The premise of this course is that the most significant ...
Department of Sociology, Spring 2012
Class: Tuesday and Thursday 2:00-3:20 KAP 144
Instructor: Dan Lainer-Vos, lainer-vos@usc.edu
Office Hours: Tuesday 3:20-5:00 or by appointment, KAP 348E
Teaching Assistant: Sean McCarron, smccarro@usc.edu
Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday 3:30-5:00, KAP 355
SOCI 370: Introduction to Sociological Theory
This course provides an introduction to key classical sociological thinking. We will review the writings of Karl Marx, Émile Durkheim, Max Weber. These thinkers, working in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, established sociology as an academic discipline. Living in a period of great economic, political, and social transformations, Marx, Durkheim, and Weber attempted to understand the emerging new social order and the condition of life in modernity. The questions they raised, the problems they identified, and some of their solutions still shape our understanding of society. To get a sense of the way these father figures shaped the sociological tradition we will briefly examine the writings of a few of their prominent disciples: the writings of Heidi Hartman (Marxist feminism), Erving Goffman (a creative development of Durkheim’s writing), and Bryan Turner (a renewed appreciation of Weber’s writings).
Marx, Durkheim, and Weber offer radically different perspectives on what society is, how we can study it, and what sociology should do. Marx’s sociological theory is emancipatory. As such, it claims to speak in the name of certain oppressed groups (in Marx’s case this group is the proletariat, but we will examine other examples, such as Marxist Feminist theory). This point of view is not just a matter of moral principle: Marx believed that society is best understood from the point of view of the oppressed. Moreover, he believed that properly understanding this point of view offers a key for social change. The role of sociology, from this perspective, is not just to understand society, but to fundamentally emancipate it from oppression — hence their name.
Durkheim’s approach to sociology is different. Durkheim attempted to establish sociology after the model of positivist natural sciences. Positivist theoreticians, including Durkheim, do not claim to speak in anybody’s name. They believe their authority to speak derives from scientific expertise. Instead of linking themselves to different groups, they believed that the best view from which to understand society is from above. Only from this perspective, they believed, can objective sociological knowledge be accumulated. Durkheim did not believe in emancipation. To the extent that he was interested in social change, he sought reform rather than revolution. The role of sociology, from this perspective, is to positively apply scientific method toward discovering and describing the rules that govern societies — hence the term “positivism.”
Weber’s sociological approach breaks away from both emancipatory and positivist thought. Weber’s perspective can be described as “critical theory.” Unlike emancipatory theoreticians, Weber does not claim to speak on behalf of any oppressed social group but he does not adopt the positivist point of view from above either. In fact, Weber and other critical theoreticians doubt the very possibility of distanced representation of society. Weber and his followers do not believe in either emancipation (which they characterize as a dream which turned into a nightmare), or in reform (which they characterize as the pragmatism of the mouse on the turning wheel). Disillusioned with the promise of emancipation and positivism, Weber argues that sociology can generate better interpretations of society.
This overly schematic description of the three main sociological approaches that we will explore necessarily hides more than reveals. What is society? What is it made of? What are the dominant relations in society? And how should we study societies? During the semester, we will try to understand Marx, Durkheim and Weber’s answers to these questions.
Course goals
The goal of the course is not to turn you into experts in classical sociology but to introduce you to key sociological concepts and provide you with tools with which to approach and analyze current social issues. To accomplish this, we will discuss in class and in the writing assignments a number of contemporary issues: the economic crisis, facebook, online sharing, the legal battle over the cross in Mojave Desert, Obama’s charisma and more. The ideas and concepts of these classical writers allow us to see these phenomena in different light.
Course Requirements and grading
You must show up to class in a timely manner having already read the materials assigned for that week. There will be two midterm writing assignments (20% each), a final paper (30%) and a final exam (20%). The remaining 10% will be awarded on the basis of class attendance, participation, and short in-class quizzes based on readings. Sometime during the first 6 weeks of the semester, you are required to watch the movie “The Social Network” (even if you watched it before, please borrow it from the library again—the details of the plot are important). The movie will serve as a basis for class discussion.
In the final exam you will be required to define a few concepts and answer 2-3 short questions. For the midterm writing assignments you will define a few concepts, answer short questions and write a short essay (no longer than 7 pages) that explore particular issues in the writings of Marx and Durkheim. The final writing assignment will ask you to write an essay comparing the theories of Marx, Durkheim, and Weber, from a particular angle (no longer than 10 pages). The writing assignments must be uploaded to blackboard by and should be formatted as a word document, 12 size fonts, double spaced and with normal margins.
The essays are your opportunity to construct arguments and defend them based on the readings and on class discussions. Grading the essays will be based on the following criteria: 1) clear statement of the argument of the essay; 2) clarity in the presentation of the relevant theories; 3) critical engagement with the theories; 4) overall readability; 5) originality, logic, and coherence of the argument.
Please make sure to use my office hours. The material covered in this class is more complex than it seems at first reading. If you have problems attending my office hours, we can schedule an alternative time to meet via email.
Statement for Students with Disabilities
Any student requesting academic accommodations based on a disability is required to register with Disability Services and Programs (DSP) each semester. A letter of verification for approved accommodations can be obtained from DSP. Please be sure the letter is delivered to me as early in the semester as possible. DSP is located in STU 301 and is open 8:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The phone number for DSP is (213) 740-0776.
Statement on Academic Integrity
USC seeks to maintain an optimal learning environment. General principles of academic honesty include the concept of respect for the intellectual property of others, the expectation that individual work will be submitted unless otherwise allowed by an instructor, and the obligations both to protect one’s own academic work from misuse by others as well as to avoid using another’s work as one’s own. All students are expected to understand and abide by these principles. Scampus, the Student Guidebook, contains the Student Conduct Code in Section 11.00, while the recommended sanctions are located in Appendix A: . Students will be referred to the Office of Student Judicial Affairs and Community Standards for further review, should there be any suspicion of academic dishonesty. The Review process can be found at: .
Readings:
There are 4 books required for the course. 1) Robert C. Tucker, The Marx-Engels Reader. (New York: W.W. Norton, 1972); 2) Émile Durkheim, The Division of Labor in Society. (N.Y.: The Free Press, 1984 [1893]); 3) Max Weber, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. (N.Y.: Routledge [or any of the editions as long as it is Talcott Parson’s translation]). 4) Max Weber, From Max Weber: Essays in Sociology (Oxford University Press: 1958 [or any of the other editions]) Readings that are not part of these books are marked in the syllabus with an asterisk and are available on blackboard.
Recommended: Anthony Giddens’ Capitalism and Modern Social Theory (Cambridge University Press) is a well deserved classic. It provides a high quality and very easy to follow interpretation of the writings of Marx, Durkheim, and Weber. You are not required to purchase this book but if you find yourself lost, and our office hours seem not to provide a solution (highly unlikely…), this might be a solution of last resort.
Course Outline and Readings
Part I. Emancipatory Theory: Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels and Marxist feminism
Week 1 (January 10, 12): Introduction—what is sociological theory? How should we read theory?
Readings: 1) “Preface to A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy”, The Marx-Engels Reader, pp.3-6.
Week 2 (January 17, 19): The materialist conception of history
Reading: 1) “Contribution to the critique of Hegel’s Philosophy of Right: Introduction”, The Marx-Engels Reader, pp. 53-65.
2) “The German Ideology,” The Marx-Engels Reader, pp.147-163, from the paragraph beginning with “The premises from which we begin…”
Week 3 (January 24, 26): The theory of alienation
Reading: 1) Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts of 1844, “Estranged labor,” The Marx-Engels Reader, pp.70-81.
2) “The Meaning of Human Requirements,” The Marx-Engels Reader pp.93-105.
3) The Holy Family, “Alienation and Social Classes”, The Marx-Engels Reader, pp.133-135.
Week 4 (January 31, February 2): The theory of exploitation and the origins and dynamic of capitalism
Reading: 1) “Wage Labour and Capital,” The Marx-Engels Reader, pp.203-217.
2) The German Ideology, The Marx-Engels Reader, pp.176-186.
Week 5 (February 7, 9): The theory of exploitation (continued)
Reading: 1) Capital Vol. 1, “The general formula for capital,” Marx-Engels Reader, pp. 329-336.
2) Capital Vol. 1, “The labour-process and the process of producing surplus-value,” pp. 344-361.
3) Capital Vol.1, “The so-called Primitive Accumulation,” Marx-Engels Reader, pp.431-438.
Week 6 (February 14, 16): Classes and class struggle
Reading: 1) The Communist Manifesto, The Marx-Engels Reader, pp.473-483
2) Capital Vol.3, “Classes”, The Marx-Engels Reader, pp.441-442.
Mid-term assignment will be distributed in class (February 16)
Week 7 (February 21, 23): The Marxist problem of women and the Social network
Reading: 1) Heidi Hartmann, 1981“The unhappy marriage of Marxism and Feminism,” Pp. 1-42 in Women and the Revolution: a Discussion of the Unhappy Marriage of Marxism and Feminism, edited by Lydia Sargent. Boston: south end Press.*
Mid-term assignment is due in class (February 23).
Part II. Positivist Theory: Émile Durkheim and Erving Goffman
Week 8 (February 28, March 1): The study of social facts and the problem of solidarity
Reading: 1) “What is a Social Fact”, pp. 35-38, 50-59 in The Rules of Sociological Method.*
2) “Rules for the explanation of social facts,” pp. 119-121(until “”having observed human nature”), and 127 (from “But such a method is not applicable”)-135 in The Rules of Sociological Method.*
3) “The problem,” pp. 1-2 (until the end of first paragraph) in The Division of Labor in Society
4) The function of the division of labor, pp. 24 (from “We have not merely”)-29 in The Division of Labor in Society.
Week 9 (March 6, 8): From mechanic to organic solidarity and the problem of anomie
Reading:
1) “Mechanical solidarity, or solidarity by similarities,” pp. 38 (from “The totality”)-41 (until “their original nature); 60-64, in The Division of Labor in Society.
2) “Solidarity arising from the division of labor, or organic solidarity,” pp. 68-71; 83 (from “The first kind”)-86, in The Division of Labor in Society.
3) “The causes, pp. 200-205.
4) The anomic division of labor, 301-308; 311-328.
Week 10 (March 13, 15): Spring recess
Week 11 (March 20, 22): Collective representations and the cult of the individual
Reading: 1) Introduction, pp 3 (from “First of all”)-6; 207-241; 361-367, in The Elementary Forms of Religious Life.*
Week 11 (March 27, 29): The self as a sacred object
Reading: 1) “Individualism and the intellectuals” pp. 43-57 in Emile Durkheim on Morality and Society.*
2) Erving Goffman, “Supportive and Remedial Interchange,” pp. 62-94 in Relations in Public.*
Mid-term assignment will be distributed in class (March 27)
Part II. Critical Theory: Max Weber
Week 12 (April 3, 5): Rationalization and a bit on method
Reading: 1) “Science as a Vocation” pp. 129-156, in From Max Weber, edited by Gerth, H.H. and C Wright Mills. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
2) “The definition of sociology and of social action” pp. 4-26 (selection) in Economy and Society Vol. 1.*
Mid-term assignment due in class (April 5)
Week 13 (April 10, 12): Rationality and Disenchantment
Reading: 1) “The problem,” pp. pp.3-7; in The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism.
2) “The spirit of capitalism,” pp. 13-28 (until “the spirit of capitalism”); 35 (from “Now, how could”)-38, in The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism.
3) “Asceticism and the spirit of capitalism”, pp. 115 (from “This worldly”)-125, in The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism.
Week 14 (April 17, 19): Domination and bureaucracy
Reading: 1) “The types of legitimate domination,” pp. 212-216, in Economy and Society.*
2) “Legal authority with a bureaucratic administrative staff”, 217-221 (until “these fields”), in Economy and Society.*
3) “Traditional authority”, 226-231, in Economy and Society.*
4) “Charismatic authority”, pp. 241-245, in Economy and Society vol. 1.*
5) “The routinization of charisma”, pp. 246-249 (until a number of typical forms); 251 (from “For charisma to be transformed)-254, in Economy and Society.
6) “Bureaucracy,” pp. 196-204 (until “such certificate”), 214 (from “The decisive reason”)-216 (until “special virtue”), 224 (from “In spite”)-226 (until “in fact and in form”; 228-230 (until “rationalized structure”), in From Max Weber.*
Week 15 (April 24, 26): The rationalization of the body
Reading: 1) Bryan S. Turner. 1982. “The government of the body: medical regimens and the rationalization of diet.” British Journal of Sociology 33: 254-269.
Final assignment is distributed (April 24)
May 1: Final assignment is due in KAP 352 at noon.
Final exam: Thursday, May 3rd, 2-4 pm in class!
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