1 Social Theory SOC 3140 - 001 Spring 2010 10:45 AM – 11:35 AM BEH S 114 Please Note: I may slightly modify this syllabus before Spring courses begin. Please ensure that you have an up-to-date syllabus when this class begins. Professor: Dr. Julie Stewart Office: BEH S 405 Office Hours: Monday & Friday 12:00 – 1:00 or by appointment E-mail: [email protected] Course Description The industrial revolution, the democratic revolutions of the 18th and 19th centuries, and the development of modernity fascinated the European theorists who founded sociology. Karl Marx, Max Weber and Emile Durkheim were all concerned with understanding social change, the rise of modernity, the emergence of capitalism, and the social impact – both positive and negative – of these great transformations. The scholarship of the founders of sociology generated many crucial questions which continue to resonate today. These questions include, but are not limited to: What generates social solidarity? How is culture developed, shared and transformed? Is our social reality a given, or is it constructed? Are ideas or material conditions the fundamental agents in historical change? Can individuals shape their social world or are they inherently constrained by their socio-economic status? The course begins with a brief overview of social theory, exploring the distinct contributions of sociological analysis, as compared to other disciplines. It devotes considerable attention to the scholarship of sociology’s founding fathers, studying their work from multiple perspectives: historical, methodological, topical and analytical. The second half of the class is more contemporary. While retaining many of the analytical perspectives introduced in the half of the class, it explores current concerns related to the emergence of more recent sensibilities such as contemporary feminism and post-modernism and new concerns generated by globalization, such as immigration and global warming. Much of the reading for this course draws from the original writings of sociological theorists. These are considered classics for a reason. The concerns, concepts and approaches within these works have withstood the test of time and remain relevant. Nevertheless, whenever possible, I have supplemented these2 works with more recent – and more accessible – writings which either reflect or challenge the classical positions. The main goals of the class are two-fold. First, I hope that after completing this class, students will have a broad familiarity with the variety of perspectives and theories that together form the discipline of sociology. The second goal is that students will develop and refine their personal analytical ability. Being able to grasp, assess and act on information will help ensure success not only in this class, but in most endeavors outside of the classroom. Course Materials Reading assignments for this course come from three sources: the Farganis reader in social theory, the Schlosser book, and individual readings available electronically. The Farganis reader and the Schlosser book are available for purchase at the University Bookstore as well as from on-line sources. They have also been placed on reserve in the basement of the Marriott Library. The full citations are as follows: James Farganis. 2008. Readings in Social Theory: the Classic Tradition to Post-Modernism, 5th edition. New York: McGraw-Hill. Eric Schlosser. 2004. Reefer Madness: Sex, Drugs, and Cheap Labor in the American Black Market. Boston: Mariner Books. There is also a course reader available electronically through the Marriott Library. To access and print materials on e-reserve: • Go to course reserves from the Marriott Library home page @ www.lib.utah.edu or from the student portal @ My.Utah.edu. Login with your uNID and password. • Navigate to Academics. • Click on Academics. A list of your classes appears. There will be a course reserves tab you can click on. The list of reserve readings appears in alphabetical order by title. Note that in the reading assignments, readings from the social theory text are identified with the name Farganis, are denoted by page numbers, and end in (Reader). All assigned readings that are posted on E-Reserve are denoted with page numbers and end with (E-Reserve). The readings assignments from the Schlosser text are identified with his name. Course Requirements The readings for this course are substantial, but not excessive. They do require a commitment of active and engaged reading. While most days will include a class lecture, we will frequently do small group exercises and have class discussions. In order to make this an engaging and rewarding experience for everyone, students are required to complete all of the assigned readings before class and3 actively participate in class. As both a motivation for you and a method to allow me to check your weekly progress, we will have six pop quizzes during the semester. They will be simple, two-question quizzes that will be easy to answer, provided you have completed the day’s reading. I know it can be difficult to keep up with the readings at all times, so I will drop the lowest memo grade. Fifteen percent of your grade will be based on these quizzes. Students are also required to submit six memos on the assigned readings. Memos should be approximately one to two pages in length (12 point font, double-spaced, standard one-inch margins). You may choose to write on any session that interests you, provided that you submit three by the mid-point of the semester (Feb. 27), with the other three due in the last half of the semester. Each Friday, I will distribute reflection questions for the upcoming week. I will also post them on WebCT. These questions are to help guide your reading and to provide topics for your writing. Each memo is due before class on the day of the assigned session. Late memos will not be accepted, nor do I accept memos via e-mail. However, I will drop the lowest memo grade, so this gives you one built-in “miss” if you choose to take it. The memos will be worth twenty-five percent of your final grade. Finally, we will have three in-class exams. The first exam will be Februray 13. The second exam will be March 30. The third exam will take place on April 29. Each exam will cover the lectures and readings to date. In other words, exams two and three will not be comprehensive. The exams will have a varied