hand, lectures delivered by the instructor in theoretical classes; and on the other, seminar sessions that will require active and engaged participation from students, as they will consist of debates around the required readings as well as practical exercises related to the development of group work and its presentation in class.
Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.
Assessment
Continous Assessment Activities
| Title | Weighting | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attendance and participation in workshops | 20% | 0 | 0 | KM09, KM10 |
| Exam | 50% | 0 | 0 | KM09, KM10 |
| Team project | 30% | 0 | 0 | KM09, KM10 |
Continuous Assessment
The final grade for the course will be the result of combining various types of assignments:
- A final exam (50% of the final grade).
- A group project (30% of the final grade). Guidelines for the group project will be provided during the seminar sessions. On the last two days of class, each group will be required to give an oral presentation of their project.
- Attendance and participation in seminar discussions (20% of the final grade), including questions and reasoned contributions.
To pass the course, students must score 5 or higher on the final exam. The final grade will be the arithmetic mean of the exam and the other two components, according to the percentages indicated.
Students will be eligible for assessment as long as they have completed activities that account for at least two-thirds of the total grade for the course. If the value of the completed activities does not reach this threshold, the instructor may consider the student as "not assessable."
Any student who cheats or attempts to cheat during an exam will receive a grade of 0 for the entire course and lose the right to resit. A student who submits an assignment with evidence of plagiarism, or who cannot justify the content of their work, will receive a grade of 0 and a formal warning. In the event of repeated misconduct, the student will fail the course (grade 0) and lose the right to recovery.
Resits: Both the exam and the group project may be resat individually on the dates established in the academic calendar.
Attendance and Classroom Rules
The course requires regular attendance at both lectures and practical sessions, as well as continuous engagement from students. To pass the course, students must attend at least 80% of classes (not counting justified absences). Absences can only be justified for medical reasons, force majeure, or other academic commitments previously authorized by the teaching staff.
Classes start on time. Students must be punctual. Except in justified cases, entering the classroom once the session has started or leaving before it ends will not be allowed.
All students are expected to maintain a respectful attitude toward their peers. No offensive or discriminatory behavior (on the grounds of birth, race, gender, religion, opinion, or any other personal or social condition) will be tolerated during class.
Single Assessment
This will consist of the following three graded activities:
— Exam (50% of the final grade). Passing the exam is mandatory to pass the course. The exam will be based on the mandatory readings.
— Submission of a book review chosen from a list of titles provided by the instructor (30% of the final grade). The list and instructions will be explained to interested students.
— Oral presentation of the theoretical-practical paper (10 minutes) (20% of the final grade).
Resits: All three components can be resat on the dates established in the academic calendar.
Bibliography
The mandatory readings bibliography, and therefore evaluable content, is compiled in a dossier of readings accessible through the virtual campus
MANDATORY READINGS
1. The Sociological Perspective: Introduction to Basic Concepts
[No mandatory reading is requested]
2. The Major Currents of Classical Sociological Thought
Braham, P. (2013). Introduction, Society, and Anomie. In Key Concepts in Sociology (pp. xi-xiv; pp. 172-175; pp. 6-10). Sage.
3. Sociology of Everyday Life: Socialization, Relationships, Roles, and Social Institutions
Giddens, A. (2014). Interacción social y vida cotidiana and El curso de la vida. In Sociologia (pp. 276-280, 285-299, 312-320, 327-334). Alianza.
4. Sociology of Education: Schools and Educational Institutions
Rendueles, C. (2020). Presentación. El trauma de la desigualdad and La anomalía educativa española. In Contra la igualdad de oportunidades (pp. 7-15, 278-284). Seix Barral.
5. Sociology of Culture: The Role of Culture in the Reproduction of Social Order
Savage, M. (2015). Highbrow and emerging cultural capital. In Social Class in the 21st Century (pp. 93-126). Penguin Books.
6. Economic Sociology: Institutions of Property, Market, and Economic Agents
Dobb, M. (1962). What is capitalism. In Capitalism Yesterday & Today (pp. 19-32). Monthly Review Press.
7. Political Sociology: The Modern State, Political Institutions, and Globalization
Velasco, J. C. (2013). Estratificación cívica y derecho de sufragio. La participación política de los inmigrantes. In Albert Noguera (coord.), Crisis de la democracia y nuevas formas departicipación (pp. 203-222). Tirantlo Blanch.
8. Sociology of Conflict and Institutional Change
García Manrique, R. (2016). Els drets socials: un panorama general. Revista de Treball Social, 207, 9-20.
9. Sociology of Crime: Deviance, Crime, and Social Control
Foucault, M. (2006). El cuerpo de los condenados and El panoptismo. In Vigilar y castigar. Nacimiento de la prisión (pp. 11-33, 199-212). Siglo XXI.
10. Gender Sociology: The Family as an Institution
Serra, C. (2019). La desigualdad no es cosa del pasado and Caperucita Roja, o la enseñanza del miedo. In Manual ultravioleta (pp. 19-22, 95-101). B ediciones.
11. Digital societies
[No mandatory reading is requested]
OTHER BOOKS FOR GOING FURTHER
For a better understanding of the concepts presented in class, you can refer to the following bibliography:
Elster, J. (2003). Tuercas y tornillos. Una introducción a los conceptos básicos de las ciencias sociales. Gedisa.
Garland, D. (2005). La cultura del control. Crimen y orden social en la sociedad contemporánea. Gedisa.
Giddens, A. (2009). Sociología (6ª edición). Alianza.
Giner, S. (2007). Historia del pensamiento social. Ariel.
Rendueles, C. (2013). Sociofobia. El cambio político en la era de la utopía digital. Capitán Swing.
Savage, M. (2015) Social Class in the 21st Century. Penguin Books.
Searle, J. (1997). La construcción de la realidad social. Paidós.
Skeggs, B. (2019). Mujeres respetables. Clase y género en los sectores populares. Ediciones UNGS.
Software
No specific computer program is used.
Groups and Languages
Please note that this information is provisional until 30 November 2025. You can check it through this link. To consult the language you will need to enter the CODE of the subject.
| Name | Group | Language | Semester | Turn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (SEM30) Seminaris (30 estudiants per grup) | 11 | Catalan | first semester | morning-mixed |
| (SEM30) Seminaris (30 estudiants per grup) | 12 | Catalan | first semester | morning-mixed |
| (SEM30) Seminaris (30 estudiants per grup) | 13 | Spanish | first semester | morning-mixed |
| (TE) Theory | 1 | Catalan | first semester | morning-mixed |