Department of Sociology, FSS, University of Macau
As the sole academic institution in Macao that provides full-fledged training in the field of sociology together with anthropology and criminology, the Department of Sociology now offers an undergraduate programme leading to Bachelor degree in Sociology, as well as a postgraduate programme leading to Master of Social Sciences degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice.
The existing undergraduate curriculum has been instituted and in use since September 2005 when its predecessor, the Contemporary China Studies programme, was expanded and transformed into Sociology. While the current curriculum has been implemented with considerable success, in the process of teaching we come to perceive the growing demand on the part of our students for an even more extensive and intensive training in sociology proper. Over the previous years, our faculty members have been introducing and incorporating new features and new courses in response to these emerging needs. A thorough revision and fundamental restructuring is thus in order, as a new undergraduate curriculum will be fully implemented from September 2011 onwards. The purpose of the revision is to consolidate and strengthen the foundational training in general sociology (as well as anthropology and criminology). In line with the university-wide implementation of a new undergraduate programme and general education, our revised programme aims at offering a greater diversity of courses that would provide more room for the students to actively pursue their specific interests, and to build up their problem-solving capacity in applying what they have learnt to social reality.
In addition to the bachelor degree programme in sociology, from 2009 onwards we have also offered a master degree programme in criminology. As a policy-oriented branch of study in sociology, we believe that a master programme in criminology anchored in the Department of Sociology not only contributes to the scholarship of both criminology and sociology, but also provides the criminal justice agencies in Macao with the expertise that is currently wanting. Tailored to the practical needs of a fast changing society as Macao and mainland China, our criminology programme aims at providing professional training to those who work or aspire to work in crime control institutions such as police force and rehabilitation service, as well as enhancing the quality of operations of criminal justice agencies by equipping them with research-based scientific knowledge.
