SHDH1018 Introduction to Sociology
2024/2025 Semester One
Guidelines to Coursework
1. Tutorial Presentation (Group): Developing Sociological Inquiry (30%)
Students are expected to conduct a substantial sociological analysis in this
exercise. They should offer a justifiable and evidence-based account for the topic
by comparing/contrasting the similarities/differences between literature and reality.
Each tutorial class will be divided into 4 groups.
Each group will be assigned with 1 out of the 4 topics in the table below.
The presentation group is expected to work as the LEADER of the class,
delivering a presentation of 30 minutes, and leading a discussion of 10-15 minutes
(question and answer session). It is important that other (audience) groups under
the leadership of the presentation group are motivated to express their views and
contribute to the topic studied.
Electronic devices should be avoidable during the presentation session, unless
prior permission from the lecturers has been asked.
Find out your presentation topic
Topic 1. Ethnic minorities (EMs) and Stimgtization/Social exclusion
Examine the expeirences of ethnic minorities in Hong Kong.
a) What are the THREE major structural challenges/structural factors leading to social
exclusion of EMs?
(List the sources of valid support/reference- Include at least THREE second-hand works)
b) How do EMs think about and respond to the excluded situations they fall into?
(Collect first-hand information via conducting in-depth-interviews from at least THREE
relevant informants)
c) To what extent, do you agree that EMs are socially excluded because of cultural prejudice
against EMs?
(Explain your reasons and show valid support/evidence)
Topic 2. Elders and Impoverishment
Examine the expeirences of poor elders in Hong Kong.
a) What are the THREE major challenges/structural factors leading to impoverishment of
elders?
(List the sources of valid support/reference- Include at least THREE second-hand works)
b) How poor elders think about and respond to the impoverished situations they fall into?
(Collect first-hand information via conducting in-depth-interviews from at least THREE
relevant informants)
c) To what extent, do you agree that elders are structurally impoverished because of the
absence of career planning?
(Explain your reasons and show valid support/evidence)
Topic 3. Gender and Unequal Division of Labour
1
Examine the expeirences of double-shift mothers in Hong Kong.
a) What are the THREE major challenges/structural factors leading to creation of double-shift
mothers?
(List the sources of valid support/reference- Include at least THREE second-hand works)
b) How the double-shift mothers think about and respond to the situations they fall into?
(Collect first-hand information via conducting in-depth-interviews from at least THREE
relevant informants)
c) To what extent, do you agree that double-shift mothers are unavoidable because of the
physical differences between men and women.
(Explain your reasons and show valid support/evidence)
Topic 4. Education and Social Inequality
Examine the expeirences of schooling kids from poor families in Hong Kong.
a) What are the THREE major challenges/structural obstacles to the education
opportunity/school performance for schooling kids from poor families?
(List the sources of valid support/reference- Include at least THREE second-hand works)
b) How the kids think about and respond to the situations they fall into?
(Collect first-hand information via conducting in-depth-interviews from at least THREE
relevant informants)
c) To what extent, do you agree that educational qualification is helpful for poor kids to
improve their situations of poverty?
(Explain your reasons and show valid support/evidence)
A checklist of tutorial presentation
1. Is your analysis sociological enough?
You need to show your topic is sociologically meaningful.
Find out the collective/general patterns of individual behaviours/specific situations and
consider if they get shared meanings of a social phenomenon in a particular social context.
(Remember Peter Berger’s remark on the nature of Sociology- “seeing the general in the
particular”?
2. Do you have relevant literature review?
You need to apply social theories/perspectives/concepts to explain your
observations/thoughts/findings.
Are there any scholar(s) who has/have attempted a similar inquiry before? What were their
observations and how did they explain the phenomena sociologically? How do their
explanations connect to your inquiry?
In addition to the content of lecture notes, you are strongly advised to put extra efforts to use
the scholarly sources by using academic database in library (e.g. Academic Search Premier,
Google Scholar, ProQuest Sociology) or academic books
2
3. Do data collected support your points of views?
You need to offer supports/data to justify your findings/arguments
To finish the assignment, students are required to collect first-hand as well as second-
hand data by different research methods, wherever appropriate.
First-hand data collection refers to data were collected by yourself (the most
commonly seen methods are in-depth interviews, community visits or experimental
research) while second-hand data collection refers to data collected by others (the
most commonly seen methods are archive research like news cutting, internet
investigation, official reports and statistical datasets accessible from academic
journals and government websites, etc...
You have NO NEED to include all kinds of research methods named above but you
NEED to offer good reasons to justify the research methods you use is helpful to
make senses of your topic. You are REQUIRED to do some SELF-STUDY of
different social science research methods before you come to your lecturers.
Grading aspects: (1) Argument and Reasoning (25%)
(2) Concepts or theories (25%)
(3) Quality of Information/Resources (40%)
(4) Language and Communication 10%)
3
2. Presentation Outline (10%)
Each group is required to submit a 1-2 page(s) outline on the date of Tutorial 4 (by 1159).
Specifically, you should answer ALL guiding questions of your topics, so as to justify the
challenges and solutions have been respectively and reasonably touched/proposed during the course
of your data collection.
Presentation Outline (Checklist):
Items Contents Remarks
Part A. General Information
1. Tutorial Class: A0 1 /2 /3 /4 /5/6 /7 /8
2. Lecturer:
3. Presentation Date and
Time
4. Group Members and 1. What does each group
Division of labour 2. member contribute to the
3. presentation? Please
4. specify.
5.
6.
7.
5. Presentation Topic 1 / 2 / 3 / 4
Part B. Presentation Contents
6a) The major 1. Do you include at least
challenges/structural 2. THREE second-hand
obstacles works?
3.
(List the sources of valid
support/reference- More… Are the sources of
Include at least THREE support/reference valid?
second-hand works)
6b) The experiences of Informant 1 (for example) Who are your
THREE informants to interviewees? What are
tackle with the situations the homogeneity
Social Profile:
they fall into? (similarity) of your
Mike CHAN, Male
75, a retired construction worker, immigrant informants?
(Collect first-hand
information via from the Mainland in the 1950s, primary
conducting in-depth- education living alone in public housing estate How could you recruit?
interviews from at least in Sha Tin, living on CSSA. When and where do you
THREE relevant plan to conduct your
informants) Recruitment methods/Interviewer- interviews?
interviewee Relationship: Relatives of
interviewers via personal network/Referred What questions are you
informants from social workers via going to ask? Start
opportunistic sampling/friends via invitations thinking from what you
with consents want to know?
Did you gain the
(informed) consent
Interview schedules/plans from the informants?
(Time and Place):
4
Informant 1 (Mike CHAN) (conducted by Would your interviews
groupmate A and B): result in any
11 Oct/McDonald in Festival Walk/30 physical/psychological
minutes harms to your
informants?
Any other expected difficulties and
proposed solutions?
Informant 2:
Informant 3:
6c) To what extent, do Completely agree/ What
you agree the statement? Largely agree/ (account/knowledge) is
Partly agree/ still valid and what is
(Explain your reasons dated after you have
and show valid Hardly agree/
completed the project?
support/evidence)
How are you inspired to
know by the project?
What are your reasons and supports?
Can you tell your insight
on the topic- something
otherwise remains
unknown if you do not
start the project?
Grading aspects: (1) Writing and Organization (25%)
(2) Concepts or theories (25%)
(3) Data collection methods (40%)
(4) Division of Labour (10%)
5
3. Individual Reflective Paper (30%)
A Case: ‘Saying No to Shark-fin Trade and Consumption’ Campaign
By reducing consumption, we can conserve shark species and help restore its number to
a healthy level. More than a thousand shark and ray species in our oceans play multiple
key roles in marine ecosystems. While sharks are not common in Hong Kong waters, its
survival is strongly tied with our city. Hong Kong is the centre of the lucrative shark fin
trade, accounting for more than 40 per cent of the global trade every year.
With tens of millions sharks killed annually, a quarter of the sharks and rays are now
threatened with extinction. The huge demand for shark fin as delicacy in Chinese
banquets is one of the major factors fueling global shark fisheries. That’s why saying no
to buying and eating shark fin and related products is currently the best way to protect
the species.
Source: Excerpt taken and redesigned from World Wide Fund for Nature (2024, August 29). The Section
of ‘Saying No to Shark Fin, Oceans, WWF-HK (Official Website of World Wide Fund for Nature).
Retrieved from https://www.wwf.org.hk/en/oceans/saying_no_to_shark_fin/
Apply THREE relevant concepts/theories from Class/Other relevant materials to analyse the
social phenomenon of the case sociologically.
(Tips: To what extent, ‘Saying No to Shark-fin Trade and Consumption’ campaign is a social issue rather than an
individual one? In what ways, do the campaigner understand shark-fin trade and consumption in the context of the
wider society? How does the campaign shape people’s view of themselves and the world around them? How would
sociologists study the campaigning process?)
*** Recommended Writing Structure (800-1000 words)
Part
(1) Do you have any personal experience of shark-fin trade and consumption?
(Describe how you have understood/experienced the case with 150-200 words)
(2) What areas of sociological knowledge are most relevant to explain the case?
(Use THREE concepts/theories that are the most helpful to explain the case with
150-200 words each)
(3) To what extent, does sociological knowledge help explain the social
phenomenon? (Does sociological knowledge change your understanding of the
case? Reflect from/Discuss on the similarity/difference between you with
sociological knowledge and laymen without sociological training with 150-200
words).
6
An exemplary paper should demonstrate an excellent understanding of the reading, and an
appropriate application of the concepts and theories involved. It should also be lucid, precise
and well-structured. The use of relevant concepts/theories to substantiate a well-articulated
discussion on the case is a must. The general requirements are as below:
1. Deadline: 11:59 pm, 15 November 2024 (FRIDAY)
2. Language: English
3. Words: 800-1000 words
4. Format: double-line spacing, 12 fonts, Times New Roman
5. Bibliography: Any format will do (APA, MLA…etc.), but the style must be consistent.
6. Submit the paper to BLACKBOARD.
7. Unless with prior approval from the lecturer, a sub-grade will be deducted on daily basis
for any late submission.
Grading aspects: (1) Writing and organization 10%
(2) Knowledge and understanding 30%
(3) Quality of information 30%
(4) Depth of reflection 30%
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