Bachelor of Arts in Sociology

Overview

The Bachelor of Arts Programme in Sociology operates under a direct entry whereby a student is admitted into the first year of a four year programme as a quota student. In first year they do introduction to sociology with any three other courses from any of the thirteen social science and humanities disciplines - Development Studies, Economics, English, Gender Studies, French, History, Linguistics and African Languages, Philosophy, Political Science, Population Studies, Psychology, Public Administration, and Zambian Languages. At second year they have two courses from the major and two from other disciplines from which they have to choose their minor as they progress to third year through to fourth year. Graduates with a Bachelor of Arts Programme in Sociology will identify the roles they should play in research, advocacy, social administration, political action, social development planning, policy formulation and implementation.

Contemporary societies are structurally complex and are faced with various social problems. Therefore, the study of Sociology offers the opportunity to develop a critical understanding of social processes and structures, so as to be able to live and work in a diverse global society and to apply the tools of social analysis to a broad range of professional, academic and community situations.

The methods and knowledge developed by sociologists reflect the complexity of human organization, social life, inequalities and social justice. The newly emerging patterns of social change continue to alter our life, making the effective applications of social analysis more important than ever before in solving such problems of poverty, inequalities, violence, unemployment, crime, human disorganization and injustice among others at a local and global level.

Thus, given its broad focus to the study of human societies, sociology is well positioned to produce well-trained and qualified personnel with an awareness of their society and its problems as well as ways in which they can help resolve those problems. A specialization in Sociology also provides orientation that will enable the graduate to be innovative, work as agents of positive change and to provide imaginative leadership in a rapidly changing world.

The main aim of the B.A programme in sociology is to equip graduates with an in depth understanding of the workings of society beyond common sense knowledge as a basis for policy direction. Since Sociology focuses on the wider society, the programme is hinged on building the capacities of the much needed human capital that can ensure sustainability of development efforts at individual, community and national level. This is envisaged at reducing dependency and building resilience by intervening early in problem solving and provision of social and other services necessary in meeting societal needs. The programme also aims at equipping students with the analytical and critical thinking skills, necessary for understanding, evaluating, and addressing complex social issues and pursue further study in specialised areas in more depth.

At this level, it is expected that the graduate shall:

1. Have knowledge and critical understanding of well-established principles of and emerging issues in Sociology, and of the way in which those principles have developed.
2. Develop the ability to apply underlying concepts and principles outside the context in which they were first studied, including, where appropriate, the application of these principles in varied contexts.
3. Possess systematic, extensive and comparative knowledge and understanding of Sociology as a whole and its links to related subject(s).
4. Have knowledge of the main areas of enquiry in Sociology and ability to critically evaluate the appropriateness of different approaches to solving problems.
5. Understand the limits of their knowledge, and how this influences analyses and interpretations based on that knowledge.
6. Apply a range of established techniques to initiate and undertake critical analysis of information, and to propose solutions to problems in the field of Sociology.
7. Effectively communicate information, arguments, and analysis, in a variety of forms, to various audiences.
8. Present information and transfer knowledge, skills and values to others through delegation and practice.
9. Acquire skills needed to study further with a high level of autonomy.
10. Systematically establish and address personal learning needs.
11. Develop existing skills and acquire new competencies to enable assumption of significant responsibility within organizations.
12. Exercise personal responsibility, initiative and decision-making in complex and unpredictable contexts.
13. Autonomy well developed judgment, adaptability and responsibility as a practitioner or learner.
14. Demonstrate some originality and creativity in formulating, evaluating and applying evidence-based solutions and arguments within the field of Sociology.