Sociology 488: Sociological Theory Syllabus

Transcription

1 Sociology 488: Sociological Theory Syllabus Semester: Fall 2013 Level: Undergraduate Senior Class Schedule: Monday and Wednesday AM to noon Instructor: Cristián Doña-Reveco, PhD Location: 219 Berkey Hall Office Hours: Thursday 3 00 PM to 5 00 PM or by appointment 414A Berkey Hall Communications for this class will be done solely through D2L. Please check the D2L site regularly or forward your D2L mail to the account you check most regularly. Course Description: This course will investigate classical and contemporary theoretical perspectives in sociology. We will examine developments in social theory from the 1800s until the present, and in the process we will cover the work of classical theorists such as Marx, Weber and Durkheim. We will also discuss Simmel and Mead adding them to the classical canon. After that we will study Parsons and follow with some of the most relevant theorists of the post WWII era. We will look at the main concepts, methods, applications and its intersections of each of these theorists. Course readings include almost exclusively primary readings along with applications to contemporary social problems and issues. Writing assignments will give students practice in critically analyzing and applying the various perspectives. This course has a D2L website. On it you will find a current copy of the syllabus, as well as required and recommended readings for classes, and other relevant materials. Course objectives: 1. To introduce the students in the history of sociological thought since the 18 th century. 2. To provide the students with an introduction to different paradigms and schools of thought in sociology and sociological theory. 3. To analyze the similarities and differences between sociological theories. 4. To engage students in the application of sociological theories to current research and social problems. Readings: We will be reading mostly primary materials of the theorists under study. I will either post links to the material on D2L or provide access to the readings. Recommended texts Ritzer, George Sociological theory. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Other books and articles suggested in class and available on D2L or at the MSU library. 1

2 Course Requirements Assignments Due Date Value Comparative paper on classical theory 10/14/13 20 pts Weekly responses (6 of 7) Following week 60 pts Final paper 12/10/13 Noon 20 pts Total 100 pts Comparative on classical theory This is a comparative essay comparing between 3 and 5 of the classical theorists (number to be defined in instructions) in terms of their main concepts, methods and applications. Late papers will be deducted 1 point per each day including weekends. After two weeks I will not accept any more late papers. I will provide with an example, rubric and links to help you write this review. Weekly reactions papers During the second section of the course I will prepare two questions each week on a topic of theoretical relevance or of application of theories. You have to answer one of the two questions. There will be seven weekly responses and I will count the best 6. They are due at the beginning of the following class according to the list presented below. Late responses will only be accepted up to the following class with a penalty of 50% of the grade. After that late responses will NOT be accepted. Final paper Due Date Due Date Weekly response I Oct. 21 Weekly response V Nov. 18 Weekly response II Oct. 28 Weekly response VI Nov. 25 Weekly response III Nov. 4 Weekly response VII Dec. 4 Weekly response IV Nov. 11 You will have to write a 12 to 15 page theoretical analysis of a sociological problem of interest using one (or more) of the themes developed in the second section of the course. Options: A movie analysis of one of these films: a) Mondays in the sun; b) Magdalene sisters; or c) Do the right thing. A comparative paper on two theorists or themes presented in the second section of the course. An in depth study of one theories presented in class or of another sociological theorists (this last point needs to be discussed with the professor). A book review of a complete book of one of the theorists during class or of another sociological theorist (this last point needs to be discussed with the professor). Use Turner s review of The Constitution of Society as guide An analysis of one aspect of real life using one of the theorists presented during the second component of the semester (Expanded version of weekly responses). 2

3 To avoid problems students will have to discuss this option with the professor on November 27 th during class hours at the latest. Grading Scale: = 4.0; = 3.5; = 3.0; = 2.5; = 2.0; = 1.5; = 1.0; 0 59 = 0.0 A note on communication: I will do my best to reply any sent via D2L within 24 hours. If I have not replied in 48 hours, please resend it with a note stating that you are resending the . I do check my between noon and 1 PM and between 8:30 PM and 10 PM. That is the time frame that I will be using to reply your s. Class Schedule: Wk. Date Theme 1 We 08/27 Introduction to Course. Explanation of syllabus and grading. 2 We 09/ Mo 09/9 We 09/11 Mo 09/16 We 09/18 Mo 09/23 We 09/25 Mo 09/30 We 10/2 Continuity and change in sociological theory Readings: Merton The Bearing of Sociological Theory on Empirical Research & The Bearing of Empirical Research on Sociological Theory (1967). Ritzer The paradigmatic status of sociology (1980) Marx and historical materialism. Monday readings: Estranged labour (complete); Theses on Feuerbach (complete); A Critique of The German Ideology (Preface, Part A complete & Part B only (Civil Society and the Conception of History). Wednesday readings: Wage labor and Capital (Complete); The Eighteenth Brumaire (Section I pp. 5-11) & The Communist Manifesto (Part 1 pp ). Weber, verstehen, and social action Monday readings: Basic Sociological terms in Economy and Society, 1968 & Objectivity in Social Science and Social Policy, in The Methodology of the Social Sciences, Wednesday readings: Introduction to The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, & The types of Legitimate Domination in Economy and Society, 1968 Durkheim and the moral order of societies Monday readings: The rules of sociological method & The Division of Labor selections in Calhoun et al Classical Sociological Theory, Wiley- Blackwell, 3 rd ed. Wednesday readings: The elementary forms & Suicide selections in Calhoun et al Classical Sociological Theory, Wiley-Blackwell, 3 rd ed. Simmel and society Monday readings: The field of sociology in Wolff 1964, The Sociology of Georg Simmel, The Free Press & The Dyad and the Triad selections in Calhoun et al Classical Sociological Theory, Wiley-Blackwell, 3 rd ed. Wednesday readings: The stranger & How is society possible. 3

4 Mo 10/7 Mead and Symbolic Interactionism Monday readings: Selections of Mind, sefd and society We 10/9 Review for Comparative paper Mo 10/14 Parsons and structural functionalism Monday readings: Parsons and Shils, Toward a General Theory of Social Action, Part II, Chapter I & The Social system, chapters I & II We 10/16 Wednesday readings: The Social system, chapters III to V Mo 10/21 We 10/23 Mo 10/28 We 10/30 Mo 11/4 We 11/6 Mo 11/11 We 11/13 Habermas, Communicative Action, and the critique to rationality Monday readings: Social Action and Rationality, in Steven Seidman Habermas on society and politics: a reader. Boston: Beacon Press. Wednesday readings: Interlude, in Habermas, rgen The theory of communicative action. Vol.2, Vol.2. Cambridge: Polity. Giddens structuration theory Monday readings: Conclusion, in Giddens 1976, New rules of sociological method, Basic Books & Agency and Structure, in Giddens 1979, Central problems in social theory, University of California Press. Wednesday readings: Elements of the Theory of Structuration, in Giddens 1984, The constitution of society, University of California Press & Turner, Jonathan H The Theory of Structuration. A review, The American Journal of Sociology 91 (4): Bourdieu, habitus, field and capital Monday readings: Structures, habitus, power: basis for a theory of symbolic power, in Bourdieu1977, Outline of a theory of practice, Cambridge University Press & Introduction, in Bourdieu 1984, Distinction: a social critique of the judgement of taste, Harvard University Press. Wednesday readings: Bourdieu 1991, First Lecture. Social Space and Symbolic Space: Introduction to a Japanese Reading of Distinction, Poetics Today, 12 (4): & The forms of Capital, in Richardson 1986, Handbook of theory and research for the sociology of education, Greenwood Press. Not all white men I: Women and sociological theory Monday readings: The varieties of Gender Theory in Sociology in Chafetz 1999 Handbook of the sociology of gender, Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers & Smith, Dorothy Women's Perspective as a Radical Critique of Sociology. Sociolo ical I qui y. 44 (1): Wednesday readings: Collins, Patricia Hill Learning from the Outsider Within: The Sociological Significance of Black Feminist Thought. Social Problems. 33 (6): S14-S32 & Hekman, Susan "Truth and Method: Feminist Standpoint Theory Revisited". Signs. 22 (2): Mo 11/18 Not all white men II: Race in sociological theory Monday readings: Winant, Howard Race and Race Theory. Annual Review of Sociology. 26: 169 & Lemert, C A Classic from the Other Side We 11/20 of the Veil: DuBois's Souls of Black Folk. Sociological Quarterly. 35 (3): 385. Wednesday readings: Martinez, Theresa A The Double-Consciousness of Du Bois & the Mestiza Consciousness of Anzaldúa. Race, Gender & Class. 9 (4): & Bonilla-Silva, Eduardo Rethinking Racism: Toward a Structural Interpretation American Sociological Review. 62 (3): Mo 11/25 Meetings with students about final paper/project We 11/27 Meetings with students about final paper/project 4

5 15 Mo 12/2 Meetings with students about final paper/project We 12/4 Meetings with students about final paper/project Tuesday 12/10 Final paper due at noon Other extremely relevant topics: Academic Honesty: Michigan State University adheres to the policies of academic honesty as specified in General Student Regulations 1.00, Protection of Scholarship and Grades, and in the All-University Policy on Integrity of Scholarship and Grades, which are included in Spartan Life: Student Handbook and Resource Guide ( Students found guilty of academic dishonesty will receive a 0.0 in the assignment. Plagiarism is defines as presenting another s work or ideas as one s own. You are expected to do your own work on all assignments. Student who plagiarize will receive a 0.0 in the assignment. Accommodations for Disabilities: If you are a student with a disability who requires reasonable accommodations, please call the OPHS Disability Resource Center at (voice) or (TTY). Please communicate this to the instructor or T.A. On a final note. There will always be things arising that will impact our studies or life. We are open and respectful of them, but ideally present any possible problem that could arise at least a week in advance in order to find a suitable solution. Last minute excuses will not be accepted unless certified by proper official documents. Do no leave papers or study for the last day, because if something happens you will not have enough time to save the situation or to talk to us. Best of luck during this semester. 5