University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Soci Sociological Theory Spring Professor Fran ois Nielsen Times Places Contacts Presence Required on These Dates Fri Mar AM Midterm Mon May AM Final No Exception You must drop the course if you cannot be present on these dates Classes Meet Mon Wed Fri AM in Murphey Instructor Professor Fran ois Nielsen Email francois nielsen unc edu Office Hamilton Hours by appointment Phone Fax Web site http www unc edu nielsen Teaching Assistant Ken Kolb Email ken unc edu Office Hamilton also check Hamilton Hours TBA other times by appointment Course Description Goals This paragraph is adapted form the syllabus of a course Social Theory taught by Indermohan Virk at Indiana University at Bloomington I use the terms sociological theory and social theory interchangeably to mean the set of theories and approaches developed by sociologists and others for understanding society As members of a society we all use theories in order to make sense of our lives and the institutions organizations and groups around us The authors we will study in this class have created complex explanations of the social world Many of the theorists we are studying are no longer living We continue to read their work because their ideas transcend space and time and still contribute to an understanding of our contemporary world We will read both classical theorists such as Marx Pareto Weber and Durkheim as well as more contemporary authors It is important to realize that these varied approaches to understanding social life are not presented here as the truth We will see that these social thinkers quite often do not study the same social phenomena and even when they do chances are they will diagree on the proper way to understand them I do not expect you to agree or even be interested in all these dead Germans or French or Italians In fact I disbelieve quite a bit of this S o c i 2 5 0 S o c i o l o g i c a l T h e o ry myself as will quickly become obvious This course will have met its main goal if you come out of it able to comfortably assert that the King is naked while also empathizing with the thought processes of the thinkers who have produced these sometimes grand and inspiring ideas about the social world Readings Books Most readings are from the following books available at the bookstore Calhoun Craig Joseph Gerteis James Moody Steven Pfaff and Indermohan Virk eds Forthcoming Classical Sociological Theory nd edition Blackwell Calhoun Craig Joseph Gerteis James Moody Steven Pfaff and Indermohan Virk eds Forthcoming Contemporary Sociological Theory nd edition Blackwell In addition the following two books are recommended for background reading Aron Raymond Main Currents in Sociological Thought Vol Montesquieu Comte Marx de Tocqueville Sociologists and the Revolution of New Brunswick NJ Transaction Publishers Aron Raymond Main Currents in Sociological Thought Vol Durkheim Pareto Weber New Brunswick NJ Transaction Publishers Additional Readings Additional readings are available as pdf files from the course site A password is needed to access some of these documents Class Notes and Presentations Notes and PowerPoint presentations including student presentations see below will be linked to this syllabus for each week See course schedule You can download or print these notes as you wish I must reserve the right to revise update the notes and presentations at any time during the session Exams Requirements Honor Code The Honor Code will be in force for all examinations and assignments For more information on student duties under the Honor Code please see http honor unc edu students rights html Please note in particular the following section It is the responsability of students To maintain the confidentiality of examinations by divulging no information concerning an examination directly or indirectly to another student yet to write that same examination S o c i 2 5 0 S o c i o l o g i c a l T h e o ry However in preparing team presentations collaboration among members of a team as well as with students outside the team is allowed and encouraged All sources material or non material are to be aknowledged in the presentation just as one does in a scientific or scholarly paper Requirements The midterm and the final are multiple choice exams You need to bring a bubble sheet for electronic scanning available free of charge at Student Stores a pencil preferred with an effective eraser soft pink not hard and all dried up so you can erase your answer completely if you change your mind For examples of multiple choice questions of the type used in the exams click on a sampler of multiple choice questions Your final grade in the class will be based on four requirements Midtem of course grade The midterm will take place during regular class time on Fri Mar AM The midterm will consist of multiple choice questions many of them based on questions submitted by students as part of their team presentation Final of course grade The final will take place on Mon May AM The final will consist of multiple choice questions The final is not cumulative except insofar as a question may involve a comparison say between an author or theory discussed after the midterm with one discussed prior to the midterm Attendance of course grade Attendance will be taken beginning with the rd class Wed Jan You can miss out of the scheduled classes without giving a reason After that each unexcused absence will be penalized th of points i e point up to a maximum of points You must be present for midterm or final and it would be extremely bad form to be absent for the days of your team s presentation Participation of course grade The participation score will be based on your contribution to the team project and to class discussions Many intelligent contributions to class discussions bring higher score A range of contributions will be deemed adequate so you need not worry if you are just the quiet sort however gross failure to participate in the team effort will be penalized S o c i 2 5 0 S o c i o l o g i c a l T h e o ry Team Project of course grade Early in the semester you will be assigned to one of or teams of or students each Each team will be responsible for preparing a summary presentation and leading class discussions of the readings for two periods of a given week Each team will be responsible for two class periods typically Mon and Wed In addition each team will draft multiple choice questions on the materials they covered