Why does everyone hate sociology

DOHERTY30691

im going into ucc this year doing arts ,, im considering on doing sociology ,, but everywhere i look i see people saying not to do it and that they hate it ,, why does everyone seem to hate it ,, id prefer if someone who did it can give a reasonable description of why they hated it and not somebody saying its useless and pointless ,, what makes everyone hate it ,, also i want to go on and do psychology through arts so would sociology be of any benefit to me in that case

Byron85

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It's worth noting that i'm actually continuing on with Sociology when I start back in a few weeks. I'll be doing it as my major. The module choices are great in second year so it's really a matter of getting through the crap that's in first year.

ANarcho-Munk

The first year modules don't look at all bad to me, in fact they look really interesting. I don't particularly see why everyone who studies it in first year kicks up such a big fuss about it. I'm thinking it might be due to the fact that a lot of people choose it as a 'filler' subject without knowing much about it and then get overwhelmed by the depth of the subject matter. However I have heard that some of the lecturers aren't know as being the best communicators, it could be that.


I have to say that I'm really really looking forward to starting it in a few weeks (foaming at the mouth I am, literally, i'm getting sick of summer and all this unproductive lazing about! ).

Max001

ANarcho-Munk wrote: »

However I have heard that some of the lecturers aren't know as being the best communicators, it could be that.

+1 Think Dillon the hippy rabbit from The Magic Roundabout and you're getting kinda close :eek:

Stephen_89

first year sociology isn't too bad, there are one or two lecturers where you will no doubt have trouble staying awake for, some of them are very dry. but there are one or two of the lectures that were really fantastic. just weigh up whether or not you really want to do it and never mind all the negative flak it gets. If you're into that area then you'll love it. most first years take it as a filler subject, hence the negative comments.

curlynettie

i did it, and on the first day of 2nd year they said congrats, you'd passed the hardest year of sociology! have to say it is much more interesting in 2nd year, did 10 modules all on something different. first year was all about hte communist manifesto from what i remember
i ended up doing it as my major arts subject and it's grand, covers a huge area which give you a good grouding.

TanG411

ANarcho-Munk wrote: »

The first year modules don't look at all bad to me, in fact they look really interesting. I don't particularly see why everyone who studies it in first year kicks up such a big fuss about it. I'm thinking it might be due to the fact that a lot of people choose it as a 'filler' subject without knowing much about it and then get overwhelmed by the depth of the subject matter. However I have heard that some of the lecturers aren't know as being the best communicators, it could be that.


I have to say that I'm really really looking forward to starting it in a few weeks (foaming at the mouth I am, literally, i'm getting sick of summer and all this unproductive lazing about! ).

I read through all 1st year modules when I was registering, and felt like I had a genuine interest in the subject.

I suppose it was just the 1st year modules that put me off, like Mullally's Government & Politics, or Strydom's History of Sociology. I really enjoyed Hourigan's ethnicity, and Ruane's secularisation modules.

It was unfortunate that not enough interested me to keep it on for 2nd year. It is a good subject though.

pq0n1ct4ve8zf5

ANarcho-Munk wrote: »

The first year modules don't look at all bad to me, in fact they look really interesting. I don't particularly see why everyone who studies it in first year kicks up such a big fuss about it. I'm thinking it might be due to the fact that a lot of people choose it as a 'filler' subject without knowing much about it and then get overwhelmed by the depth of the subject matter. However I have heard that some of the lecturers aren't know as being the best communicators, it could be that.


I have to say that I'm really really looking forward to starting it in a few weeks (foaming at the mouth I am, literally, i'm getting sick of summer and all this unproductive lazing about! ).

This, kind of. Most people don't have much of an idea what it's really about and that point is fairly soundly ignored apart from repeating the blindingly obvious "sociology is the study of societies! etc". And you're thrown in at the deep end a bit in that you get a lot of theory thrown at you fairly early, and not in a particularly accessible way. Also there's not really much cohesion to a course that's supposed to be an introduction, it can be hard to see the relationship of one module to another apart from how bad the lecturing is, it just leps all over the place. I had a bad tutor as well, wasn't his fault he was just not the kind of person to be helping first years, I found my tutorials confused me more than anything a lot of the time. Another thing that annoyed me was that one module and one lecturer in particular effectively used it to push some kind of personal political agenda (and I was a very bloody hearted liberal, it still pissed me off).

ANarcho-Munk

Ok. Well it seems like they're after changing the first year sociology course for this year. There has been a bit of a shake-up and there are also some new additions.
The first year course now looks like this:

(1) Sociology's Classics: An Introduction to the Canon
Dr. Kieran Keohane

(2) Sociology: the discipline in context
Dr. Niamh Hourigan

(3) A Sociology of Contemporary Europe: Memory, culture and Identity
Dr. Tracey Skillington

(4) Foundational themes in Sociology
Professor Arpad Szakolczai

(5) Contemporary Ireland: Culture and society
Dr. Linda Connolly

(6) Power, Governance and Social movements
Dr. Gerard Mullally


Compared to last year which was:

(1) Sociology: understanding the transformation of Irish society
Dr. Niamh Hourigan

(2) Sociology: the discipline in context
Mr. Piet Strydom

(3) Governance and Social movements
Dr. Gerard Mullally

(4) Introduction to the Sociology of Religion
Professor Joe Ruane

(5) Reflections on contemporary European Identity: Positioning Holocaust memory and histories of intolerance within a current human rights consciousness
Dr. Tracey Skillington

(6) Foundational Themes in Sociology
Professor Arpad Szakolczai



It's a pity to see that Piet isn't lecturing. I was really looking forward to seeing what he's like as my friend has a huge amount of respect for the man. I hear that Kieran Keohane is supposed to be quite excellent too though so maybe his addition will make up for it.

Prince Madness

Hammed Shahidian who died at the age of 46 in 2005 after a two year struggle with cancer, was a researcher, translator and activist of the Iranian left and the feminist movement. He was Assistant Professor of Sociology and Chair of the Sociology/Anthropology Programme at the University of Illinois This is was sociology meant to him:
"I fell in love with sociology …. Sociology was my saviour. It saved me from the vexing confusion caused by my once despising the mundane-ness of everyday life and deeply loving and admiring my people. It stabilized me by articulating the dedication that I felt for social justice."

Sums it up well for me!!!!

Byron85

Prince Madness wrote: »

Hammed Shahidian who died at the age of 46 in 2005 after a two year struggle with cancer, was a researcher, translator and activist of the Iranian left and the feminist movement. He was Assistant Professor of Sociology and Chair of the Sociology/Anthropology Programme at the University of Illinois This is was sociology meant to him:
"I fell in love with sociology …. Sociology was my saviour. It saved me from the vexing confusion caused by my once despising the mundane-ness of everyday life and deeply loving and admiring my people. It stabilized me by articulating the dedication that I felt for social justice."

Sums it up well for me!!!!

Nice quote! I'm in second year now and taking Sociology as my major. I cannot sing its praises enough. If you can get through first year then definitely consider it for second year as the options are fantastic.

Prince Madness

It is really like they want to put people off sociology in first year, perhaps they have their reasons. Just started reading Frans de Waal "The ape and the sushi maker" great book, he claims and gives evidence that animals have culture. Really worth reading. Good luck with 2nd year!

DOHERTY30691

Almost everything ye said above is true. Its not what i thought it would be. I enjoyed one or two sections but i didnt like it enough to risk it in2nd year even though it sounds a lot more interesting in second year.

McFoxy

I did my major in Sociology minor psychology in UCC. Loved every minute of it. Final year was the most enjoyable year for me.. Be sure to take the sociology of health and illness My BA has led me to some interesting places... career wise I've been quite lucky.. Long live Sociology

bpb101

i would hate it because it a bit of guessing and chance

you cant tell what going on in somebody head, there are sign but you can never tell ....

McFoxy

bpb101 wrote: »

i would hate it because it a bit of guessing and chance

you cant tell what going on in somebody head, there are sign but you can never tell ....

Are you talking about Sociology? Sociology is the study of society, not the study of the mind. That's psychology. Psychology is quite scientific, there is very little guessing and chance except in Freud's day.

Byron85

McFoxy wrote: »

I did my major in Sociology minor psychology in UCC. Loved every minute of it. Final year was the most enjoyable year for me.. Be sure to take the sociology of health and illness My BA has led me to some interesting places... career wise I've been quite lucky.. Long live Sociology

Doing the same at the moment, a major in Sociology with a minor in Psychology. Just finished second year and it was pretty tough. I got a 2.1 though so I can't complain too much. Thank christ next year i'll have a far fewer exams.

MangoLime

I did sociology last year in first year and hated it. To be honest, it's just telling you what you already know about society, just in lots and lots and lots of detail. But, if you want to do it, then go ahead and do it! Just because other people didn't like it doesn't mean you won't!

Good luck!