ISS 210 Society and the Individual Section 10 Yoganand Sinha 346 Baker Hall Office Hours F 3 00 5 00 Phone 353 9486 Description Social scientists and philosophers have debated the nature of the relationship between society and the individual for many years Of course no definitive consensus has been reached but many competing models to explain this relationship have been generated This course will explore five models for understanding society It is important to keep in mind that each model developed independently of each other and therefore they do not necessarily agree with each other However each model has influence the way social scientists think about society today During the course of this semester we will explore the cultural evolutionary approach to society the psychological and sociobiological approach the functionalist approach the symbolic approach and finally we will explain the political economic model of society as formulated by K Marx The student is encouraged to think about each of these approaches and to draw their own conclusions about which one is most compelling Required Reading 1 Freud Totem and Taboo 2 Lansing Priests and Programmers 3 Miller Bhagavad Gita 4 Marx The Communist Manifesto Evaluation There will be two tests worth 30 points each In addition there will be a cumulative final worth 40 points for a total of 100 points There will also be extra credit assignments to be announced in class Such extra credit assignments cannot be made up If you wish to contest your grade on an extra credit assignment you must do so within a week after the assignment is handed back Make up tests may be permitted only for documented medical reasons or family emergencies You must advise me in advance of the scheduled test if you want to do a make up 90 100 4 0 85 89 3 5 80 84 3 0 75 79 2 5 70 74 2 0 65 69 1 5 60 64 1 0 60 0 0 0 Tentative Class Schedule Week One 9 1 Introduction The nature of the Social Sciences and Epistemology Week Two 9 8 Introduction to Cultural Evolution Week Three 9 13 Cultural Evolution continued Week Four 9 20 The Psychological Approach to Society read Freud Week Five 9 27 Psychology continued Sociobiology Test Week Six 10 4 Functionalism and Durkheim Week Seven 10 11 Functionalism continued Malinowski Week Eight 10 18 Radcliff Brown read Lansing Week Nine 10 25 Lansing and the Holy Water Religion Week Ten 11 1 Marx and Historical Materialism read Marx Test Week Eleven 11 8 Marx continued Week Twelve 11 15 Marx continued Week Thirteen 11 22 Symbolic Anthropology read the Gita Week Fourteen 11 29 Symbolic Anthropology continued Week Fifteen 12 6 The Gita Review for the final Final 12 14 5 45 7 45 P M
View Full Document
Unlocking...