Sociology of marginalized groups (master)

Pre-requisites: Conditions: Familiarity with essential sociological theories and methodologies.

Course objectives: The goal of this course is to provide introduction into sociology of marginalized communities and enable students to inquire into the contemporary strategies of de-marginalzation and participate in projects/research tasks in the given field.

Course description: 1) Theoretical components and topics: examining the notion, forms and characteristic of marginalized groups from different theoretical perspectives; introducing the range, social and individual factors of marginalization through comparative approach: mentally or physically disadvantaged persons, ex-convicts, "at risk youth", Roma people, sex workers, etc; analyzing the existing strategies of social inclusion of marginalized groups. 2) Practical aspects: workshops, independent research projects in the fields.

Learning Outcomes: Completing the course, the students will have gained insight into the context of marginalization, its coordinates, causes and effects at both individual and social level and be encouraged to proceed with critical examination of the existing theories and research models.