Introduction to Social Sciences

Code:

E101

Acronym:

ICS

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Sociology of Education

Instance: 2012/2013 - 1S

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Education Sciences
Course/CS Responsible:	First degree in Educational Sciences

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
LCED	91	Official Curricular Structure	1	-	6	57	162
		Official Curricular Structure	1	-	6	57	162

Teaching language

Portuguese

Objectives

This course consists as a moment of initiation to the knowledge in Social Sciences scope, drawing, at the same time, lines of complementarity with other courses of this first semester and of continuity with this first degree study plan. It is intended to contribute for the construction of a mentality that looks for educative phenomena as social phenomena and as particular expressions of general social processes. From a pedagogical point of view, it will be mobilized themes emergent of the social reality that will allow the reflection about thespecificity of the human reality while social reality. In this context will be emphasized the epistemological rupture with naturalistic, idealistic and etnocentrista explanations. Follwing this concerns, it will be discussed science as a particular form of scientific and also pratical knowledge, calling to the attention for theoretical and methodological particular procedures. It will be stimulated the development of a sociological imagination and also an analytical, reflexive and critical attitude. Aims: - To observe and to analyze contexts and situations of the everyday life; - To identify, in the observed contexts, educative subjects and problems as also the expression of general social phenomena; - Reflecting on the complexity of the identified fenómenos, mobilizing the contributions of History, Anthropology and Sociology; - To question critically the social and educative reality; - To adopt methodologies of work with responsibility, authonomy, cooperation and communication; - To initiate the contact with theoretical, metodológical and ethical procedures required in a scientifique research process.

Learning outcomes and competences

It is intended that the students show the following skills / learning outcomes:

- Acquisition and mastery of content covered in the program

- Ability to articulate the theoretical approach to critical analysis of social and educational problems;

- Be able to detect and analyze the presence of obstacles to knowledge in contexts and situations of everyday life;

- Be able to develop self-knowledge (beliefs, stereotypes, values ...) and procedures for critical self-reflection

- Be able to search relevant literature independently and use it properly, according to the issues under study and the ways of realizing the evaluation;

- Be able to produce written documents in a structured and theoretically and analytically grounded.

Working method

Presencial

Program

1. Nature, Society and Culture - fundamental premises of Social Sciences

1.1. Introduction to the understanding of the specificity of the human reality while social reality: individual, society, nature, cultures.

1.1.1. Deconstructing the dichotomies of nature / culture, individual / society

1.1.2. Nature, society and culture, elements for understanding the social construction of being's humanization, of the social world and of its educability / sociability

2. The individual and society. The society in humans. The human being in society

2.1. Introduction to understanding the relation-individual vs. society-individual and the socialization as a socio-educational complex process

2.2. Understanding the socialization processes as integration, as inequality and as significant appropriation and construction of meaning - a brief reference to Durkheim, Marx and Weber theoretical contributions

3. Social Sciences as a particular form of knowing and understanding the social reality

3.1. Producing knowledge about social reality. The social knowledge as a social relation with reality

3.2. Explaining the social by the social: the obstacles to knowledge in the social sciences and the instruments of epistemological rupture.

Mandatory literature

Berger Peter L.; A^construção social da realidade. ISBN: 85-326-0598-2
Cuche Denys; A noção de cultura nas ciências sociais. ISBN: ISBN 972-754-142-9
Giddens Anthony; Sociologia. ISBN: 972-31-0758-9
Nunes A. Sedas; Questões preliminares sobre as ciências sociais
Nunes Adérito Sedas; Sobre o problema do conhecimento nas ciências sociais
Sacarrão Germano da Fonseca; Biologia e sociedade. ISBN: 972-1-02694-8
Santos Boaventura de Sousa; Um discurso sobre as ciências. ISBN: 972-36-0174-5
Silva A. Santos 570; Metodologia das ciências sociais

Teaching methods and learning activities

Total number of hours: 162 Hours of contact: 65 (4h weekly) Independent working hours: 97

Type of work - Theoretical and practical

A- Activities of contact (total of hours 65) Theoretical - 20h Debate - 8h Group activities - 8h Fieldwork (with orientation and support) 20h

B - Autonomous work (total of 97h)

Reading and analysis of the recommended authors + bibliographical Research - 17h Exploratory study (group activity): 80h (including i) bibliographical research; II) clarification and group discussion of readings; III) data collection; IV) analysis and interpretation of collected data ; v) results discussion; vi) writing thereport; vii) preparation for the presentation of the report

C - Evaluation and Presentation of works for the students/Evaluation - 9h

keywords

Social sciences > Sociology
Humanities > History
Social sciences > Anthropology

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation without final exam

Assessment Components

Description	Type	Time (hours)	Weight (%)	End date
	Trabalho escrito	6,00	30,00	2012-12-11
	Trabalho escrito	20,00	70,00	2012-12-11
	Total:	-	100,00

Calculation formula of final grade

The classification of written individual work(s) takes place on a scale of 0-20 and will have a weighting of 75% in calculation the final mark.

The classification of small group works takes place on a scale of 0-20 and will have a weighting of 25% in calculation the final mark.