Sociology 270A Section 2
Foundations of
Social Theory
University of
Western
SSC 3028,
Monday 10-12, Wednesday 10-11
Dr. Doug Mann,
SSC 5320
This
course will deal with the foundations of social theory, starting with the
French and Scottish Enlightenments, moving on to Durkheim’s
organic view of society, then to Marx’s dialectic materialism, finishing with
Weber and Simmel’s multi-faceted views of society.
We’ll try to understand their theories not just as historical relics, but as
living sets of ideas relevant to contemporary social issues.
Texts
Craib, Ian (1997). Classical Social Theory.
Karl Marx &
Frederick Engels (1978). The Marx-Engels Reader. Second edition. Ed. Robert C. Tucker. NY: Norton.
Mann,
Doug ed. (2004).
Classical Social Theory
Reader (courseware).
Workload
Quizzes:
7% each, 28% total (best 4 out of 5, about every 2 weeks, no rewrites for any
reason - see Policies for details on the quizzes and the participation bonus)
Report
(due November 29): 22%
Final
Exam (2 hours): 50%
Schedule
Each
unit of the course represents approximately one week of lectures, though there
will be considerable overlap. The months listed are approximate.
Part I: The Origins of Social
Theory (September)
1. The Basic
Concepts of Social Theory and the Enlightenment Origins of Sociology
2.
Historical Progress in Early French Social Theory: Condorcet
and Comte
q Notes on Condorcet’s Ten
Stages of History in courseware.
q Craib pp. 23-26.
q Comte Cartoons in Richard Osborne, Philosophy for Beginners (NY:
Writers & Reader, 1992), pp. 134-135.
3. The
Scottish Enlightenment on Property and Social Structure
q Adam Ferguson, An Essay on the History of Civil Society, 1767,
selections on rude nations & property, subordination, and the division of
labour: Part 2 Sections II & III, 3.II, 4.I, 4.II.
q Alan Swingewood, “Origins of Sociology: The
Case of the Scottish Enlightenment,” British Journal of Sociology 21
(1970): 164-180.
q Notes on the Scottish Enlightenment in courseware.
Part II: Durkheim
(late September/early October)
4. Durkheim on Social Facts and Suicide
5. Durkheim on Solidarity, Religion and Politics
Part
III: Marx (October)
6. Marx’s
Historical Materialism
q Karl Marx, Preface to a Contribution to a Critique of Political
Economy, Tucker pp. 3-6.
q Karl Marx, Capital Volume
I: Prefaces etc., Tucker pp. 294-302.
q Frederick Engels, Letters on Historical Materialism, Tucker pp. 760-768.
q Craib Chapter 4, pp. 35-42.
7. Marx
on Alienation and the Economics of Capitalism (heavy readings!)
q Karl Marx, Capital Volume
I in Tucker: commodities, pp. 302-313; the fetishism of commodities, pp.
319-329; the buying and selling of labour power, pp. 336-343; the labour
process and surplus value, pp. 344-361; the industrial reserve army, pp.
422-431.
q Craib Chapter 8, pp. 86-104.
8. Marx
on Ideology and the Family
q Craib Chapter Chapter
8, pp. 105-118.
9. Marx
on the Stages of History
q Karl Marx, Capital Volume III in Tucker: Necessity and freedom,
pp. 439-441; classes, pp. 441-442.
q Craib Chapter 12, pp. 201-231.
Part IV: Weber and Simmel (November &
December)
10.
Weber’s Verstehen Methodology (short lecture)
11. Weber
on Classes, Groups, Legitimacy and Authority
12. Weber
on Religion
q Craib Chapter 13, pp. 232-260 (concentrate on
232-238, 248-260).
13. Simmel on Money, Relationships, Social Types and Groups
(time permitting)
Reading q Craib Chapters 6 and 10, pp. 53-57, 146-181.
Reports
Write a two-page (typed/word processed) report using one of the
sociological theories we’ve studied in the course to analyse a contemporary
social, political, economic or cultural issue. It must be 2 pages long, 11-12
point font, from 600-700 words, or I will deduct marks
for it being too short or too long (probably 2% per extra line). It’s worth 22%
of your grade. Due November 29. Late penalty=5% per
day. If you go over the two pages, hand in your report on a floppy disk so I
can check the word count (your bibliography and name don’t count!).
Structure: Write it like an
opinion article or editorial for a newspaper. Get to the point as quickly as
you can, and state your own point of view in the first few sentences (read an
opinion piece in the Globe and Mail,
The point of the report is
to get to you (a) quickly summarize the sociological theory you’re applying, and
(b) apply that theory in a critical way to the social problem you’ve chosen to
write on (though not especially in that order). You can do both at the same
time if you like, introducing theoretical ideas as you discuss your topic. Here
are some suggestions for possible topics:
·Analyze a
modern mass medium – TV, film, the Internet – in terms of whether it would fit Condorcet’s model of intellectual progress and
enlightenment.
·What would
·Would the
Scots say that we still live in a society with a “commercial” form of property?
·What type of
depression and suicide dominates modern society, using Durkheim’s
typology? Discuss a specific case study.
·Is the modern
university a case of Durkheim’s organic solidarity?
·Choose some
specific organization and show how Durkheim’s
collective conscience has either succeeded or failed in holding it together
e.g. the Catholic Church or a political party.
·Choose a specific
job and apply Marx’s theory of alienation to it.
·Apply Marx’s
theory of the fetishism of commodities to a specific consumer good - cars, cell
phones, computers, a fashion item (e.g. branded baseball caps), etc.
·Is Marx right
that religion is the opium of the masses which suppresses critical thought?
·Apply Marx’s
notion of ideology to a specific class-based political or social belief e.g.
the need to cut the deficit, the privatization of health care, or the value of
unions.
·Is capitalism
the final stage of history? Should we expect another one in the West?
·Analyse a
specific government or political leader in terms of Weber’s distinction between
traditional, charismatic and legal/rational authority e.g. George Bush, Yasser Arafat, Paul Martin or Tony Blair.
·Apply Weber’s
theory of bureaucracy to a specific real-world example e.g. UWO.
·Has the
ascetic element disappeared from modern capitalism? Focus on a specific
capitalist or company e.g. Bill Gates, Martha Stewart or Enron.
·Does Simmel’s theory of money explain how consumerism works
today?
·Use Simmel’s theory of social types to characterize a celebrity
or political leader.
Since your article has to be fairly short, in all the above cases you can
narrow your topic down even further. See my notes at http://publish.uwo.ca/~dmann/good_papers_soc.htm
for some additional hints on how to write your report. Remember, get to the
point quickly, and edit… edit… edit! And don’t hide your position on the issue
at hand – state it clearly. You’ll be graded on (a) your ability to express
yourself clearly, (b) your ability to come to grips with the social theory
you’ve chosen to apply, and (c) your creativity in actually applying that
theory to the issue you’ve chosen to write on.
Policies
Quizzes
There will be 5 quizzes,
of which only 4 will count. The main purpose of the extra quiz is to cover ALL
reasons for missing a class, including a brief illness, travel, work in other courses,
sleeping in, tornadoes, earthquakes, etc. IF you do write all 5 quizzes, I’ll
count your top 5 marks. Each quiz will consist of a mixture of up to a dozen
multi-choice and/or short answer questions – I’ll probably poll the class
throughout the term to see which format the majority prefers. There are no
rewrites for any reason: don’t intentionally miss a quiz early on the
assumption you can make it up later. In the exceptional case of someone who is
sick (with a doctor’s note as proof) for a month or more, I may offer them an
alternative assignment – probably a short paper, but not a quiz – to make up
one or two quizzes. But only in exceptional cases!
Participation Bonus
At the end of the term
I’ll give out a bonus of 1-3% to the five or six students who most regularly
attend class and participate in class discussions. Naturally, I’ll have to know
who you are to give you this bonus! If you miss more than two or three classes,
you’re off the bonus list.
Class
Attendance and Behaviour
All announcements having to do with
quiz and exam content and any changes in the course materials will be given
during class. You’ll be tested in part on the lecture materials and class
discussions. It’s up to you to make sure you keep up to date on such things by attending
class - there won’t be any notes posted on the web or extensive
end-of-class review to help out systematic truants. Please don’t ask me for
copies of class notes for missed classes - find a friend to partner up with to
cover these classes. If not having access to web-posted notes or attending
class regularly is a problem for you, please drop this course. Also, please keep the background chatter down
during lectures and presentations out of respect for both me and for those of
your classmates who wish to listen to the lecture or participate in
class discussions.
E-Mails
I would like to conduct as much of
class business as possible in person to avoid misunderstandings and to reduce
the ever-worsening problem of e-mail congestion. Please don’t email me complex
questions about the content of the course, including details of missed lectures
– it’s far more effective and pleasant if you come to speak to me in person
about this sort of thing (you can e-mail me to make an appointment of course!).
Also, I reserve the right to not reply to e-mail questions or complaints
concerning grades or requests for extensions on assignments - once again,
present these in person! The same standards of civility apply to electronic
communication as apply to personal conversations or letters. If I receive a
rude or impolite e-mail I will ignore it blacklist your e-mail address. In
short, please don’t rely on e-mail for any communication you think is important
- e-mails are often a poor replacement for direct verbal communication and can
lead to serious miscommunication and bad feelings.
Plagiarism
Here’s the official word: “Plagiarism:
Students must write their essays and assignments in their own words. Whenever
students take an idea, or a passage from another author, they must acknowledge
their debt both by using quotation marks where appropriate and by proper
referencing such as footnotes or citations. Plagiarism is a major academic
offence (see Scholastic Offence Policy in the Western Academic Calendar). The