Classical Sociological Theory: Theories of Modernity

Transcription

1 Sociology 370: Social Theory, Spring 2014 VHE 206, 2 3:20 Tues/Thurs Instructor: C. Brady Potts, PhD. Office Hours: 10 11:30 Tues & Thurs, & by appt. Office: HSH brady.potts@gmail.com Classical Sociological Theory: Theories of Modernity Introduction Classical sociological theory can be intimidating, arcane, and difficult to understand seemingly detached from contemporary concerns and hopelessly removed from the messy realities of everyday life. The vocabulary and prose of 19th and early 20th century academic writing is increasingly removed from current styles of communication. And after all haven't the societies described in these works long since passed into memory, along with their authors and subjects? What can ideas formulated in the 1800s in Western Europe tell us about social life in 2013 in the United States? In short, in a world where the telegraph has given way to the social network, and the horse & buggy to the automobile, you would be forgiven for considering the works of early social scientists as hopelessly passé or irrelevant. But you would still be wrong! The early social scientists whose work we will encounter over the course of the semester dove headfirst into a series of social transformations with an aim that was nothing short of revolutionary: to develop a true science of society, not simply in the sense of imitating the natural sciences (although there was a lot of that too) but in the sense of what our German friends call "Wissenschaft", or systematic knowledge building and teaching. And while sociology and social theories have obviously developed further in the decades since, the foundational ideas, concepts, and strategies of inquiry of social theorists like Emile Durkheim, Max Weber, and Karl Marx continue to inspire sociological imaginations and shape research programs. And as it turns out, many of the problems and concerns of the late 19th and early 20th centuries are still with us in one form or another. In this class, we will examine the ways in which sociological theories give researchers a lens through which to see the social world, and the analytic scaffolding to describe it and maybe even ways to change it. We will tackle such longstanding areas of sociological concern as the moral integration of the individual into society, the often contradictory relationships of capitalist production, and the relentless creep of bureaucratic organization and scientific or rational reason into everyday life. Sociological theory can be, in turns, fascinating, infuriating, inspiring, and mystifying. This course will ask a lot of you and your enjoyment of it will hinge directly on what you put into it but it will offer much in return.

2 II. Assignments & Schedule Course Credit Breakdown: Participation (incl. pop quiz if nesc.) & Attendance: 10% Reading Responses (3): 15% Midterm exam: 30% Semester Paper: 15% Final exam: 30% Assignments & Exams Exams in this course will be primarily essay and short answer based. Multiple choice, true/false, and the like simply don't work for demonstrating mastery of this kind of material beyond the bare minimum. Reading Response Throughout the semester, you will be asked to write short responses to prompts that will be given by the instructor. These will ask you to apply the concepts we've been discussing to contemporary issues, or to compare different theoretical perspectives on common topics. Extra Credit Exercises Throughout the semester I will post Extra Credit Exercises from time to time. These will involve going out into the world and engaging with it critically, and with a theoretical eye, and then writing/reflecting about your experiences. Semester Paper For your semester paper, you will write an essay of roughly double spaced pages. It will require you to engage with a more contemporary theoretical argument through the ideas and arguments of our classical theorists. Course Outline & Readings The majority of readings for this course are available online via Blackboard. Our reading selections will be, for the most part, short excerpts from the longer works listed below, but they are dense. In addition, the following book is required for this course: The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism Max Weber (Routledge Classics Edition, 1st or 2nd, Introduction by Anthony Giddens, Translated by Talcott Parsons) It is available in ebook form as a rental or purchase, and also from the University bookstore or most online retailers. Finally, I reserve the right to add, tweak, or remove readings as the semester progresses. Some assignments will involve reading and critiquing short essays or magazine articles.

3 SCHEDULE AND READINGS WK DAY TOPIC & READINGS 1 Tues, 1/14 Introduction to Course & Major Thinkers Thurs, 1/16 Human (Social) Nature Estranged Labor and The Meaning of Human Requirements, from The Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts of 1844, Karl Marx. 2 Tues, 1/21 A Science of Society Course in Positive Philosophy, by Auguste Comte; The Theses on Feuerbach, Society and Economy in History, and The German Ideology, Karl Marx. Thurs, 1/23 Sociology & Science Science as a Vocation by Max Weber; The Rules of Sociological Method by Emil Durkheim 3 Tue, 1/28 Institutions & Organizations The Social Construction of Reality, Peter Berger and Thomas Luckman; Economy & Society by Max Weber Thurs, 1/30 Relationships & Groups 4 Tue, 2/4 Self & Society Economy & Society by Max Weber; Georg Simmel, The Stranger Mind, Self & Society by George Herbert Mead; The Division of Labor in Society by Emil Durkheim Thurs, 2/6 Interaction READING RESPONSE #1 DUE The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life by Erving Goffman; Thick Description by Clifford Geertz; The Phenomenology of the Social World by Alred Shütz 5 Tue, 2/11 Rationalization & Rational Action Economy & Society by Max Weber

4 Thurs, 2/13 Social Structure & Collective Sentiment The Sociology of Charismatic Authority by Max Weber; The Civilizing Process by Norbert Elias 6 Tue, 2/18 Solidarity & Social Organization Suicide and The Division of Labor in Society, Emil Durkheim Thurs, 2/20 Individualism and Democratic Societies Democracy in America, Alexis d Tocqueville 7 Tue, 2/25 Moral Order and the City The Metropolis and Mental Life by Georg Simmel; Democracy and Social Ethics by Jane Addams Thurs, 2/27 Culture & Collective Representations The Elementary Forms of Religious Life, Individual and Collective Representations, by Emil Durkheim 8 Tue, 3/4 Ritual, Custom & Practice The Elementary Forms of Religious Life by Emil Durkheim, The Logic of Practice by Pierre Bourdieu Thurs, 3/6 MIDTERM 9 Tue, 3/11 The Critique of Capitalism The Grundrisse, Capital by Karl Marx Thurs, 3/13 The Critique of Capitalism Capital, by Karl Marx 3/17 3/21 SPRING BREAK 10 Tue, 3/25 Critique & Collective Action The Communist Manifesto, Karl Marx Thurs, 3/27 Social Production and Stratification READING RESPONSE #2 DUE The Quest of the Golden Fleece by W.E.B. DuBois; The Second Shift by

5 Arlie Hochschild. 11 Tue, 4/1 Culture Industries The German Ideology by Karl Marx; The Culture Industry: Enlightenment as Mass Deception by Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer Thurs, 4/2 Religion & Modern Capitalism The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, Max Weber 12 Tue, 4/8 Religion & Modern Capitalism The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, Max Weber Thurs, 4/10 The Modern State, READING RESPONSE #3 Due 13 Tue, 4/15 State Power Durkheim, Professional Ethics and Civic Morals; Tocqueville, Democracy in America The Intellectuals by Antonio Gramsci; Politics as a Vocation by Max Weber. Thurs, 4/17 The State & Regulation The Division of Labor in Society, Durkheim; Security, Territory, Population by Michel Foucault 14 Tue, 4/22 Problems of Democracy Democracy in America by Alexis d Tocqueville Thurs, 4/24 Problems of Democratic Politics SEMESTER PAPER DUE Democracy in America by Alexis d Tocqueville 15 Tue 4/29 Reflexive Modernity & Risk Modernity and Self Identity by Anthony Giddens; Risk Society & World At Risk, Ulrich Beck Thurs, 5/1 Course Wrap Up Invitation to Reflexive Sociology by Pierre Bourdieu FINAL EXAM: 2 4 p.m. on May 8.

6 III. Course Policies Due Dates Overdue assignments lose 1/3 of a letter grade per day that they are late, exempting truly exceptional circumstances. However, if you know that you are going to have difficulties meeting the deadline for an assigned work it is better to request an extension (well) ahead of time than turn the assignment in late. In Class Please bring the week s readings and course material with you to class. We often refer to specific passages in the reading in the course of discussion, and you will get more out of the discussion if you can follow along. Also, at times we may be discussing controversial or contentious topics. Let's keep debate spirited, but civil. This means avoiding "straw man" arguments, ad hominem attacks, and maintaining a sense of decorum and collegiality even when discussing hot button topics. Finally, no computers, phones, or devices with wireless or broadband connectivity are allowed in class. Any cellphones that ring will be answered by me. (If you cannot unplug from social media for the hour and twenty minutes we will be spending together, you should probably seek professional help for your compulsive behavior.) Written Assignments All material must be submitted via Blackboard. We require this to insure the following: first, that you have a time stamped record of having turned your assignments in. Second, the use of Turnitin protects both your intellectual property and the intellectual property of others, as per the following statement on USC and Academic Integrity: USC is committed to the general principles of academic honesty that include and incorporate the concept of respect for the intellectual property of others, the expectation that individual work will be submitted unless otherwise allowed by an instructor, and the obligations both to protect one's own academic work from misuse by others as well as to avoid using another's work as one's own. By taking this course, students are expected to understand and abide by these principles. All submitted work for this course may be subject to an originality review as performed by Turnitin technologies ( to find textual similarities with other Internet content or previously submitted student work. Students of this course retain the copyright of their own original work, and Turnitin is not permitted to use student submitted work for any other purpose than (a) performing an originality review of the work, and (b) including that work in the database against which it checks other student submitted work.

7 For more on issues of proper academic conduct, see: Or, if during the course of the semester you have any questions about appropriate citations or proper academic conduct, please come talk to me. While I will be more than happy to answer specific questions regarding the longer assignments or to discuss your drafts or outlines, I will not read through an entire draft before it is due. Finally, requests for grade changes after an assignment is evaluated must be submitted in writing, outlining the reasons why you think that a grade was unwarranted. While I will consider requests for grade changes, I should admit that that is unlikely to happen, as I take great care in grading consistently and fairly. That said, I am always happy to explain my evaluations if my written comments are unclear. (If, however, I've made an adding error in totaling up points, you can just me a quick note and bring the graded copy to the next class meeting.) For students worried about their grades, the best pieces of advice I can give are to keep up with the reading and to read the instructions for graded material very carefully. Many otherwise excellent students let the reading pile up around mid semester and pay for it later, and many otherwise excellent assignments lose points for failing to address the entire prompt or question. Also, consider making use of the USC Writing Center it's a fantastic resource for students. Office Hours You are encouraged to come to office hours for help with your course work, or just to discuss the material if something strikes you as particularly interesting or troublesome. If you cannot make the scheduled hours please me and I will try to set up an appointment with you. However, if we are meeting outside of normal office hours please let me know in your request for an appointment the specific issue you want to discuss, as doing so will allow us to make the best use of our time. During office hours, on the other hand, you can just drop by without making arrangements beforehand. (If you do stop by during office hours and I am not in my office, check the door; odds are I've left a note explaining that I've just run down the hall for coffee and will be back in a minute or two. ) I cannot stress enough the benefits of making use of my office hours. It gives me a chance to get to know you better, and it gives you an opportunity to work through the concepts and materials of the course in a one on one setting. I check my regularly, but you need to allow two days for me to respond to your (I check it less frequently on the weekends). Often, I will respond more quickly, but this does mean that if you have questions about an upcoming assignment and/or exam it will be in your best interest to get those to me sooner rather than later. If you me at midnight the night before you may not get a response from me before the assignment is due or it is time to sit for the exam; I might not even see it beforehand. Academic Accommodations

8 Any student requesting academic accommodations based on a disability is required to register with Disability Services and Programs (DSP) each semester. A letter of verification for approved accommodations can be obtained from DSP. Please be sure the letter is delivered to me as early as possible. DSP is located in STU 301 and is open 8:30 A.M. 5:00 P.M. Monday through Friday. Their phone number is (213) Attendance Our time is limited and valuable. Excessive absences are damaging to your performance in the class in at least two ways. Borrowed notes or downloaded powerpoint slides are never a substitute for attending a lecture or participating in a seminar or discussion group if your aim is depth of understanding of the material. Your fellow students' comments and questions are often insightful and illuminating, and insofar as learning is a collective activity, you can only benefit from participating fully, If you are to get the most out of the material (and of the credit hours you are likely paying quite a bit for) it is essential that you not only attend class regularly, but arrive well prepared and ready to fully participate. If you have language difficulties or difficulties with public speaking please let me know and we will find another way for you to participate I am happy to do so. The other, more direct, way that participation affects your performance in the class is that a certain percentage of your grade is based on in class participation. Chronic unexcused (not university approved) absences over the course of the semester will negatively impact your participation grade.