Students are required to complete 24 units of courses for graduation.

1. Required courses: 9 units SOCI 5501, 5503, 5601
2. Elective courses*: 15 units

(i) SOCI 5000-level courses

(ii) **Relevant courses offered by other CUHK Postgraduate programmes (subject to Division Head’s approval)

Total: 24 units

* Elective courses offered in an academic year may be subject to change, depending on the availability of teaching resources.

** Course registration is subject to the approval of MA Programme Director and the course teacher concerned. Students are allowed to take to the maximum of 3 units from b(ii). 

(a) Students must fulfill the Term Assessment Requirement of the Graduate School.  For details, please refer to Clause 13.0 “Unsatisfactory Performance and Discontinuation of Studies” of the General Regulations Governing Postgraduate Studies which can be accessed from the Graduate School Homepage: https://www.gs.cuhk.edu.hk.

(b) Maximum number of units per year:

Full-time students – 24 units ; Part-time students – 12 units

(c) A student must achieve a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.0 in order to fulfill the graduation requirement, unless special approval is granted by the Graduate Council.

Sociology and Modern Life (3 units)
This course analyses the modern way of life from sociological perspectives. It begins with a historical account of the rise of modern society, followed by a theoretical framework that looks at modernization as a process of rationalization with intrinsic structural strains. It will also examine several major institutions in modern society, including the nation state, school, religion, and the family, and noticeable trends in late modernity, such as the rise of the internet society and the consumer society, as well as the globalization process. The course concludes with highlighting the great divides that exist between social classes, gender roles, ethnic groups and civilizations.

Decoding Hong Kong Society (3 units)

In-depth analysis of selected issues and aspects of Hong Kong society from a sociological perspective. Topics discussion include Hong Kong’s business organization and economic development, social stratification and social mobility, political changes and conflict, urban development, culture, and family.

Methods of Social Inquiry (3 units)

The course explores the methods of social inquiry. Fundamental principles and procedures of scientific research methods in sociology will be discussed in length and illustrated with local research projects. Topics include formulation of the research problem, social measurement and association, research design, data collection methods, sampling, fieldwork management, data analysis and interpretation, and report writing.

Statistics for Social Research (3 units)

This course discusses the basic principles of statistical reasoning and their applications in social research. Basic techniques for descriptive and inferential analysis will be discussed to enhance students’ ability in analysing associations between social variables in the context of theory and hypothesis testing. Students will be given opportunities to use statistical software for analysing survey data. No prior computing experience is required.

Theoretical Perspectives in Sociology (3 units)

The aim of this course is to familiarize the students with the theoretical traditions and development of the field of Sociology. Three focal areas will be covered to obtain a condensed overview of the major theoretical perspectives involved: 1) the contemporary relevance and revisions of the core Sociological traditions; 2) significant theoretical controversies and issues; 3) current attempts towards frameworks of theoretical integration.

Contemporary Chinese Society (3 units)

This course introduces students to the background, process, and prospect of the rapid transition of Chinese society under market reform and globalization. The central questions addressed by the course are: how do the special features of the Chinese society contribute to the Chinese economic miracle? What are the social impacts of the miracle? Is this miracle socially sustainable? Issues discussed in the course include “guanxi and social capital,” “new middle class,” “rural crisis,” “changing gender relation,” and “social movements,” among others.

Globalization: Challenges and Responses (3 units)

Globalization has emerged as one of the most talked about concepts in the contemporary world. This course takes globalization as the master trend leading to profound changes in social life everywhere and will examine its multi-faceted manifestations in economic, political and cultural dimensions. Guided by the sociology of development, this course will seek to develop a broad interdisciplinary approach to the academic debates over globalization. Particular attention will also be paid to the challenges that globalization poses on human development and the responses that the global community has fashioned to tackle these challenges.

Social Problems and Inequalities (3 units)

Seemingly citizens of the modern society live with increasing affluence and liberty. Yet lurking behind prosperity and development is the widening of regional and social inequalities, the persistence of social exclusion and discrimination, the emergence of new forms of crime and deviance, and the escalation of violence intertwined with advanced technology and fundamentalism. Using insights from a variety of sociological theories, including the Foucaultian, Marxist, Feminist, and Postmodern perspectives, this course engages students to the sociological debates about the meanings, patterns, causes, and consequences of these issues, and their impact on the sense of being and identity.

Issues in Education and Society (3 units)

This course examines the relationship between education institution and the society. It offers a sociological perspective on social processes and outcomes of schooling. Topics such as major sociological theories on education, and its implications on schooling processes and education institution, effects of education on societal level (the function of allocation and selection of education, credential system etc.) as well as the individual level (such as social stratification and socialization) are covered in the course. Real cases and local empirical studies in Hong Kong will be adopted as illustration in every lecture. Upon the completion of the course, students are expected to have basic understanding of sociology of education, and the ability to reflect on the meaning and significance of schools and schooling experiences in a sociological way.

Doing Class in Everyday Life (3 units)

Although some theorists claim that ‘class is dead’ and thus fails to explain contemporary society, our daily life is still influenced by class factors, not only in terms of resource allocation but also in the ways we conduct our social life. In this course, we will explore how class shapes our lifestyles, housing, association patterns, life chances, education strategies, parent-child interaction, subjective identification and even political orientation. We do not simply take class as objective structural positions; we also perceive class as crucial social boundaries and distinctions that have to be practiced, performed and reproduced in various social fields. Such a perspective will help us to discover and reflect how our social life is ‘classed’.

Thesis Project (3 units)

This thesis project course provides students a hands-on opportunity to complete an individual research on a topic of interest under the instructor’s supervision. Students will be able to gain the firsthand experience in developing a research project and to consolidate their knowledge and skills in research methods. Through classroom trainings and individual consultations, the instructor will provide appropriate guidance to students during each stage of the research process and thesis writing.

Crime and Criminal Justice (3 units)

The course explores relevant issues in the current conflicting society, particularly in the case of Hong Kong. Using relevant sociological theories and perspectives, students will be engaged in studying prevalent forms of criminal behavior and associated social issues, which have been brought about by rapid social changes. Topics under discussion include the relationship between social development, social forces and crime, ranging from the traditional crime, such as drug abuse, to sophisticated commercial crime and internet crime, such as ‘distributed denial of service attack’, and transnational crime such as money laundering. Social perception, responses and different approaches in the preventive strategies will also be reviewed.