Sociology 413/513: Sociological Theory Fall 2013

Transcription

1 Sociology 413/513: Sociological Theory Fall 2013 Instructor: Seth Crawford Office: Fairbanks 301 Office Hours: W 10:00am-12:00pm or by appointment seth.crawford@oregonstate.edu Required Textbooks: All required readings are posted on Blackboard (in PDF format). I highly recommend purchasing the optional texts if you view this course as something more than required. Optional Textbooks: (1) James Farganis Readings in Social Theory, 6 th edition. (2) George Ritzer Sociological Theory, 8 th edition. (Note: You can buy a customized and cheaper version of this book at the OSU bookstore or an e-version at: (Search for ISBN: ) Overview: Along with research methods, theory is central to the discipline of sociology. In effect, theory and methods are the two tools that guide and inform the work of all sociologists. This course will introduce you to sociological theory and encourage you to think theoretically. It provides an overview of the major intellectual foundations leading to the historical development of the science of society and surveys the key schools of sociological thought. Prerequisites: Sociology 204. Measureable Learning Outcomes Students should be able to do identify, summarize, and compare and contrast key theoretical traditions and theoretical concepts. Using material from the readings, supplemental resources, class discussions and lectures, students should be able to apply theoretical concepts to the social world and (conversely) analyze the social world using theoretical concepts. Students will create their own theoretical analysis of a sociological puzzle. Evidence of meeting these learning outcomes will be assessed through class participation, a mid-term paper, and a final paper. Coursework and Evaluation Assigning letter grades in a university setting is an archaic, subjective, and, unfortunately, (still) required process. Consider it an artifact of a morbidly self-destructive, reductionist culture, whose commitment to a rank-ordered outcome of unique human beings and countless hours of study (suggested: 40 hours in the classroom; 120 hours outside the classroom) has deleteriously affected our ability to actually learn and teach (they are dialectically entwined), while nefariously injecting a presumptive hierarchy into our learning environment (the social compact) before we ever have a learning environment (the social construct). That small caveat aside, graded material includes attendance, in-class participation and primary reading worksheets, discussion facilitation, one midterm essay, and one final essay. Attendance 10% Attendance is mandatory. You may miss THREE classes without penalty, but each class missed thereafter will result in a loss from your final grade. The fourth absence will reduce your overall grade by 5% and the fifth will result in zero attendance points. If you miss 6 or more classes, you will receive an automatic F for the course. Attendance will be taken at the end of each class. Attendance accounts for 10% of your final grade. Unexpected emergencies or illness do

2 come up, and that is what the three free classes are for i.e. they are not for bailing on class because you don t feel like showing up. Participation and Primary Reading Worksheets 20% This course is intended to run as a seminar. A seminar is a student-driven meeting wherein information is given and discussed. Each of you will be required to give and discuss information about sociological theory on a regular basis. The success of this course as a learning experience, therefore, falls partly on your collective shoulders. To enable our collective engagement with and to foster mastery of the course material, you are required to complete a worksheet for each of the assigned primary readings (denoted as PR). The worksheets are also designed to help you keep up with the heavy reading schedule. You cannot fall behind on the reading in this class and succeed. The content of your worksheets will not be graded, but you will be graded based on how many of them you turn in. Each worksheet accounts for 1% of your overall grade. Worksheets must be turned in on Blackboard before the start of the class session for which they are due. Also bring a hard copy of your Worksheet to class so that you can refer to it during discussion. An electronic copy of the Worksheet is available on Blackboard. Your class participation and worksheets count toward 20 percent of your course grade. Midterm Paper 35% Answer both of the following essay questions. Cite your quotes and include a bibliography using ASA guidelines outlined in Chapter 12 Citing Sources from Writing Within Sociology (PDF available on our course webpage). Papers cannot be sent via . The mid-term counts toward 30 percent of your course grade. 1. Refer to the Classical Sociological Theory chart. It is said that classical sociological theory provides an account of the transition from traditional to modern society. With this as a premise, address the different accounts of this transition according to Marx, Durkheim, and Weber. Refer to the primary and secondary readings to avoid making overly vague and general statements (413: approximately 4-5 pages typed; 513: 7-8 pages). 2. Compare and contrast the claims of Du Bois and Gilman regarding the character and experience of inequality in the United States. Refer to primary and secondary readings to avoid making overly vague and general statements (413: approximately 3 pages typed; 513: 3-5 pages). Final Paper 35% The final paper requires you to summarize, apply, and create sociological theory as it relates to a sociological puzzle or question. There is no single correct sociological theory. Rather we select theory to help us make sense of the social world based on the type of research questions we are interested in asking or the types of data we are trying to explain. The primary reading worksheet asks you to specify one research question you could pursue to test the theoretical assertions and claims being advanced in the reading (item IV. 2). Once you have done this task for each reading it s time to turn the task around. If you could study anything about the social world, what would it be? Set up your research question (perhaps stated as a hypothesis). This must be a testable research question. Then, select one classical, one modern, and one beyond modern theorist that can speak to some aspect of your research question. The task is to select theories that offer you the best tools for making sense of your question. In your paper, briefly summarize the main/general theoretical ideas associated with the theorists you have selected. Then describe the particular theoretical claims or concepts advanced by these theorists that are most relevant to your

3 research. In other words, why are these theorists likely to be helpful in making sense of your research question? This requires that you actively theorize yourself since in most cases the specific question you are interested in will not be one that was of a specific concern of your selected theorists. The trick is to take one theoretical concept from each of your theorists and use it to theorize about your sociological puzzle. Be sure to refer to, and quote from, the readings to avoid making overly vague and general statements. The final paper is to be 7-10 pages (typed and double-spaced) (12-15 pages for 513 students). You should read Chapters 2, 3 and 12 from Writing Within Sociology, which is available as a PDF on our course webpage. The final paper counts toward 35 percent of your course grade. Papers can not be sent via . There is no curve for this course. Final letter grades are as follows: A 74-76%: C 90-93%: A %: C %: B %: D %: B 64-66%: D 80-83%: B % D %: C+ < 59%: F Course Policies The material covered in this course is controversial, in the sense that it has sparked considerable debate and enormous levels of variance in definitions in our society. With this in consideration, I expect that you will treat your fellow classmates with the respect that they deserve in our classroom discussions but I would also like to see some healthy ideological confrontation, as it is a foundation of critical thinking development. CELL PHONE AND INTERNET SURFING WILL NOT BE TOLERATED; IF YOU ENGAGE IN THESE ACTIVITIES, YOU WILL BE ASKED TO LEAVE THE CLASSROOM. IT WILL BE VERY EMBERASSING FOR YOU AND I WILL REMIND THE CLASS ON A REGULAR BASIS OF YOUR DEVIANT TRANSGRESSION. Academic dishonesty such as plagiarism and cheating will not be tolerated. Students are expected to be honest and ethical in their academic work. Academic dishonesty is defined as an intentional act of deception in one of the following areas: cheating- use or attempted use of unauthorized materials, information or study aids, fabrication- falsification or invention of any information, assisting- helping another commit an act of academic dishonesty, tampering- altering or interfering with evaluation instruments and documents plagiarism- representing the words or ideas of another person as one's own. For more information about academic integrity and the University's policies and procedures in this area, please refer to Academic Regulations in the OSU Schedule of Classes: Statement Regarding Students With Disabilities Accommodations are collaborative efforts between students, faculty, and Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD). Students with accommodations approved through SSD are responsible for contacting the faculty member in charge of the course prior to or during the first week of the

4 term to discuss accommodations. Students who believe they are eligible or accommodations but who have not yet obtained approval through SSD should contact SSD immediately at Reading Schedule: I. Classical Sociological Theory Week 1 Monday 9/30: First Day of Class Introductions and Expectations Wednesday 10/2: Overview of Sociological Thought + Some Marx & Engels Required 1. Farganis: Introduction 2. Marx and Engels, The Manifesto of the Communist Party [PR#0] Suggested Additional 3. Chapter 1 in Ritzer NOTE: I have completed PR#0 and posted it to Blackboard to give you an idea of what I expect for the primary reading worksheets. Week 2 Monday 10/7: NO CLASS Required Watch The Corporation documentary. It is freely available from a number of websites, including the following: Wednesday 10/9: Karl Marx and Frederick Engels Required 1. Marx: Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844 [PR#1] 2. Marx: The Fetishism of Commodities & the Secret Thereof in Farganis [PR#2]. Suggested Additional 3. Chapter 2 Ritzer Complete a Primary Reading Worksheet for PR#1 and PR#2. In order to receive credit, this must be Week 3 Monday 10/14: Emile Durkheim 1. Durkheim: On Mechanical and Organic Solidarity [PR#3] 2. Durkheim: Egoistic Suicide and Anomic Suicide [PR#4] Complete a Primary Reading Worksheet for PR#3 and PR#4. In order to receive credit, this must be

5 Wednesday 10/16: Emile Durkheim 1. Durkheim: The Elementary Forms of Religious Life [PR#5] Suggested Additional 2. Chapter 3 in Ritzer Complete a Primary Reading Worksheet for PR#5. In order to receive credit, this must be turned in (on Blackboard) before the start of class. Bring a hard copy to class to participate in class discussion. Week 4 Monday 10/21: Max Weber 1. Farganis: Max Weber s The Iron Cage 2. Weber: The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, Chapters 2 and 5 [PR#6] Complete a Primary Reading Worksheet for PR#6. In order to receive credit, this must be turned in (on Blackboard) before the start of class. Bring a hard copy to class to participate in class discussion. Wednesday 10/23: Max Weber 1. Weber: Bureaucracy [PR#7] 2. Weber: Power, Domination and Types of Authority [PR#8]. Suggested Additional 3. Chapter 4 in Ritzer Complete a Primary Reading Worksheet for PR#7 and PR#8. In order to receive credit, this must be turned in (on Blackboard) before the start of class. Bring a hard copy to class to participate in II. Other Early Voices Week 5 Monday 10/28: W.E.B. Du Bois 1. Du Bois: The Souls of Black Folk in Farganis [PR#9] 2. Du Bois: The Philadelphia Negro in Farganis [PR#10] Complete a Primary Reading Worksheet for PR#9 and PR#10. In order to receive credit, this must be turned in (on Blackboard) before the start of class. Bring a hard copy to class to participate in

6 Wednesday 10/30: Charlotte Perkins Gilman and Mid-Term Review 1. Gilman: Women and the Economy [PR#11] Complete a Primary Reading Worksheet for PR#11. In order to receive credit, this must be Week 6 Monday 11/4: Midterm Paper Due III. Modern Sociological Theory Wednesday 11/6: Modern Functionalist Theory 1. Parsons: Age & Sex in the Social Structure of the United States [PR#12] Suggested Additional 2. Chapter 6 in Ritzer Complete a Primary Reading Worksheet for PR#12. In order to receive credit, this must be Week 7 Monday 11/11: Modern Conflict Theory 1. Mills: The Structure of Power in American [PR#13]. Complete a Primary Reading Worksheet for PR#13. In order to receive credit, this must be Wednesday 11/13: The Frankfurt School 1. Agger: The Frankfurt School [PR#14]. Complete a Primary Reading Worksheet for PR#14. In order to receive credit, this must be Week 8 Monday 11/18: Symbolic Interactionism 1. Goffman: The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life [PR#15].

7 Suggested Additional 2. Chapter 7 & 10 in Ritzer Complete a Primary Reading Worksheet for PR#15. In order to receive credit, this must be Wednesday 11/20: Gender and Feminist Theory (Standpoint and Intersectionality) 1. Smith: Women s Experience as a Radical Critique of Sociology [PR#16] 2. Collins: Black Feminist Thought [PR#17]. Complete a Primary Reading Worksheet for PR#16 and PR#17. In order to receive credit, this must be turned in (on Blackboard) before the start of class. Bring a hard copy to class to participate in Week 9 Monday 11/25: Postmodernism 1. Foucault: The Carceral [PR#18] Complete a Primary Reading Worksheet for PR#18. In order to receive credit, this must be Wednesday 11/27: NO CLASS Holiday Observance Week 10 Monday 12/2: Modern Socioecological Theory 1. Schnaiberg: The Treadmill of Production [PR#19] Complete a Primary Reading Worksheet for PR#19. In order to receive credit, this must be Wednesday 12/4: Concluding Thoughts and Future Directions 1. Agger: Final Chapter [PR#20] Finals Week: Final Paper Due by 2pm on Monday, December 9 th.