UJ B.A. Honours in Sociology, Industrial Sociology and Urban Studies 

The vision of the department is to be a research-led department advancing critical, professional, policy and public sociology.

Our mission

• Undertake high quality, socially relevant research and publication;
• Continually strive to improve our teaching and supervision;
• Cultivate an optimal learning experience that engenders critical engagement with a changing world;
• Integrate teaching and social commitment with cutting-edge research;
• Express academic citizenship through participation in professional activities

Our core values

• Academic freedom;
• Diversity and social justice;
• International cooperation;
• Life-long learning;
• Interdisciplinarity

Three Sociology Honours Degrees – Sociology, Industrial Sociology and Urban Studies – Emphasising Sociological Practice

Successfully completing one of the three sociological practice Honours degrees prepares and empowers a student for advanced postgraduate studies, job searches and job creation as well as using innovative approaches for assessment and change

• Each degree is a one-year program
• Five courses (including theory, research methodology and a research project) as well as a 120-hour internship are required
• Elective courses include: (1) Sociology of Work and Labour Markets; (2) Gender, Family and the Workplace; (3) Group Dynamics; (4) Political Sociology; (5) Urban Sociology; and (6) Clinical Sociology
• Students can apply for a bursary (tuition included)
• Applicants should have a mark of at least 65%

Internship Handbook

One of the requirements is to do a 120-hour internship. For more information, please click on this link: 2017 UJ Sociology Internship Handbook_14 March.pdf

Application Forms

To apply for Honours in Sociology, Industrial Sociology or Urban Studies, you need to complete and submit two application forms: First complete the Departmental application form (Click here for our departmental application form:Postgrad application form2017.doc.pdf

and attached it to the second application form, find online: https://www.uj.ac.za/studyatUJ/sec/Pages/Academic%20Application.aspx Application deadline 31 October 2017

Brochure

For more information on the BA Honours programmes, (2016) please click on the link: UJ_Sociology_Honours_Brochure_ONLINE.pdf

B.A. Honours (Sociology)

Admission requirements: Admission will be considered for a student who completed Sociology or Industrial Sociology as a major (up to third-year level) in the preceding BA Degree. If a student does not comply with the requirements mentioned above, admission may be granted by the Dean of the Faculty, at the recommendation of the Chairperson of the Department.

Duration of programme: 1 year

Contact details: Dr Pragna Rugunanan Tel: 011 559 4020 / Email: prugunanan@uj.ac.za

Brief description of programme: The modules in the BA Honours (Sociology) programme offer students understanding of contemporary societal debates and concerns. Students explore social identities and societal structures, global and local linkages, as well as social change and strategies for social intervention. Considerable emphasis is placed on guiding students to conduct independent quantitative research. The programme offers skills in theory, report writing and problem-solving. Students also acquire SPSS skills and competencies and have to complete a 120-hour internship.

B.A.Honours (Industrial Sociology)

Admission requirements: Admission will be considered for a student who completed Sociology or Industrial Sociology as a major (up to third year level) in the preceding BA Degree. If a student does not comply with the requirements mentioned above, admission may be granted by the Dean of the Faculty, at the recommendation of the Chairperson of the Department.

Duration of programme: 1 year

Contact details: Dr Pragna Rugunanan Tel: 011 559 4020 / Email: prugunanan@uj.ac.za

Brief description of programme: The modules in the BA Honours (Industrial Sociology) programme offer students understanding of the changing nature of global workplaces, industries, worker struggles and work dynamics. Considerable emphasis is placed on guiding students to conduct independent quantitative research. The programme offers skills in theory, report writing and problemsolving. Students also acquire SPSS skills and competencies and have to complete a 120-hour internship.

B.A. Honours (Urban Studies)

Admission requirements: Admission will be considered for a student who completed one of the following major subjects: Sociology, Industrial Sociology, Geography, Philosophy, Historical Studies, Development Studies, Psychology, Industrial Psychology, Politics, Public Governance and Social Work as a major (up to third-year level) in the precxeeding BA Degree. If a student does not comply with the requirements mentioned above, admission may be granted by the Dean of the Faculty, at the recommendation of the Chairperson of the Department.

Duration of programme: 1 year

Contact details: Dr Pragna Rugunanan Tel: 011 559 4020 / Email: prugunanan@uj.ac.za

Brief description of programme: The BA Honours (Urban Studies) programme introduces students to critical perspectives on urbanisation and city development. Students become familiar with debates on the politics of cities and institutions, informality, consumption, and ways in which people participate in and reshape city life. Considerable emphasis is placed on guiding students to conduct independent quantitative research. The programme offers skills in theory, report writing and problem-solving. Students also acquire SPSS skills and competencies and have to complete a 120-hour internship.

The following four courses are compulsory for all honours students:

• Sociological Theory: In this course the student is not only introduced to both classical and contemporary sociological theories but also to metatheorising and the movement toward theoretical synthesis. In addition, the course reviews theoretical debates on the organisation of work and the transformation of the work process and unemployment, locating these topics within the South African context.
• Research Methodology: This course focuses on issues with regard to the scientific nature of social research. Different methodological approaches are studies providing students with conceptual and practical research skills.
• Research Seminar: Students undertake a collective research project by making use of qualitative and/or quantitative methods in their research design.
• Statistics for the Human Sciences: Statistical principles for the human sciences and basic statistics to analyse quantitative data by utilising the software, Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), are taught using the textbook:

  Eiselen, R., and Uys, T. 2016. Analysing Survey Data using SPSS 22: A Workbook. Johannesburg: University of Johannesburg.  —  To obtain the book, first pay R200 into the entity 05.05.6500.20 at Student Finance and then present the receipt (proof of payment) to the Sociology departmental secretary at CRing 6.

The following two courses are compulsory for all Honours students in Industrial Sociology:

• Sociology of Work and Labour Markets: Industrial sociological theory incorporating current debates in South African labour relations are assessed within appropriate theoretical and international contexts.
• Introductory Labour Law: This is an introductory course focusing on the Labour Relations Act, the Basic Conditions of Employment Act with special emphasis on industrial dispute resolution proceedings.

Optional courses available to all honours students (Sociology or Industrial Sociology students):

• Gender, Family and the Workplace: In this course the student will not only be introduced to the way in which the family as primary socialisation agent teaches its members the culturally defined contents of these gender roles, but a number of other gender, family and work related issues are also discussed.
• Group Dynamics: In this course different aspects affecting behaviour within groups are studies, e.g. group norms, cohesion, competition and co-operation.
• Political Sociology: This course centres on a critical examination of societal power relations, focusing on the state, democracy, human rights and civil society, with particular emphasis on social movements.
• Urban Sociology: This course encourages interrogation of dynamics of urban culture, the place of the city in the global context, urban demography and migration, urban geography and the informal sector, and urban power relations, with a focus on the application of these questions to South African cities.