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Trends and Problems of Modern Society
Study Course Description
Course Description Statuss:Approved
Course Description Version:8.00
Study Course Accepted:02.02.2024 12:25:33
| Study Course Information | |||||||||
| Course Code: | KSK_236 | LQF level: | Level 7 | ||||||
| Credit Points: | 2.00 | ECTS: | 3.00 | ||||||
| Branch of Science: | Sociology | Target Audience: | Information and Communication Science | ||||||
| Study Course Supervisor | |||||||||
| Course Supervisor: | Andris Saulītis | ||||||||
| Study Course Implementer | |||||||||
| Structural Unit: | Faculty of Social Sciences | ||||||||
| The Head of Structural Unit: | |||||||||
| Contacts: | Dzirciema street 16, Rīga, szf rsu[pnkts]lv | ||||||||
| Study Course Planning | |||||||||
| Full-Time - Semester No.1 | |||||||||
| Lectures (count) | 6 | Lecture Length (academic hours) | 2 | Total Contact Hours of Lectures | 12 | ||||
| Classes (count) | 6 | Class Length (academic hours) | 2 | Total Contact Hours of Classes | 12 | ||||
| Total Contact Hours | 24 | ||||||||
| Study course description | |||||||||
| Preliminary Knowledge: | Not applicable. | ||||||||
| Objective: | To extend students’ knowledge of the trends in the contemporary society in general and in certain areas of the society: employment, family life, education, etc., using the research and statistical data about Latvia and other European and world countries to characterize the changes in trends. | ||||||||
| Topic Layout (Full-Time) | |||||||||
| No. | Topic | Type of Implementation | Number | Venue | |||||
| 1 | Definition of the society. Social mehanisms of a society. The role and methods of sociology in identifying and studying social problems | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 2 | Social influence and change. Evolution and biology, genes and culture. Wisdom of crowds and individual behaviour | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 3 | Identification of change in 21st century | Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 4 | Inequality in the 21st century. Social inequality and stratification, changes of socio-political structure in Latvia during the 20th century | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 5 | Post-socialism Eastern Europe | Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 6 | Technologies and society. Social networks, big data, algorithms, surveillance and tracking | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 7 | Digitalization and society | Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 8 | Capitalism in the 21st century. Households and welfare. Employment and work | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 9 | Work in the 21st century | Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 10 | Consumption in 21st century | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 11 | Report presentations and discussions | Classes | 2.00 | auditorium | |||||
| Assessment | |||||||||
| Unaided Work: | Work with literature. Search and compilation of data while preparing the report and seminar assignments. Presentation of reports and seminar assignments. In order to evaluate the quality of the study course as a whole, the student must fill out the study course evaluation questionnaire on the Student Portal. | ||||||||
| Assessment Criteria: | Presentations of seminar assignments: 70%. Report, its presentation: 30%. | ||||||||
| Final Examination (Full-Time): | Exam (Written) | ||||||||
| Final Examination (Part-Time): | |||||||||
| Learning Outcomes | |||||||||
| Knowledge: | • Knowledge of contemporary society, its values, national development models and global changes taking place in modern societies and their impact on various areas of the society: family, employment, education. • Knowledge of statistical and research data and sources used for assessment of the society and comparative analysis. • Understanding of the trends in societal changes and the main challenges related to ageing society, social inclusion and social inequality. | ||||||||
| Skills: | • Describe and identify social processes and social problems occurring in Latvia and worldwide on the basis of statistical and social research data. • Critically analyse, explain and discuss in a reasoned way factor relationships (correlations) or causal relationships (causality) observed in the research. | ||||||||
| Competencies: | Selection of data sources and methods suitable for assessment of modern society, for analysis of the impact of ongoing social processes and problems in various areas of social life and for interpretation of the obtained results both in Latvia and globally. | ||||||||
| Bibliography | |||||||||
| No. | Reference | ||||||||
| Required Reading | |||||||||
| 1 | Stephens-Davidowitz, Seth. 2017. Everybody Lies: Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really Are. New York, NY: Dey Street Books. | ||||||||
| 2 | Dzenovska, D. 2018. School of Europeanness: Tolerance and Other Lessons in Political Liberalism in Latvia. Cornell University Press. | ||||||||
| 3 | Sumpter, David. 2018. Outnumbered: From Facebook and Google to Fake News and Filter-Bubbles – The Algorithms That Control Our Lives. 1st edition. Bloomsbury Sigma. | ||||||||
| 4 | Susskind, D. 2020. A World Without Work: Technology, Automation and How We Should Respond. Penguin UK. | ||||||||
| 5 | Wallace-Wells, David. 2019. The Uninhabitable Earth : Life After Warming. New York : Tim Duggan Books. | ||||||||
| Additional Reading | |||||||||
| 1 | Lāce T. 2012. Sociālā atstumtība Latvijā: situācijas raksturojums un politikas analīze. Zinātne. | ||||||||
| 2 | Sabiedrības novecošana: sociālā aizsardzība, nevienlīdzība un darba tirgus riski. LU FSI. | ||||||||
| 3 | Therborn, G. 2011. The World. A Beginner’s Guide. Cambridge, Polity Press | ||||||||
| 4 | Daudzveidīgās un mainīgās Latvijas identitātes. 2014. LU Akadēmiskais apgāds. | ||||||||
| 5 | Latvija. Pārskats par tautas attīstību, pieejami no: http://www.szf.lu.lv | ||||||||
| Other Information Sources | |||||||||
| 1 | http://www.lm.gov.lv | ||||||||
| 2 | http://www.csb.gov.lv | ||||||||
| 3 | http://www.nap.lv | ||||||||
| 4 | http://www.latvija2030.lv | ||||||||
| 5 | http://www.satori.lv | ||||||||
