Social Theory Palmer 131C/Ext Sociology 334 Blocks 1-2/Fall 2009

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1 Social Theory Palmer 131C/Ext Sociology 334 Blocks 1-2/Fall 2009 Colorado College Jeff Livesay The purpose of sociological theorizing may be summarized as the examination of the principles that shape the structure of society, program its integration or its conflicts, and regulate its objective development and its image of itself and its future. Claus Offe Social theory is a basic survival skill. If not pleasure, there must at least be some satisfaction in knowing and being able to describe one s place in the world. If you cannot say it, how can you deal with it? Social theory is about the mundane and the concealed those hidden aspects of social life we sometimes encounter in the ordinary course of daily life. We don t always see them, thus we aren t always in a position to speak of them, for at least the following reasons: 1) the powers-that-be want them concealed, 2) either the empowered or the weak may resist talking about them because they are too threatening, or 3) people need time and experience to learn how to put into words the reality they live with (but not everyone has the time to do this). Social theory is what we do when we find ourselves able to put into words what nobody seems to want to talk about. When we find those words, and say them, we begin to survive. For some, learning to survive leads to uncommon and exhilarating pleasures. For others, perhaps the greater number of us, it leads to at least the common pleasure a pleasure rubbed raw with what is: the simple but necessary power of knowing that one knows what is there because one can say it. Charles Lemert This course will introduce you to some of the most important conceptual frameworks used to make sense of social life. Block 1 will focus on the 19 th and early 20 th century French and German thinkers who have been canonized as the founders of the discipline of sociology Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, Max Weber, and Georg Simmel. In Block 2 we will study two theoretical perspectives that emerged in the United States the functionalist approach of Talcott Parsons and Robert Merton and the symbolic interactionism of George Herbert Mead and Herbert Blumer. We will then consider critical theory the attempt to blend the insights of Marx, Weber, and Freud into a critique of the advanced industrial societies of the late 20 th century and its foremost contemporary representative, Jurgen Habermas. In addition, we will read three feminist theorists Nancy Chodorow, Judith Butler, and Nancy Fraser and discuss the relationship between feminist theory and critical theory. Next we will read the works of two thinkers Anthony Giddens and Pierre Bourdieu who have tried to overcome the division between objectivist (structural) and subjectivist (cultural) approaches to the analysis of social life. We will end the course with readings from Giddens, Zygmunt Bauman, and Manuel Castells attempting to understand the new forms of social organization coming into existence in the 21 st century. Learning Objectives Students will: Understand the origins of sociology in the intersection of revolutionary upheaval and conservative reaction that characterized 19 th century Europe.

2 Appreciate the importance of theory in illuminating and making sense of the social world. Gain a working knowledge of the ideas of the founders of sociology through the reading of primary texts. Learn to identify the relative strengths and weaknesses of different theoretical approaches. Develop your tastes in social theory and an ability to explain and defend the reasons for your preferences. Develop an ability to apply social theory in order to make sense of the contemporary world. Practice writing and speaking about social theory in clear and concise ways. Required Texts The following required text is available at the Colorado College Bookstore: Craig Calhoun et al. (eds.), Classical Sociological Theory (2 nd edition, 2007) Additional course readings are available on PROWL, and they are indicated on the syllabus by (P). Course Requirements and Evaluation 1. Class preparation, attendance, and participation 10% of grade It is absolutely essential that you come to class having done the night s assigned reading. Much of the course reading comes from primary sources, and many of them are difficult to comprehend after only a cursory reading. Take notes on the readings. Outline the author s arguments. Use a dictionary to look up unfamiliar terms. Identify quotes you think are crucial and those you think may be important but don t fully understand. Our time in class will be devoted not only to making sense of these texts together, but also to understanding their contemporary relevance. We can get to the latter theme more quickly if you ve read thoroughly and seriously. I of course expect you to attend class regularly and to participate actively in class discussions. The quality of this class will depend to a great extent on your willingness to engage the readings and your peers in class. 2. Concept application papers 50% of grade I will be asking you to write six essays over the course of these two blocks in which you apply a concept from Marx, Durkheim, Weber, functionalism, symbolic interactionism, and critical theory to contemporary events or conditions. Pay attention to media items about issues that can either illustrate or be illuminated by a concept utilized by these theories. In each essay you should a) concisely define the concept and summarize how it fits within a larger theoretical framework, b) provide a brief statement of the contemporary event or condition that you will analyze, and then c) explain how the concept is helpful in making sense of the contemporary item or how that item is a powerful illustration of the theoretical concept. You may choose different contemporary issues to analyze in each of your essays, or

3 you may use your essays to illustrate how these theories would analyze the same issue differently. You might find it useful to use an issue related to your senior thesis project as the point of reference for these essays. The maximum length of each of these essays should be three typed pages. Be prepared to give a brief (not more than 10 minutes) presentation of your essay in class on the day that it is due. We will devote three days each block to these presentations and to discussions about the relevance of these theorists ideas to the present world. Each student will present once to the class. Each essay grade will count for 7% of your course grade, and your presentation will count an additional 8%. 3. Exam 40% of grade There will be one take-home essay exam due at noon on the final day of Block 1 (Wednesday, September 23) and a group oral exam on the final day of Block 2 (Wednesday, October 21). Monday, August 31: Introduction: What Is Theory? Tuesday, September 1: Enlightenment and Revolution Craig Calhoun et al., Classical Sociological Theory, pp and Irving M. Zeitlin, The Enlightenment: Philosophical Foundations, Montesquieu, and Rousseau in Ideology and the Development of Sociological Theory, pp (P) Immanuel Kant, What Is Enlightenment? (1784) in Calhoun, Classical Sociological Theory, pp Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations (1776) in Calhoun, Classical Sociological Theory, pp Wednesday, September 2: Conservative and Positivist Reactions Zeitlin, The Romantic-Conservative Reaction, Bonald and Maistre, Saint-Simon, and Auguste Comte, Ideology and the Development of Sociological Theory, pp (P) Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America (1835) in Calhoun, Classical Sociological Theory, pp Thursday, September 3: Marx: Alienation and Historical Materialism Lewis Coser, Karl Marx, Masters of Sociological Thought, pp (P) Calhoun, Classical Sociological Theory, pp

4 Karl Marx, A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy (1859), Theses on Feuerbach (1845), and The Power of Money in Bourgeois Society (1844) in The Marx-Engels Reader (Tucker, ed.), pp. 4-5, , and (P) Friday, September 4: Marx: Capitalism and Commodities Calhoun, Classical Sociological Theory, pp and Marx, Commodities, Division of Labour in Manufacture, and Division of Labour in Society, and The Fetishism of Commodities and the Secret Thereof (1867) in The Marx-Engels Reader (Tucker, ed.), pp , , and (P) Monday, September 7: Marx: History and Class Struggle Calhoun, Classical Sociological Theory, pp and 130. Marx, Progressive Production of a Relative Surplus-Population or Industrial Reserve Army (1867) and Friedrich Engels, Socialism: Utopian and Scientific (1880) in The Marx-Engels Reader (Tucker, ed.), pp and (P) Tuesday, September 8: Applications of Marxist Theory Due Student Presentations Wednesday, September 9: Durkheim: Morality and Solidarity Coser, Emile Durkheim, Masters of Sociological Thought, pp (P) Calhoun, Classical Sociological Theory, pp and Emile Durkheim, The Decline of Mechanical Solidarity and Emergence of Moral Individualism, The Problem of Anomie, and The Forced Division of Labor (1893) in Emile Durkheim: Selected Writings (Giddens, ed.), pp and (P) Thursday, September 10: Durkheim: Sociological Method and Suuicide Calhoun, Classical Sociological Theory, pp and Durkheim, Emergent Properties (1895) in Emile Durkheim: Selected Writings (Giddens, ed.), pp (P) Durkheim, Suicide: A Study in Sociology (1897), pp (P) Friday, September 11: Durkheim: Sociology of Knowledge and Religion Calhoun, Classical Sociological Theory, pp

5 Durkheim, From The Elementary Forms of Religious Life (1912) in Emile Durkheim: Sociologist of Modernity (Emirbayer, ed.), pp (P) Durkheim, The Conception of Religion, The Genesis of Religious Phenomena, The Development of Christianity, and The Persistence of Religion (1912) in Emile Durkheim: Selected Writings (Giddens, ed.), pp and (P) Durkheim, Individualism and the Intellectuals (1898) in Emile Durkheim on Morality (Bellah, ed.), pp (P) Monday, September 14: Applications of Durkheimian Theory Due Student Presentations Tuesday, September 15: Weber: Social Action and the Protestant Ethic Coser, Max Weber, Masters of Sociological Thought, pp (P) Calhoun, Classical Sociological Theory, pp Max Weber, Politics as a Vocation (1918) in From Max Weber: Essays in Sociology (Gerth and Mills, eds.), pp (P) Weber, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism ( ), pp (P) Wednesday, September 16: Weber: Power and Legitimation Calhoun, Classical Sociological Theory, pp Thursday, September 17: Weber: Rationalization and Capitalism Weber, The Rationalization of Western Civilization (1920) in Max Weber: Readings and Commentary on Modernity (Kalberg, ed.), pp (P) Calhoun, Classical Sociological Theory, pp Friday, September 18: Applications of Weberian Theory Due Student Presentations Monday, September 21: Simmel: Modernity and the Self Coser, Georg Simmel, Masters of Sociological Thought, pp (P) Georg Simmel, The Metropolis and Mental Life (1903) in The Sociology of Georg Simmel (Wolff, ed.), pp (P) Simmel, Money in Modern Culture (1896) in Theory, Culture & Society, vol. 8 (1991),

6 pp (P) Tuesday, September 22: Simmel: Social Forms and Social Types Simmel, The Stranger (1908) in Calhoun, Classical Sociological Theory, pp Simmel, Fashion (1904) and Flirtation (1909) in Social Theory: Roots and Branches (Kivisto, ed.), pp and (P) Wednesday, September 23: No Class: Take-Home Exam Essay Due Monday, September 28: Functionalism: Parsons Jonathan Turner, The Emergence of Functionalism and The Analytical Functionalism of Talcott Parsons, The Structure of Sociological Theory, pp (P) Talcott Parsons, American Values and American Society (1977) and The Pattern Variables (1951) in Talcott Parsons on Institutions and Social Evolution (Mayhew, ed.), pp and (P) Talcott Parsons, The School Class as a Social System: Some of Its Functions in American Society (1959), Social Structure and Personality, pp (P) Tuesday, September 29: Merton, Functional Consequences & Social Mechanisms Robert Merton, Manifest and Latent Functions (1949) and On Sociological Theories of the Middle Range (1949) in Calhoun, Classical Sociological Theory, pp Peter Hedstrom and Richard Swedberg, Social Mechanisms: An Introductory Essay, Social Mechanisms: An Analytical Approach to Social Theory (1998), pp (P) Wednesday, September 30: Applications of Functionalism Due Student Presentations Thursday, October 1: No Class Friday, October 2: Interpretive Theories: Mind and Self Herbert Blumer, The Methodological Position of Symbolic Interactionism (1969), Symbolic Interactionism: Perspective and Method, pp (P) George Herbert Mead, The Self (1934) in Calhoun, Classical Sociological Theory, pp

7 Erving Goffman, The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life (1959) in Contemporary Sociological Theory (Calhoun, ed.), pp (P) Monday, October 5: Interpretive Theories: Society Peter Berger and Thomas Luckmann, The Social Construction of Reality (1966) in Contemporary Sociological Theory (Calhoun, ed.), pp (P) Charles Taylor, Interpretation and the Sciences of Man in Understanding and Social Inquiry (Dallmayr and McCarthy, eds.), pp (P) Mead, Mind, Self and Society (1934), pp , , , and (P) Tuesday, October 6: Applications of Interpretive Theories Due Student Presentations Wednesday, October 7: No Class Thursday, October 8: Critical Theory Calhoun, Classical Sociological Theory, pp Zygmunt Bauman, Critical Theory (1991) in The Bauman Reader (Beilharz, ed.), pp (P) Karl Mannheim, Ideology and Utopia (1929) in Calhoun, Classical Sociological Theory, pp David Held, Interests, Knowledge and Action, Introduction to Critical Theory: Horkheimer to Habermas, pp (P) Friday, October 9: Critical Theory: Habermas Steven Seidman, Introduction, Jurgen Habermas on Society and Politics: A Reader, pp (P) Jurgen Habermas, The Uncoupling of System and Lifeworld (1987) in Jurgen Habermas on Society and Politics (Seidman, ed.), pp (P) Habermas, Civil Society and the Political Public Sphere (1996) in Contemporary Sociological Theory (Calhoun, ed.), pp (P) Monday, October 12: Feminist Theories as Critical Theories Nancy Chodorow, Family Structure and Feminine Personality (1974) in Women, Culture, and Society (Rosaldo and Lamphere, eds.), pp (P)

8 Judith Butler, Imitation and Gender Subordination (1991) in Inside/Out: Lesbian Theories, Gay Theories (Fuss, ed.), pp (P) Nancy Fraser, From Redistribution to Recognition? Dilemmas of Justice in a Post- Socialist Age (1996), Justice Interruptus: Critical Reflections on the Postsocialist Condition, pp (P) Tuesday, October 13: Applications of Critical Theory Due Student Presentations Wednesday, October 14: Giddens: Structuration Theory Anthony Giddens, The Production and Reproduction of Social Life (1976), The Concept of Structure (1979), and Structuration Theory and Empirical Research (1984) in The Giddens Reader (Cassell, ed.), pp and (P) Thursday, October 15: Bourdieu: Fields, Habitus and Capital Pierre Bourdieu, Social Space and Symbolic Space (1991) and Structures, Habitus, Practices (1990) in Contemporary Sociological Theory (Calhoun, ed.), pp (P) Bourdieu, The Forms of Capital (1983) in The Sociology of Economic Life (Granovetter and Swedberg, eds.), pp (P) Friday, October 16: Giddens on Late Modernity Giddens, The Nature of Modernity, Utopian Realism, and Emancipatory and Life Politics ( ) in The Giddens Reader (Cassell, ed.), pp and (P) Monday, October 19: Bauman on Modernity, Postmodernity and Liquid Modernity Zygmunt Bauman, Gamekeepers Turned Gardeners (1987) in The Bauman Reader (Beilharz, ed.), pp (P) Bauman, A Sociological Theory of Postmodernity (1991), Intimations of Postmodernity, pp (P) Bauman, On Glocalization: Or Globalization for Some, Localization for Some Others (1998) in The Bauman Reader (Beilharz, ed.), pp (P) Bauman, On Being Light and Liquid (2000), Liquid Modernity, pp (P) Bauman, Critique privatized and disarmed (2001), The Individualized Society, pp (P)

9 Tuesday, October 20: Castells on the Information Age Manuel Castells, Materials for an Exploratory Theory of the Network Society, British Journal of Sociology (2000), pp (P) Castells, Communal Heavens: Identity and Meaning in the Network Society, The Power of Identity (The Information Age: Economy, Society and Culture, Vol. 2) (2004), pp and (P) Wednesday, October 21: Group Oral Final Exam