Public Sociology

John Germov is Professor of Sociology and Deputy Vice-Chancellor Higher Education at Victoria University, Australia. John’s research interests span the social determinants of health, the social origins of food and alcohol habits, workplace change, and the history of sociology. He is the author and editor of 25 books including Second Opinion: An Introduction to Health Sociology, A Sociology of Food and Nutrition: The Social Appetite (with Lauren Williams), Histories of Australian Sociology (with Tara McGee), and Hunter Wine: A History (with Julie McIntyre). Marilyn Poole was an Honorary Associate Professor of Sociology at Deakin University, Australia until 2022. Marilyn has long experience in the community sector and continues to work on advisory committees, particularly in the areas of health and community strengthening. She is author of Idols–Ideals–Identities: Women in Society, editor of Family: Changing Families, Changing Times, and co-editor of Sociology: Australian Connections (with Ray Jureidini) and A Certain Age: Women Growing Older (with Susan Feldman). She was a member of the Professional Education Taskforce that produced Family Violence: Everybody’s Business, Somebody’s Life.

Module 1: Doing Public Sociology 1. The sociological gaze: Linking private lives to public issues 2. Sociological foundations: Early theorists and theories 3. Contemporary sociological theorists and theories 4. Sociological investigations: Doing social research Module 2: Social Identities 5. Socialisation: How we become who and what we are 6. Youth, Identity, and Social Change 7. Families and Intimate relationships 8. Consumption and lifestyles 9. This Sporting Life 10. A sociology of licit and illicit drugs Module 3: Social Differences and Inequalities 11. Class and inequality in Australia 12. Gender and sexualities 13. Ethnicity and belonging 14. Indigenous Issues, Rights, and Sovereignty 15. Religion and spirituality in contemporary Australia 16. Deviance, crime, and social control Module 4: Social Transformations 17. The social determinants of health and illness 18. Globalisation, power, and social movements 19. Global risk and the surveillance state: A sociology of new terrorism 20. Working 24/7: The new work ethic 21. A sociology of pandemics: The nexus of personal troubles and public issues 22. Media and popular culture 23. Educating society: Sociological debates and dilemmas Module 5: Future Directions 24. A sociological toolkit 25. Writing a sociology essay 26. Threshold learning outcomes for sociology