Welcome to 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 (SOCSP) and it is a strong and productive partnership. The department is one of four departments contributing to Lingnan's inter-disciplinary Bachelor of Social Science (BSocSc) degree programme and it offers a major in Sociology and courses in two interdisciplinary social sciences streams. We cooperate closely in teaching and research with colleagues in our three sister departments, Applied Psychology, Economics and Political Science, and the department has research links with many other universities locally and globally.

Sociology is the scientific study of human interaction. It examines the reasons for 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 and addresses the conditions under which people live. Social Policy looks at harmony in society and evaluates various policies and offers constructive alternatives and solutions. Key topics within Social Policy include "big topics" such as health services, housing, education, ageing and family life. In both Sociology and Social Policy, the department has strong interests in Hong Kong and Asia-Pacific as well as cross-cultural themes in research and teaching.

Study Areas: teaching and research

Teaching and research in the Department of Sociology and Social Policy cover many classical and contemporary areas of sociology as well as exciting applied and policy-related topics including ageing, crime, gender, the family, work-family balance, social inequality, social change, global and local health, science and technology. Members of staff have internationally recognized expertise in many areas, including:

• comparative policy studies and social development
• demography (the study of populations)
• gender
• health and welfare (Hong Kong and global)
• political sociology
• social gerontology (the study of ageing)
• social theory

The Department has academic links with Lingnan’s Asia-Pacific Institute of Ageing Studies, a flagship research centre in Hong Kong. SOCSP members are commentators on, and contributors to, the public life of Hong Kong, hosting conferences, appearing on radio and television, writing for newspapers and taking the pulse of social change. They also have strong research and publication records, publishing in journals, writing books and being on the editorial boards of several journals. The Department also contributes to Lingnan’s regional pioneering Service Learning, with students in several courses offered the chance to participate in service learning placements with selected social welfare agencies and NGOs.

The Department of Sociology and Social Policy is an integral part of Lingnan’s BSocSc Programme. In this Programme, run with the Departments of Applied Psychology, Economics and Political Science, students may opt for a major (eg in Sociology) or one of two multidisciplinary social science streams (Social and Public Policy Studies; China and Asia Pacific Studies). Much of the teaching and research in the Department of Sociology and Social Policy relates to Hong Kong and to the broader Asia-Pacific region, and many of us are also 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