THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG

Department of Sociology

Introduction to Sociology SOCI1001

First Semester 2024-2025
Prof. Travis SK KONG

Course Assessment

Coursework 60%
Tutorial participation 20%
In class quiz 10%
Term essay 30%
Final Examination 40% Held during the Assessment Period (7-23 Dec 2024)

Tutors:
Dr. Charlotte Yeung [email protected] (Tutor-in-chief)
Ms. Cheryle Wong [email protected]
Mr. Kelvin Lam [email protected]
Ms. Linghan Ge [email protected]

Notes on Tutorial (20%)

Tutorials will run for 10 weeks. The first tutorial session will begin in Week 3 (16-20 Sept 2024).

The whole class will be divided into 20 tutorial groups, led by four tutors. Tutorial attendance is
compulsory and mandatory. As this course focuses on active learning, class participation is very
important. Mere attendance will not guarantee the 20% mark!

Apart from the first tutorial session, the remaining 9 tutorial sessions will have specific topics to discuss,
corresponding to the lecture topics. You are required to actively participate in the discussion, this includes
read all assigned readings, bring one or two responses to the guiding questions, discuss actively with your
classmates, and give concrete examples to illustrate your arguments. Your participation will be assessed by
three main components: (1) intellectual contribution; (2) group discussion skills; and (3) communication of
ideas (please see grading rubrics for details on p. 13).

Required readings have been compiled for you and uploaded onto Moodle.

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 Tutorial Schedule
Gp Tutorial Schedule Class Venue Tutor
Time
021 Sep-16(Mon),Sep-23(Mon),Sep-30(Mon),Oct-7(Mon),Oct- 09:30- CPD- Charlotte
21(Mon),Oct-28(Mon),Nov-4(Mon),Nov-11(Mon),Nov- 10:20 2.38
18(Mon),Nov-25(Mon)
022 Sep-16(Mon),Sep-23(Mon),Sep-30(Mon),Oct-7(Mon),Oct- 11:30- CPD- Charlotte
21(Mon),Oct-28(Mon),Nov-4(Mon),Nov-11(Mon),Nov- 12:20 2.46
18(Mon),Nov-25(Mon)
023 Sep-16(Mon),Sep-23(Mon),Sep-30(Mon),Oct-7(Mon),Oct- 12:30- CPD- Charlotte
21(Mon),Oct-28(Mon),Nov-4(Mon),Nov-11(Mon),Nov- 13:20 2.40
18(Mon),Nov-25(Mon)
024 Sep-16(Mon),Sep-23(Mon),Sep-30(Mon),Oct-7(Mon),Oct- 14:30- CPD- Charlotte
21(Mon),Oct-28(Mon),Nov-4(Mon),Nov-11(Mon),Nov- 15:20 LG.59
18(Mon),Nov-25(Mon)
025 Sep-17(Tue),Sep-24(Tue),Oct-8(Tue),Oct-22(Tue),Oct- 15:30- CPD- Linghan
29(Tue),Nov-5(Tue),Nov-12(Tue),Nov-19(Tue),Nov- 16:20 3.23
26(Tue),Dec-3(Tue)
026 Sep-25(Wed),Oct-2(Wed),Oct-9(Wed),Oct-23(Wed),Oct- 13:30- CPD- Charlotte
30(Wed),Nov-6(Wed),Nov-13(Wed),Nov-20(Wed),Nov- 14:20 3.15
27(Wed)
027 Sep-25(Wed),Oct-2(Wed),Oct-9(Wed),Oct-23(Wed),Oct- 14:30- CPD- Linghan
30(Wed),Nov-6(Wed),Nov-13(Wed),Nov-20(Wed),Nov- 15:20 2.40
27(Wed)
028 Sep-25(Wed),Oct-2(Wed),Oct-9(Wed),Oct-23(Wed),Oct- 14:30- CPD- Kelvin
30(Wed),Nov-6(Wed),Nov-13(Wed),Nov-20(Wed),Nov- 15:20 G.01
27(Wed)
029 Sep-25(Wed),Oct-2(Wed),Oct-9(Wed),Oct-23(Wed),Oct- 15:30- CPD- Kelvin
30(Wed),Nov-6(Wed),Nov-13(Wed),Nov-20(Wed),Nov- 16:20 G.01
27(Wed)
030 Sep-25(Wed),Oct-2(Wed),Oct-9(Wed),Oct-23(Wed),Oct- 15:30- CPD- Linghan
30(Wed),Nov-6(Wed),Nov-13(Wed),Nov-20(Wed),Nov- 16:20 2.40
27(Wed)
031 Sep-25(Wed),Oct-2(Wed),Oct-9(Wed),Oct-23(Wed),Oct- 16:30- CPD- Linghan
30(Wed),Nov-6(Wed),Nov-13(Wed),Nov-20(Wed),Nov- 17:20 2.40
27(Wed)
032 Sep-25(Wed),Oct-2(Wed),Oct-9(Wed),Oct-23(Wed),Oct- 16:30- CPD- Charlotte
30(Wed),Nov-6(Wed),Nov-13(Wed),Nov-20(Wed),Nov- 17:20 3.25
27(Wed)
033 Sep-25(Wed),Oct-2(Wed),Oct-9(Wed),Oct-23(Wed),Oct- 17:30- CPD- Charlotte
30(Wed),Nov-6(Wed),Nov-13(Wed),Nov-20(Wed),Nov- 18:20 3.25
27(Wed)
034 Sep-25(Wed),Oct-2(Wed),Oct-9(Wed),Oct-23(Wed),Oct- 17:30- CPD- Linghan
30(Wed),Nov-6(Wed),Nov-13(Wed),Nov-20(Wed),Nov- 18:20 3.24
27(Wed)

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Gp Tutorial Schedule Class Venue Tutor
Time
035 Sep-19(Thu),Sep-26(Thu),Oct-3(Thu),Oct-10(Thu),Oct- 09:30- CPD- Cheryle
24(Thu),Oct-31(Thu),Nov-7(Thu),Nov-14(Thu),Nov- 10:20 LG.17
21(Thu),Nov-28(Thu)
036 Sep-19(Thu),Sep-26(Thu),Oct-3(Thu),Oct-10(Thu),Oct- 10:30- CPD- Cheryle
24(Thu),Oct-31(Thu),Nov-7(Thu),Nov-14(Thu),Nov- 11:20 LG.17
21(Thu),Nov-28(Thu)
037 Sep-19(Thu),Sep-26(Thu),Oct-3(Thu),Oct-10(Thu),Oct- 12:30- CPD- Cheryle
24(Thu),Oct-31(Thu),Nov-7(Thu),Nov-14(Thu),Nov- 13:20 3.01
21(Thu),Nov-28(Thu)
038 Sep-19(Thu),Sep-26(Thu),Oct-3(Thu),Oct-10(Thu),Oct- 15:30- CPD- Cheryle
24(Thu),Oct-31(Thu),Nov-7(Thu),Nov-14(Thu),Nov- 16:20 2.42
21(Thu),Nov-28(Thu)
039 Sep-20(Fri),Sep-27(Fri),Oct-4(Fri),Oct-25(Fri),Nov-1(Fri),Nov- 16:30- CPD- Kelvin
8(Fri),Nov-15(Fri),Nov-22(Fri),Nov-29(Fri),Dec-6(Fri) 17:20 3.25
040 Sep-20(Fri),Sep-27(Fri),Oct-4(Fri),Oct-25(Fri),Nov-1(Fri),Nov- 17:30- CPD- Kelvin
8(Fri),Nov-15(Fri),Nov-22(Fri),Nov-29(Fri),Dec-6(Fri) 18:20 3.23

Tutorial 1 Introduction
 Meet your tutor.
 No reading is required in the first tutorial.

Tutorial 2 Introduction: Sociological Imagination

“The sociological imagination enables us to grasp history and biography and the relations
between the two within society.” (Mills, 1959) Please discuss.

Essential reading:
 Wright Mills, C. (2004). The Promise of Sociology. In E.L. Howard (ed.), Classic
Readings in Sociology, Canada: Wadsworth.

Guiding question:
 C. Wright Mills argues that the central task of sociology is to grasp the relationships
between history and biography. Do you agree with him? Identify an issue you think
would be personally troubling for an individual and then point out how this personal
trouble might be the result of societal influences and how this personal trouble might
have consequences to the society.

Tutorial 3 Culture and Social Interactions

“All the world’s a stage. And all the men and women merely players. They have their exits
and their entrances. And one man in his time plays many parts.” (W. Shakespeare, As You
Like It, Act 2, Scene 7)

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Goffman’s dramaturgy of social life as a theatre drama seems to be the best sociological
illustration of Shakespeare’s statement. Using Goffman’s work, critically examine the
social structure of our everyday life.

Essential reading:
 Goffman, E. (2004). The Presentation of Self. In E.L. Howard (ed.), Classic
Readings in Sociology, Canada: Wadsworth.

Guiding questions:
 What have you learnt from Goffman’s article which suggests that social life acts like
a theatre drama? Think about the strategies of impression management of different
individuals (e.g., teacher, parent, police, politician, taxi-driver, doctor, etc.) in our
life. What are the implications of using or misusing these strategies?
 What is the nature and structure of everyday life? Can you get a sense of how micro-
sociologists deal with social reality?

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Tutorial 4 Formation of Modern Societies
“Human beings cannot live together without acknowledging and, consequently, making
mutual sacrifices… every society is a moral society.” (Emile Durkheim)

“The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggle.” (Karl Marx)

“More and more the material fate of the masses depends upon the steady and correct
functioning of the increasingly bureaucratic organisation of private capitalism. The idea of
eliminating these organisations becomes more and more utopian.” (Max Weber)

Compare and contrast these three views on the nature of modern society. Which one do
you think best describes Hong Kong society or any society that you are familiar with?

Essential reading:
 Bilton, Tony et al. (2002). Introductory Sociology. 4th edition. NY: Palgrave
Macmillan (pp.468-486).
 Giddens & Sutton, pp.74-85.

* The original texts by these three scholars are rather difficult to read, that’s why we only
provide you secondary readings. But if you would like to give yourself a challenge, please
ask your tutor for a copy of the original texts.

Guiding question:
 Durkheim, Marx, and Weber all give very different reasons to examine the nature of
modern society, i.e., the problem in modernity, the causes, as well as their solutions.
What is their reasoning behind this? Which perspective do you think is best to
understand Hong Kong society or any society that you are familiar with?

Tutorial 5 Gender
“If we do gender appropriately, we simultaneously sustain, reproduce, and render
legitimate the institutional arrangements… if we fail to do gender appropriately, we as
individuals – not the institutional arrangements – may be called to account (for our
character, motives, and predispositions).” (West and Zimmerman 1987: 146)

Critically examine this statement by discussing the effects of the gender socialization
process using concrete examples.

Essential reading:
 West, C. and Zimmerman, D. (1987). Doing Gender. Gender and Society, 1 (2):
125-51. (excerpt)

Guiding questions:
 Is gender an identity, a process, or an institution as depicted by West and Zimmerman?
 In what ways do we “do” or “make” gender? Can we “undo” or “unmake” gender or
even “trouble” gender? Please discuss with concrete everyday life examples.

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Tutorial 6 Family
Can love conquer all? Discuss the changing dynamics in marriage, family and couple
relationship and the transformation of modern intimacy in contemporary Hong Kong
society or any society that you are familiar with.

Essential reading:
 Chapman, S. and Aiken, D. (2000). Towards a New Sociology of Families.
Sociology Review, 9 (3): 20-23.
 Giddens, A. (1992). Romantic Love and Other Attachments. The Transformation of
Intimacy: Sexuality, Love and Eroticism in Modern Societies. Cambridge: Polity.

Guiding questions:
 As argued by Chapman and Aiken (2000), what are the five main sentiments of
modern family ideology and how have they been challenged?
 What are the major features of transformation in the private sphere (e.g., love,
marriage, family, and sex) in contemporary Hong Kong society or any society that
you are familiar with?

Tutorial 7 Social Stratification

“All men are created equal, but some are more equal than others!” Critically examine this
statement with concrete examples.

Essential reading:
 Davis, K., Moore, W.E., and Tumin, M. (1994). Some Principles of Stratification.
American Sociological Review, 10 (2): 242-249.
 Gans, H.J. (2011). The Uses of Poverty: The Poor Pay All. In J.M. Henslin (ed.),
Life in Society: Readings to Accompany Sociology: A Down-to-Earth Approach.
Boston: Allyn and Bacon (pp. 37-49).

Guiding questions:
 Most societies have a stratified class structure which has a system of ranking based
on family background, wealth, age, gender, education, occupation, authority, and so
on. What is the effect of having class ranking and why do we tolerate such a system?
Please discuss with relevance to a society that you are familiar with.
 According to the Davis-Moore thesis, why should a university professor earn more
than a taxi driver? What would happen if all employees were paid the same?

Tutorial 8 Deviance
“The deviant is one to whom that label has successfully been applied; deviant behaviour is
behaviour that people so label.” (Becker, 1963: 9). Critically examine this statement with
concrete examples.

Essential reading:
 Becker, H. (1963). Outsiders: Studies in the Sociology of Deviance. New York: Free
Press, Chapters 1-2.

Guiding question:
 Labelling theory challenges the official definition of deviance by arguing that it is
the label that defines an action as deviant, rather than the action speaking for itself.

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 Do you agree? Please discuss with concrete examples from a society that you are
familiar with.

Tutorial 9 Media
“In a media-saturated society, we are all puppets!” Critically examine this statement with
concrete examples.

Essential readings:
 Boyd-Barrett, O. and Newbold, C. (2003). Mass Society, Functionalism, Pluralism.
Approaches to Media: A Reader. London: Arnold.
 Storey, J. (2012). The Frankfurt School. Cultural Theory and Popular Culture (pp.
64-72). Harlow: Pearson.

Guiding questions:
 The reading suggests different approaches to look at the role of mass media in
modern life. Compare and contrast these different approaches (e.g., mass society
theory, the Frankfurt School, functionalism, pluralism, and reception studies) and
critically examine the nature of media, culture, and audience in contemporary society
in terms of three questions:
 Who owns or controls the media?
 How does the ownership of media relate to media freedom?
 Does the nature of modern media represent the idea of cultural pluralism, or
is it always subjected to ideological control?

Tutorial 10 Globalization
What is globalization? Does it mean a unification of various forces that produces a global
world of humankind, or is it an unequal process whereby some countries are being
exploited internationally? Please discuss with concrete examples.

Essential readings:
 Chapman, S. (2002). In the Age of No Logo. Sociology Review, 11 (4): 23-26.
 Croteau and Hoynes, pp. 445-453.

Guiding questions:
 What is globalization? What are the parameters of the globalization process?
 Think about the anti-globalization movement, e.g., anti-WTO, Occupy Wall Street.
What are they protesting against? Do you agree with them?
 What is the latest stage of globalization? How does it affect your life?

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 Term Essay (30%)

Length: 2,000 – 3,000 words (English)*

Format: Typed double-spaced on A4 white paper, margins at least 1 inch wide. On the first page,
please write down your name, university number, word count, and the essay question.
Please submit a soft copy via Moodle with the turnitin report.

Due Dates: 24 Oct 2024 for Q.1 to Q.5

21 Nov 2024 for Q.6 to Q.9

Write an essay on any ONE of the following questions. If you would like to write a different question, you
MUST consult with me or your tutor and get our consent first. NO late submission will be accepted unless
prior approval is given. Marks will be deduced for any late submission (see below the late submission
policy). We are committed to the policy of zero tolerance in terms of plagiarism. You will receive heavy
penalty if you commit plagiarism (see below the policy on plagiarism). Three articles that discuss how to
write a sociological paper have been uploaded onto Moodle.

Your paper will be assessed by five main components: (1) addressing the task; (2) understanding, analysis,
synthesis, and application of knowledge; (3) argumentation; (4) structure/organization; and (5) mechanics
(please see grading rubrics for details on p. 14).

You are strongly encouraged to take/include photo(s) from your visit, if appropriate, to support/enhance
your discussion. If you would like to conduct a formal interview or survey for some questions, you should
apply for ethical approval. Please consult your tutor for more details.

* You may be penalized if your paper substantially deviates from the required word limit.

Questions
1. What is meant by an ‘embedded sociologist’ (Nyseth et al 2011)? Visit one of the following
organizations, have an informal chat with the staff (if possible), and discuss how you might embed
sociological imagination, knowledge and skills when you would work with them in order to make an
impact on the society.
(a) Greenpeace
(b) AIDS Concern

Key readings:
• Berger, P.L. (2004). “Invitation to Sociology,” in E.L. Howard (ed.) Classic Readings in Sociology,
Canada: Wadsworth.
• Kidd, W. (1999). The Importance of the Sociological Imagination. Sociology Review, 9 (1):20-21.
• Nyseth, H., Shannon S., Heise, K., and Mcelrath, S.M. (2011). Embedded Sociologists. Contexts,
10 (2): 44-50.
• Williams, J. and Lawson, T. (1998). So What is Sociology? Sociology Review, 8 (1):2-4.

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2. In Hochschild’s (1983) Managed Heart, why is “emotional labour” so important in the work of flight
attendant? Visit a fast-food restaurant (e.g., cha chaan teng, café de Coral, McDonald) and observe how
the waiters/waitresses work and interact with customers. Do you think they employ emotional labour
in their work? If so, how? To what extent does the performance of emotional labour relate to age,
gender, class, and/or race and ethnicity?

Key reading:
• Hochschild,A.R.(1983). Exploring the Managed Heart. In The Managed Heart: Commercialization
of Human Feeling, Berkeley: University of California Press.
• Kidd, W. (2003). I Am What I Am: Culture and Identity in Sociology. Sociology Review, 12 (3):2-
4.
• Mead, G.H. (2004). The Self. In Eve L. Howard(ed)., Classic Readings in Sociology. Canada:
Wadsworth.

3. Marx argues that factory system is a main source of labour exploitation in modern societies. Have some
informal conversations with a few manual workers (e.g., restaurant cleaner or security guard on
campus), discuss to what extent the practice of modern manual work represents the source of
contradiction and exploitation or productivity and efficiency. In what ways can workers resist against
the modern production regime?

Key reading:
• Chan, J. (2013). A Suicide Survivor: The Life of a Chinese Worker. New Technology, Work and
Employment, 28(2): 100-15.
• Fevre, R. (2012). Marxism and Street Protesters. Sociology Review, 21 (4):9-12
• Macionis, Ch. 4, pp. 96-109.

4. How do we learn our gender identities (e.g., becoming men or women) in the process of socialization
at school? Think about (or have an informal conversation with) a person who is gender non-normative
and explain how they are being marginalized. To what extent does the concept “doing gender” (West
and Zimmerman 1987) help you understand gender identity?

Key readings:
• Fevre, Ralph (2013). Performing Gender and Breaking the Rules. Sociology Review 22 (4):22-25.
• Franklin II, Clye W. (1997). Becoming ‘Boys’, ‘Men’, ‘Guys’, and ‘Dudes’. In Leonard Cargan,
Jeanne H. Ballantine (eds) Sociological Footprints: Introducing Readings in Sociology. Ballantine.
Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
• Lorber, Judith (2005). Night to His Day: The Social Construction of Gender. In Susan J. Ferguson
(ed.), Mapping the Social Landscape: Readings in Sociology. Boston: McGraw Hill.
• West, C. and Zimmerman, D. (1987). Doing Gender. Gender and Society, 1 (2): 125-51. (excerpt)

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5. Think about (or have an informal conversation with) people from a non-conventional family pattern
(e.g., single-parent family, adopted family, step family, mixed race couple, same-sex couple). Do you
think their lives are the same or different from a traditional extended family or modern nuclear family?
How might the institution of family and marriage perpetuate gender inequality and the dominance of
heteronormativity?

Key readings:
• Gerson, K. (2004). Moral Dilemma, Moral Strategies, and the Transformation of Gender. In J.Z.
Spade and C.G. Valentine (eds.) The Kaleidoscope of Gender: Prisms, Patterns, and Possibilities,
Australia: Thomson Wadsworth.
• Giddens, A. (1992). Love, Commitment and the Pure Relationship. In The Transformation of
Intimacy: Sexuality, Love and Eroticism in Modern Societies. Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University
Press.
• Jamieson. L. (1999). Intimacy transformed? A Critical Look at the ‘pure relationship. Sociology,
33 (3): 477-494.
• Weston, K. (1996). Families We Choose: Lesbians, Gays, Kinship. In S.J. Ferguson (ed.), Mapping
the Social Landscape: Readings in Sociology, Boston: McGraw Hill.

6. Do you agree with Bourdieu (1986) that cultural capital is the most important capital for middle class
identity formation? Please discuss with respect to the following two examples:
(a) Fine dining at a Michelin 3-star (or above) restaurant
(b) Staycation at a 5-star hotel

Key readings:
• Bourdieu, P. (1986). The Forms of Capital. In J. Richardson (ed.), Handbook of Theory and
Research for the Sociology of Education. New York: Greenwood (pp. 241-58).
• Chan, A. H.N. (2000). Middle-class Formation and Consumption in Hong Kong. In B.H. Chua
(ed.), Consumption in Asia: Lifestyle and Identities. London: Routledge (pp. 98-134).
• Ehrenreich, B. (1999). Nickel-and-Dimed On (not) getting by in America. Harper’s Magazine,
298 (1784): 37-52.
• Macmillan, L. (2012). A Fair and Open Society. Sociology Review, 22 (4):28-31.

7. Think about (or have an informal conversation with) people who are socially stigmatized (e.g., juvenile
delinquent, LGBTQ, “left-over” woman, new migrant). To what extent do they assemble the
stereotypical image from society? Do you think they are “artefacts of a label” like in Rosenhan’s
discussion of mental patients? What conclusion can you draw on the impact of stigma on individuals
and the nature of deviance?

Key readings:
• Becker, H.S. (1993). Career Deviance. In D.H. Kelly (ed.), Deviant Behavior: A Text-Reader in
the Sociology of Deviance, New York: St. Martin Press.
• Cooley, C.H. (1996). The Social Self. In H. Pontell (ed.), Social Deviance: Readings in Theory and
Research, Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall.
• Lemert, E. (1993). Primary and Secondary Deviation. In D.H. Kelly (ed.), Deviant Behavior: A
Text-Reader in the Sociology of Deviance, New York: St. Martin Press.

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 • Rosenhan, D.L. (2004). On Being Sane in Insane Places. In E.L. Howard (ed.), Classic Readings
in Sociology, Canada: Wadsworth.
• Shildrick, T. and McDonald, R. (2010). Understanding Youth Subcultures. Sociology Review, 20
(2):2-5.

8. Make a media diary of your life for a week. To what extent do you think “uses and gratification”
theory can explain your use of media? Do you think you are a producer, consumer or prosumer of
media?

Key readings:
• Ang, I. (1995). The Nature of the Audience. In J. Downing et al. (eds.), Questioning the Media: A
Critical introduction, London: Sage.
• Bird, S.E. (2011). Are we all producers now? Cultural Studies, 25 (4-5): 502-516.
• Storey, J. (2012). The Frankfurt School. Cultural Theory and Popular Culture (pp. 64-72).
Harlow: Pearson.
• Gunter, B. (2008). Why Study Media Content? Sociology Review, 18 (2):6-9.
• Robertson, J.W., Blain, N., and Cowan, P. (2006). Mum or Eminem? Media Influences on
Today’s Teenagers. Sociology Review, 16 (1):8-11.

9. What are the differences among globalization, Westernization, and Americanization? Critically
examine the differences using your own experiences of watching Marvel or Disney movies as
concrete examples for illustration.

Key readings:
• Achterberg, P. Heilbron, J. Houtman, D. and Aupers, S. (2011). A Cultural Globalization of
Popular Music? American, Dutch, French, and German Popular Music Charts (1965 to 2006).
American Behaviorial Scientist, 55 (5): 589-608.
• Baracco, L. (2006). Globalization. Sociology Review, 16 (2):24-26.
• Giddens and Sutton (pp. 127-147).
• Ritzer, G. (2005). The McDonaldization of Society. In S.J. Ferguson (ed.) Mapping the Social
Landscape: Readings in Sociology, Boston: McGraw Hill.

Late Submission Policy

A penalty (3 marks per working day) will be given for any late submission of assignments without prior
approval. No assignment will be accepted ONE WEEK after the given deadline.

Plagiarism
Plagiarism is defined as the use of another person’s work (including but not limited to any materials,
creations, ideas and data) as if one’s own without due acknowledgement, whether or not such work has
been published and regardless of the intent to deceive. Self-plagiarism is defined as the reuse of one’s
own work without acknowledging that such work has been submitted elsewhere. In this University,
plagiarism is a disciplinary offence. Any student who commits the offence is liable to disciplinary action.
Please read carefully the Plagiarism booklet in your Registration package (sent to you by the Faculty in
August) or you may check here: https://tl.hku.hk/plagiarism/

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Unregulated use of AI tools
You are allowed to utilize generative AI tools in your writing but you SHOULD provide a track record of
utilize generative AI tools and declare explicitly all aspects of the writing process when you submit your
written assignments: the brainstorming of ideas, translation of articles, checking of grammar, etc. If no such
declaration is made and you are found to have utilized generative AI tools in your coursework, we will treat
this unregulated use of AI tools as a case of plagiarism (see above).

Marking Scale

Mark Grade Standard Grade Point

80 and above A+ 4.3
75 - 79 A Excellent 4.0
70 - 74 A- 3.7
67 – 69 B+ 3.3
63 – 66 B Good 3.0
60 – 62 B- 2.7
57 – 59 C+ 2.3
53 – 56 C Satisfactory 2.0
50 – 52 C- 1.7
46 – 49 D+ 1.3
Pass
40 – 45 D 1.0
less than 40 F Fail 0

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 Grade Descriptors for Tutorial Participation

Grade A Grade B Grade C Grade D Grade F

Intellectual Consistently Mostly, Demonstrates a Demonstrates Student does not

Contribution demonstrates a demonstrates a basic limited attend tutorial. Or
thorough good understanding of understanding of if student does
understanding of, understanding of, course material course material attend, he or she
and engages and engages and engages with and engagement demonstrates little
constructively constructively with it, though not with it. Endeavours or no
with, course course material, always to contribute to understanding of
material (assigned provides helpful successfully. group discussion, course material,
readings, issues, points or asks Makes a positive but adds little. lacks engagement
concepts), provides questions that contribution to the with it, or makes
insightful analyses, advance group group discussion. little or no effort to
raises critical discussion. contribute to group
points, and discussion.
deepens and
advances group
discussion.
Group Participates Participates Participates but Infrequent Little or no
Discussion actively and actively most of requires participation even engagement/partici
Skills constructively all the time. Generally prompting. Makes with prompting. pation in group
the time. appreciates others’ an attempt to Makes some discussion even
Consistently contribution and appreciate others’ attempt to with prompting.
appreciates others’ engages with their contribution and to appreciate others’ Shows no
contribution and ideas sensitively. engage with their contribution and to appreciation of
engages with their Plays a supportive ideas sensitively, engage with their others’ knowledge
ideas sensitively. role in discussion. with some success. ideas sensitively, and skills. Fails to
Plays an active role Plays a positive though only with engage with
in moving role in discussion limited success. others’ ideas.
discussion Plays a passive Plays a passive or
forward. role in discussion. negative role in
discussion.
Communication Ideas are clearly Ideas are clearly Student has some Student has Student has serious
of Ideas and fluently articulated most of difficulty in significant difficulty in
articulated at all the time, with articulating ideas difficulty in articulating ideas,
times. occasional lack of although the articulating ideas, and the meaning is
clarity. meaning is clear and the meaning is rarely clear.
most of the time. not clear some of
the time.
Adopted and modified from Common Core Curriculum (January 20, 2012)

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 Grade Descriptors for Essay
Grade A Grade B Grade C Grade D Grade F

Addressing the Identifies and Identifies and Identifies and Identifies part of the Lacks an understanding
Task addresses clearly the addresses the main addresses the main main question(s) and of what the question
main question(s) and question(s) and some question(s) but does only addresses the requires or responds
the subsidiary, but not all of the not address the question(s) partially. inappropriately or
embedded, or implicit subsidiary, embedded subsidiary, embedded tangentially to the task
aspects, addressing or implicit aspects. or implicit aspects. or topic.
their relationships to
each other.
Understanding, Consistent perceptive Generally perceptive Occasional perceptive Very limited critical No critical engagement
Analysis, and critical and critical and critical engagement with key with issues, and
Synthesis, and engagement with issues engagement with issues engagement with issues issues and themes; themes. Essay
Application and themes based on and themes; some and themes, but essay rarely goes beyond characterized by
of Knowledge comprehensive shortcomings in tends toward rather reproduction of serious inaccuracies
understanding of understanding of superficial relevant concepts and and misunderstandings.
relevant concepts and relevant concepts and understanding of theories, impaired in
theories; the analysis, theories, but the relevant concepts and parts by considerable
synthesis and analysis, synthesis and theories, with some inaccuracies.
application of application of inaccuracies in the
knowledge is knowledge is mostly analysis, synthesis and
consistently clear and clear and effective. application of
effective. knowledge.
Argumentation Examines the question/ Examines the question/ Some important Examines things from Arguments are
issue/problem from all issue/problem from perspectives or issues a single perspective. confused and illogical.
important perspectives. most of the important are not recognized. Not Only minimal Student fails to present
Overall logic is clear. perspectives. Expresses all relevant arguments examination of relevant and defend a coherent
Premises or evidence own position, and and counter arguments arguments and position. Offers own
strongly support argumentative structure are fully examined. counterarguments. position, but arguments
conclusions. Counter- is clear and logical, but Offers own position Offers own position, are flawed,
evidence or rival some arguments but reasoning is but the arguments are disorganized, or
positions addressed. underdeveloped or sometimes impaired by not put forward difficult to identify or
Arguments fit together some considerations weak, emotive, or explicitly and not well understand.
and build a compelling overlooked. inconsistent supported.
case. argumentation.
Structure / Introduction states Introduction states Introduction and Topic is not properly Introduction and
Organization clearly writer’s thesis writer’s thesis or conclusion are included introduced and conclusion are unclear,
or position, and position, and but do not fully capture conclusion is very lack detail or missing
conclusion clearly conclusion summarizes the essence of the topic brief. Ability to altogether. Very little
summarizes main main arguments. and discussion. construct a paragraph evidence of an ability
arguments. Paragraphing is Evidence of ability to with a central idea and to organize the essay
Paragraphing is appropriate, but some paragraph, but some supporting details into paragraphs with
appropriate at all times paragraphs lack paragraphs lack a somewhat limited. one central idea and
with each paragraph supporting detail or central idea or supporting details.
containing a central contain unrelated supporting detail
idea which is details.
developed throughout
the paragraph with
supporting details.
Mechanics The language contains The language is mostly The language is The language contains Errors in language and
very few, if any, errors accurate but contains a sometimes inaccurate, frequent errors in vocabulary are so
in grammar and few systematic errors although errors, when simple and complex frequent and distracting
vocabulary. If slips are in complex grammar they occur, are more grammar and that the essay is largely
present, the meaning is and vocabulary. often in complex vocabulary. Errors are incomprehensible.
still clear. Conventions Conventions of grammar and distracting and effort Does not adhere to the
of academic writing academic writing (e.g. vocabulary. Errors has to be made to conventions of
(e.g. citation, citation, references, when they occur are understand the main academic writing (e.g.
references, footnotes, footnotes, etc.) are distracting but the arguments. citation, references,
etc.) are followed mostly followed. overall meaning is still Conventions of footnotes, etc.).
meticulously. intelligible. academic writing (e.g.
Conventions of citation, references,
academic writing (e.g. footnotes, etc.) show
citation, references, significant
footnotes, etc.) show inconsistencies and
some inconsistencies. may contain errors.
Adopted and modified from Common Core Curriculum (Dec 2011)

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