Laboratory of Ethics and Profession in Sociology

Code: SOC12551L

6 ECTS

Duration: 15 weeks/156 hours

Scientific Area: Sociology

Teaching languages: Portuguese

Languages of tutoring support: Portuguese

Regime de Frequência: Presencial

Sustainable Development Goals

Educação de qualidade - Assegurar a educação inclusiva, e equitativa e de qualidade, e promover oportunidades de aprendizagem ao longo da vida para todos.

Learning Goals

The objective of this Course Unit is to make known to students the diversity of roles, and organizational contexts in which sociologists can work. Considering that most of the students completing their higher education will perform functions mainly outside the academy, in this CU the specific competences and the relevance of the concepts and perspectives of sociology are analysed, in a confrontation with other disciplinary areas. In addition, it is intended that students acquire proficiency in the analysis of sociologist profiles and be able to contextualize these profiles in current societies. In this sense will be developed teamwork research exercises and contact with sociologists, in which students will still be challenged to discuss and analyse the ethical and civic issues that are posed to the sociologist.

1. The professionalization of sociologists: inside and outside of the academy
Sociology as an autonomous scientific and disciplinary area
higher education-occupation relations in today's society
Knowledge, skills and professional practices
Strategies for professionalization and updating practices
2. The scientific & professional group of sociologists
Institutionalization and professional association.
Comparison with other disciplinary areas and other countries
3. Activity, roles and professional experiences of sociologists
Plurality of areas and professional roles of sociologists
Theoretical, methodological, relational and operative skills
Work teams and inter-professional relations
4. Analysis of culture and professional ethics of sociologists
Professional culture: cognitive and ethical parameters
Identities, practices and professional culture
Principles of ethics and deontology and civic responsibilities
Sociology, sociologists and society

Teaching Methods

The classes consist mainly of practical activities, to be carried out by students, both in the classroom and in other appropriate places, individually and in groups, under the guidance of the teacher. These activities are organized according to the 4 axes of the program and, in their conclusion, will involve the production of summary sheets with results and a balance of the work developed, to be included in a group dossier. At the end of the semester the research papers developed are presented by the students and discussed at a seminar. In addition, each student must make a brief individual report (5-6 pages) about the main aspects of the activities developed and their main results.
The weighting in the final classification of these assessment elements is as follows: attendance and participation in activities: 15%; group 40%; individual report: 30%; presentation and discussion of the dossier in the final seminars:15%.