Sociological Perspectives - Theory Section



Sociological Perspectives

MWF: 2:10-3:00

Instructor: Richard Lloyd

Office: Garland 201-D

Office Phone: 322-7515

E-Mail: r.d.lloyd@vanderbilt.edu

Office Hours: MW 3-5

TA:

TA E-Mail:

TA Office Hours:

TA Office: Garland 321-F

Required Texts:

Du Bois, W.E.B.. 2008. The Souls of Black Folk New York: Oxford University Press

Durkheim, Emile. 1997. The Division of Labor in Society New York: The Free Press

Freud, Sigmund. 2005. Civilization and Its Discontents New York: WW Norton

Marx, Karl. 1998. The Communist Manifesto New York: Signet.

Weber, Max. 2003. The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism New York: Dover

Course Description:

The discipline of sociology came into being as a consequence of tremendous social and intellectual upheaval, in Europe and progressively the world over. Old categories of experience were revolutionized by new social forces, requiring new modes of social inquiry and understanding in response. This transformation, imprinted upon the structures, practices and ideologies of social life, is typically characterized as modernity (a periodizing concept that has roots extending back some 500 years, but the effects of which have emerged as inexorable over the past two centuries, in the West and around the globe). The classical tradition of sociological inquiry, particularly as manifest in the canonical triumvirate of Karl Marx, Max Weber and Emile Durkheim, in fact takes as its defining object the problem of modernity; seeking to capture its origins, define its central features, and map its perils and possibilities.

Among the dramatic changes reshaping the social landscape during this period are: the explosive growth of the metropolis; the industrial revolution; political and economic revolutions in which aristocracy and feudalism gives way to new forms of liberal democracy and market economics; corresponding reconstitution of social hierarchies, with class usurping caste bases of stratification; advances in technologies of transportation and communication; the rise of science and technology, challenging the traditional monopoly of the church over the means of legitimate explanation; new organizational forms governed by principles of formal rationality; and the progressive advance of a capitalist world market. This modern world distinguishes itself from traditional modes of social organization most especially by its startling dynamism – it is a world of continual flux, disintegration and renewal -- of what the economist Joseph Schumpeter refers to as “creative destruction.” The task of the social scientist may be said then to derive the deeper logic governing social organization beneath this chaotic and increasingly fragmented surface reality, to help bring human beings closer to understanding their real conditions of life and their relations with their kind.

Beginning with the intellectual revolutions of the Enlightenment, posing a new primacy of reason in the pursuit of understanding, freedom and happiness, we will trace various critical engagements with the problems posed by modernity: the opportunities and inequities generated by the capitalist economy; the rise of formal rational systems; the constitution of the modern individual and the relationship between the individual and the social whole; the effect of mass urbanization; and the continuing exclusions of women and racial minorities in the context of emergent democratic societies. We will examine these texts both in the historical context in which they were written and for their ongoing relevance to understanding the contemporary social world.

Course Requirements:

Attendance and Participation: Students are expected to attend regularly and be prepared for class. This means that you should have the reading for each class period completed by the start of that class period. There are no passive consumers allowed: Classroom discussion is a key part of the course and of students’ grades. Everyone should feel comfortable asking questions and debating controversial issues, but it is essential to maintain a respectful manner and be sensitive to the opinions of others.

Short Reflection Essays: This course utilizes primary texts to examine classics of modern social thought, mostly drawn from 19th and early 20th century. The thinkers addressed in this course provide the foundations of the sociological discipline, and continue to inform new inquiry. Engaging their ideas requires close reading of exceedingly rich and complex texts. Each week, students are expected to select a passage from the assigned reading – no more than three or four lines – and reflect on its meaning. Students should indicate what the passage means to them, and how it relates to the overall argument of the text. Finally, students should briefly assess the relevance of the passage to explaining contemporary society – how does this material contribute to our understanding of the world around us? Reflections should be two to three pages in length.

Students are responsible to turn in eight short reflections over the course of the term. Assignments can be turned in after class any time during the week. Only one reflection from a given student will be accepted in a single week. During weeks that exams are due, no reflections will be accepted. They also will not be accepted during the last week of the term. This means that you have ten weeks in which to turn in eight assignments. Don’t get behind, because you cannot catch up once you’ve squandered your two “free” weeks.

Reflections will either receive credit or not, depending on their quality. Acceptable assignments will be judged by the degree to which the student justifies the selected passage and seriously engages it, and to which she addresses all three aspects of the assignment: reflection on the passage itself, relation to the overall argument of the reading, and connection to the contemporary world. Returned papers will have my initials (RDL); this indicates I have recorded it. Hold onto the initialed copy! That way, should we disagree at the end of the term about the quantity or quality of your work you will have hard evidence to support your case.

Midterm Exams: There are two scheduled take-home examinations, comprised of two comprehensive essay questions. Answers to each question are expected to be three to five typed, double-spaced pages (12 point font), for a total of six to ten pages in the total exam. Exams will test on the course readings, films and in-class discussions. The criteria by which essay exams will be graded include demonstration of mastery of the required readings and classroom discussion; factual accuracy; depth and breadth of explanations; clarity; creativity; critical appraisal of ideas; and originality. Exam questions will typically ask for you to make connections among two or more course readings.

Late Exams: Midterms are expected to be turned in at the beginning of class on the days that they are due. Anything afterwards counts as a late exam. Late exams will be downgraded 10 pts, or approximately one letter grade, for every class period they are late.

Final Exam: The Final Exam will be held in-class at the regularly scheduled exam time, and will be comprised of essay questions. Students must bring their own blue books to the exam.

Honor Code: The honor code applies to all class activities, from current events to exams. Any cases of suspected misconduct will be referred to the Honor Council without exception.

Breakdown of Grading:

Attendance/Participation: 5%

Reflections: 10%

Midterms: 30% each

Final Exam: 25%

Schedule of Readings:

Aug 26-28: Sociology and Modernity

Aug 31- Sept. 4: The Enlightenment

Immanuel Kant. “What is Enlightenment?”; Adam Smith, “Of the Division of Labor” “Of the Principle that Gives Rise to the Division of Labor” “That the Division of Labor is Limited by the Extent of the Market”

Sept. 7-11: Capitalism and Estranged Labor

Karl Marx, “Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts” pp. 70-81

Sept 14-18: Historical Materialism

Marx, “The German Ideology” pp. TBA

Sept 21-25: Creative Destruction and the Age of the Bourgeoisie

Marx and Engels, The Communist Manifesto

1st Midterm Handed Out

Sept 28-Oct. 2: Capitalism and Instrumental Rationality

Max Weber, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism Intro, Ch. 1-3 (13-92)

1st Midterm Due

Oct. 5-9: The Iron Cage

Weber, PE Ch. 4-5 (95-183)

Oct 12-14: Power, Rationality and Values

Weber, “Class, Status and Party”; “Science as a Vocation”

Oct. 16: Fall Break

Oct 19-23: Functionalism and the Problem of Social Solidarity

Emile Durkheim, The Division of Labor in Society Introduction, Book One: 1-3, Book Two: 2 (1-87, 200--223)

Oct. 17: Fall Break

Oct 26-30: The Normal and the Pathological

DoL Book Three: 1-2; Conclusion (291-322, 329-341);

Nov 2-6: Modernity, Individuality, and Alienation

Durkheim Suicide “Egoistic Suicide” (152-170); Georg Simmel, “Metropolis and Mental Life”

2nd Midterm Handed Out

Nov 9-13: Civilization and Its Discontents

Freud, Civilization and Its Discontents

2nd Midterm Due

Nov 16-20: Modernity and Identity: Race and Double Consciousness

WEB DuBois, The Souls of Black Folk Ch. 1-4, 6-7, 10

Thanksgiving Break

Nov 30-Dec 4: Modernity and Identity: The Sex-Gender System

Gayle Rubin, “The Traffic in Women”

Dec 7-9: Conclusion

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