Monday, Wednesday M, ; W Classics of Sociology

Transcription

1 1 Sociology 124 Professor Vujačić Classics of Sociology Office: King 301b Fall 2014 Office Hours: Monday, Wednesday M, ; W. 1-2 Science Center A162 Classics of Sociology Modern sociology was born in the context of transition from traditional to modern societies in the West. This dramatic transformation opened a whole new series of social problems which have defined the modern era. The secularization of society and great expansion of human liberty in the nineteenth century opened the possibility for a scientific sociological understanding of social problems for the first time in human history. In this course, we will explore the ways in which some of the most important founding figures of sociology explained the relationship between the individual and society, the functioning of traditional society, the rise of modern capitalism, class conflict, the moral consequences of industrialization and the occupational division of labor, and the crisis of community (social cohesion). Throughout the course students will be encouraged to analyze their personal experiences as well as the problems of contemporary society in terms of sociological concepts. The course is divided into three parts. The first section of the course (weeks 1-7) is an introduction to the sociological way of thinking. We will analyze the relationship between the individual and society and define basic sociological categories (sociological understanding, ego, super-ego, socialization, social role, reference groups, social stratification, status group, manifest and latent functions). We will dwell at length on the various kinds of constraints which society places on individual behavior, and then, in order to give a little (but not too much) substance to the idea of human freedom, we will look at how individuals manipulate their social environment in order to achieve their goals (Goffman). In the second part of the course (weeks 8-10), we will explore the basic features of traditional society. We will pay special attention to the process of social exchange, the nature of social hierarchies, and the distribution of social roles in pre-modern societies. Once we have identified the basic principles of traditional societies, we will read a Marxist historical account of the demise of feudalism and the rise of capitalism. In the third part of the course (weeks 10-13), we will look at two alternative accounts of the rise of modern society, those of Marx and Durkheim. In the process, we will analyze such sociological problems as the advent of capitalism and class conflict, the sources of social cohesion, the role of different types of sanctions in maintaining social order, the growth of the division of labor, and the rise of individualism.

2 2 Course Requirements: There will be two short essays (5-6 pages), two quizzes, and a final exam. The quizzes will be in class (60 minutes), and will consist of short definitions (identifying 6 sociological concepts in one or several sentences and/or paragraphs). The final exam will consist of short definitions (similar to the quiz pattern) plus a broader essay based on the reading. Grading Essays: 20% (each essay) x 2 = 40% 2 quizzes: 10% (each quiz) x 2= 20% Final exam: 25% Attendance/Participation: 15% Books Required for Class Peter Berger, Invitation to Sociology (Bantam, Doubleday) ISBN: ) Sigmund Freud, Civilization and Its Discontents (W.W. Norton: ISBN: ) Erving Goffman, The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life (Anchor Books, Doubleday: ISBN: ) Marcel Mauss, The Gift (W. W. Norton, 2000) ISBN: Robert Tucker, The Marx-Engels Reader (W.W. Norton: X) Emile Durkheim, The Division of Labor on Society (New York: The Free Press, 2014) ISBN (paper):

3 3 Course Policy NO Computers I ask you not to use laptop computers or other electronic devices during class time. While some use laptops solely to take notes, the temptation to do otherwise is great and it distracts other students. A small number of exceptions may be made only upon official notification. Readings, Attendance, and Assignments The books will be available for purchase at the college bookstore and also placed on hard copy reserve. All other readings can be found on the designated Blackboard course site under Course documents. Students are expected to have done the reading before class. This is very important, as the reading for this class is rather difficult at times. You will quickly lose track if you are behind in the reading. Attendance will be taken as of the third week of class: more than two unexcused absences will negatively affect the participation portion of the grade. Papers should be handed in at the specified time. Late papers will be penalized and extensions will be given only under exceptional circumstances. Honor Code This course and all its assignments are covered by the Oberlin College honor code. This means, most importantly, that unless otherwise indicated you are to produce your own work and honor the rules and conventions of scholarly quotation, attribution, and citation. While you are allowed to ask advice and help from librarians and official writing tutors, you are, in the end, to submit work produced by you. Some assignments may be collaborative in nature; those will be clearly identified as such. Any case of (suspected) plagiarism will be reported to the Honors Committee. For more details, see

4 4 Plan of Course Part One: Sociological Concepts and the Study of Society Week One: Introduction 9/3 Introduction to Syllabus and Course Week Two: The Sociological Way of Thinking 9/8 Peter Berger, Invitation to Sociology. A Humanistic Perspective, pp /10 Berger, Invitation to Sociology, pp Week Three: Freud. Instincts, the Individual, and Society 9/15 Sigmund Freud, Civilization and Its Discontents, pp /17 Freud, Civilization and Its Discontents, pp Week Four: Social Roles, Social Control, and Reference Groups 9/22 George Herbert Mead, The Self, in Anselm Strauss, ed., George Herbert Mead on Social Psychology, pp

5 5 9/24 Ralf Dahrendorf, Homo Sociologicus in his Essays in the Theory of Society, pp Week Five: Social Stratification, Classes, and Status Groups 9/29 Kingsley Davis and Wilbert E. Moore, Some Principles of Stratification, and Melvin M. Tumin, Some Principles of Stratification. A Critical Analysis, in Reinhard Bendix and Seymour Martin Lipset, eds., Class, Status, Power, pp /1 Max Weber, Class, Status, and Party, in Hans Gerth and C. Wright Mills, From Max Weber, pp Week Six: Society as Drama, Rebellion, and Disenchantment 10/6 Berger, Invitation to Sociology, pp /8 First quiz in class (60 minutes) Week Seven: Role-Management and Performance in Everyday Life 10/13 Erving Goffman, The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life, pp ; 10/15 Goffman, The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life, pp ; Discussion of Paper Topic

6 6 ************ Fall Break (10/18-10/26). Part Two. Traditional Society: From Feudalism to Capitalism Week Eight: Traditional Society Defined 10/27 Marc Bloch, Feudal Society, Vol.1, pp ; /29 Mario Puzo, The Godfather, pp First Essay due in class 10/29 Week Nine: Social Reciprocity and Exchange in Traditional Society 11/3 Marcel Mauss, The Gift, pp /5 Mauss, The Gift, pp Film (at scheduled time): The Godfather, Part I. Week Ten: The Birth of Modern Capitalism 11/10 Rondo Cameron and Larry Neal, A Concise Economic History of the World, pp , /12

7 7 Cameron and Neal, A Concise Economic History of the World, pp Part Three. The Rise of Modern Society: Marx and Durkheim Week Eleven: Karl Marx: Industrialism, Capitalism, and Class Conflict 11/17 Cameron and Neal, A Concise Economic History of the World, pp Karl Marx, Marx on the History of His Opinions, in Robert Tucker, ed., The Marx-Engels Reader, pp /19 Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, The Communist Manifesto, in Tucker, The Marx-Engels Reader, pp Second essay due in class 11/19 Week Twelve: Karl Marx: Class Conflict and Modern Capitalism 11/24 Karl Marx, Wage Labor and Capital in Tucker, The Marx-Engels Reader, pp /26 Friedrich Engels, Socialism: Utopian and Scientific, Tucker, The Marx-Engels Reader, pp Thanksgiving break, 11/27-30 Week Thirteen: Emile Durkheim: The Division of Labor and Mechanical Solidarity 12/1 Emile Durkheim, The Division of Labor in Society, pp

8 8 12/3 Second Quiz in class (60 minutes) Week Fourteen: Durkheim: Organic Solidarity and the Problems of Modern Society 12/8 Durkheim, The Division of Labor in Society, pp /10 Durkheim, The Division of Labor in Society, pp , 8-32 (preface to the second edition). Final Exam, Wednesday, December 17, 9-11 a.m.