Why is studying theory important? Simply, because theory guides us into asking important questions about how the world works. Social theory penetrates the everyday surface of social appearances and disrupts our certainty of how social life operates. Our taken-for-granted notions, of how the world operates are subject to revision and this can be quite disturbing to those who have a vested interest in the status quo. Social theory can be inherently subversive and yet, has also been used in the past to justify the status quo. Social theory asks question about the following categories of knowledge:

1) Structure and agency. Theory should help explain the connections between our personal situations or troubles and the larger historical forces that constrain our everyday actions. Theory is also a tool that ought to show us the ways that we make history and shape social life. We create society. Society creates us. When you engage with these readings ask yourself, "How does this theory help in explaining why I and the people I know are constrained by the world around us, and how do we shape that world in our actions?"

2) Social change. Societies move through many periods of social change, some more rapid than others. How do the theories you read help to explain these changes? What are the factors which influence such changes over time? Are we living through a qualitatively different period of history than our grandparents, or is our time merely an intensification of prior social changes? When you read ask, "what are the ways in which these thinkers understand social change and its impact on society?"

3) A critical approach. Social theory does not take for granted our everyday understandings of the world, but challenges us to look deeper into why things are the way they are. Theory should encourage us to go beyond the facile explanations of politicians and pundits to ask serious questions of why societies look the way they do. When you read, ask, "how does this theory question my common sense assumptions about the world, society, religion, power and property?"

4) Reflexivity. Social theory should be relevant to one's life. In other words, you should be able to use it to help explain YOUR world. Ask, "What is this theory's personal relevance to my daily life? How does my personal upbringing (where I grew up, my social class, gender, race, age and generation) affect my understandings of the past, my choices in the present, and my expectations of the future?"

We will look at the original writings of some of the most influential thinkers in sociology. Our purpose will be to develop critical thinking and the free exchange of ideas in analyzing various aspects of contemporary societies. This will include concepts of labor, inequality, property, social justice, alienation, culture and the very concepts of humankind itself.

The birth of sociology, as a systematic study of society, began with the recognition of problems common to a newly industrializing Europe. The ascent of industrial capitalism meant the fall of the landed aristocracy and the end of feudalism and small city states. It also spelled the rise of wage labor, the rise of city life, factory production, and increasing class divisions between rich and poor. At the same time, political movements for democracy flourished as the old monarchies collapsed. This time of ferment and rapid change prompted scholars to apply reason to the study of society - to see beyond narrow religious and local prejudices, and to apply the new found principles of science established with the birth of the Enlightenment in the 1700s. In essence, the battles between faith and reason, arbitrary and reasoned power are with us today in contemporary conflicts from global wars to increased social inequality and environmental destruction. Studying how these scholars came to terms with the changes of their historical period can give us insight into similar changes in our own time.

Class format and requirements:

Lectures will be informal, combined with discussions. All students are expected to do the required reading and come to class prepared for discussion. The class format will take the form of a detailed reading and analysis of the classical writings of Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, Max Weber and other social theorists. Students will be assigned particular passages or chapters from the readings each week to report on to the class and we will examine the assumptions and ideas of these theorists in as much depth as we can given our short time frame. Therefore, your participation and attendance in class is essential.

You will be given one mid-term take-home essay exam (30%) and a final take-home exam (40%) which will evaluate your analytical understanding of the concepts presented. In addition, you will be expected to turn in a typed, double-spaced, two page reaction paper (30%) with questions for each week's readings (a total of 10 will be required).

Required readings:

Tucker, Robert, ed. 1978. The Marx-Engels Reader (2nd edition). NY: W.W. Norton & Company.

Freud, Sigmund. 1989. Civilization and its Discontents. NY: W.W. Norton & Company.

Durkheim, Emile. 1999. The Division of Labor in Society. NY: Free Press.

Weber, Max. 2001. The Protestant Ethic in the Spirit of Capitalism. NY: Routledge.

Randell, Collins and Michael Makovsky. 1989. The Discovery of Society (4th edition). NY: Random Books.

An additional Course Reader will be available from the SSU bookstore.

Recommended readings:

Giddens, Anthony, Capitalism and Modern Social Theory: An Analysis of the Writings of Marx, Durkheim and Max Weber . (On reserve in library)

Kivisto, Peter. 2001. Illuminating Social Life: Classical and Contemporary Theory Revisited. (2nd edition). Thousand Oaks, CA : Pine Forge Press.

Rius. 2003. Marx for Beginners. NY: Pantheon Press.

Weber, Max. 1958. From Max Weber: Essays in Sociology. Oxford University Press.

DEPARTMENT NEWS

KATZ JOINS DEPARTMENT

C. WRIGHT MILLS AWARD APPLICATION 07-08