Department of Sociology & Social Policy 社會學及社會政策系

Lingnan University is the only university in Hong Kong with a Department that combines Sociology and Social Policy. It is a strong and productive partnership.

Sociology is the scientific study of human interaction. It examines the reasons and causes of social conduct. Sociology treats individual humans as active and thoughtful beings. But it believes that human conduct is decisively shaped by the situations and social networks – based on family, work, residence - in which people find themselves.

Social Policy is the scientific study of human welfare. It addresses the conditions under which people live contented or unhappy lives. Social policy aims to promote harmony in society. It evaluates which government policies are beneficial or harmful and offers constructive alternatives and solutions. Key topics of social policy are ageing, health, family life, housing and education. Individual and organizational well-being are also fundamental parts of equitable policy and a vigorous society. That is why the Department has a major Behavioral Science (psychology) component that examines the nature of human emotion, perception and cognition. Cross-cultural psychology, positive psychology and stress management, are of special interest to us.

Study Areas 

Teaching and research in the Department of Sociology and Social Policy cover many exciting areas including crime, gender, the family, work-family balance, social inequality, social change, work well-being, science and technology. Committed to inter-disciplinary investigation, we have close links – as part of the integrated Social Sciences Programme – with Economics and Political Science. Members of staff have internationally recognized expertise in the areas of :

  • social gerontology (the study of ageing)
  • demography (the study of populations)
  • health and welfare
  • occupational health psychology (work stress, work-life balance)
  • occupational sociology
  • social theory

The Department is the base of the Asia-Pacific Institute of Ageing Studies, a flagship research centre in Hong Kong. Equally, staff members are commentators on, and contributors to, the public life of Hong Kong, hosting conferences, appearing on radio and television, writing for newspapers and academic publications, and taking the pulse of social change. The Department is also a regional pioneer in Service-Learning. Students participating in Service Learning work at selected social welfare agencies and NGOs. The Department also finds summer internships for students. There they can witness first-hand social problems such as drug dependency, prostitution, psychological disorders, and crime, linking what they learn in the lecture room with the real world.

 

The Department of Sociology and Social Policy is part of a broader BSocSc Programme. As part of that Programme, and together with the Department of Economics and Political Science, it contributes to five multidisciplinary academic “streams”: China and Asian Pacific Affairs (CAPA), International Studies (IS), Contemporary Social Issues and Policy (CSIP), Contemporary Economic and Public Policy (CEPP), and Behavioural Science in Modern Society (BSMS). Much of the teaching and research in the Department of Sociology and Social Policy relates to Hong Kong and to the broader Asian Pacific region, yet many of us are engaged in research on Europe, North America and other parts of the world. This provides our students, both undergraduate and postgraduate, with a rich environment for learning which combines deep local understanding with broad international perspectives