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Spring 2008 I. Course ObjectivesThis course is designed to introduce students to some fundamental issues that sociological theory is preoccupied with. The emphasis in the course will be upon textual interpretation of original works by sociology founders. Hence, students will be asked to analyze the text by explaining the author's main points, and how they are connected. Students will also be asked to provide critiques of the author's arguments by applying them to the analysis of the everyday life. The objectives of the course are as follows: 1. To familiarize students with the original works of some of the sociological thinkers; 2. To explore the socio-historical and intellectual context within which sociological theory is developed; 3. To compare, contrast and critically assess the ideas of some of the major contemporary thinkers as well as their applicability to analysis of selected contemporary issues. II. Required Texts
III. Course Requirements
Each class will begin with a lecture that will provide an overview of readings assigned for the class. The lecture will be followed by class discussion. Each student is expected to participate in the discussion of each week's readings. Therefore reading assignments should be completed by the date scheduled on the class calendar. University guidelines expect students to spend about 1.5-2.0 hours preparation for every 1 hour of class time; for our course this means 4.5--6 hours preparation per week. I will limit readings to 30-40-pages on average per 3 hour session. Attendance is REQUIRED, because during the lectures material will be presented which will not be covered in the readings. Lecture contents will be included in take-home essay assignments. Surveys show that students who miss classes have double rate of failure in sociology courses comparing to those students who have not missed a class in the course.
The will be 15 quizzes during the course–one for each class of the semester. Quizzes will consist of 3 multiple choice questions that will cover the readings assigned for that particular class. Each quiz will be worth 4 points. Quizzes will account for 15% of your grade. Unless the student was ill, which is documented by the note from Student Health Services, or missed an exam upon authorization by the Office of the Provost and/or his or her designee there will be no make-up quizzes or exams. For ECU policy on university-excused absences see ECU 2007-2008 Undergraduate Catalog, pp. 57-58 ( http://www.ecu.edu/cs-acad/aa/ugcatalog.cfm ) (http://www.ecu.edu/cs-acad/aa/ugcatalog.cfm)In order to be eligible for make-up quiz or exam, the student should contact an instructor within 10 (ten) university working days following the excused absence from the class. No make-up assignment will be provided following the 10th university working day of a missed quiz or exam. All make-up quizzes and exams will be in essay format only. This will allow the instructor to thoroughly test the knowledge of materials covered in missed classes.
This course is focused on development of the critical thinking skills by engaging in textual analysis of the original sociological works. Critical analysis of the text is completed when you are able to articulate the following 7 points: 1. Major aim/Problematic:
2. Basic Concepts:
3. Major Propositions/Theories:
4. Hypotheses:
5. Methods Used and Advocated
6. Science and Ideology:
7. Assessment:
In sum, once you are done reading the text assigned for that day’s class, ask yourself–Can you describe to your classmate or friend in 3 sentences (or less) what was the purpose this writing? What was the explanation or hypothesis developed by the author and how well the author did substantiate his/her argument? If you have trouble defining this, then you need to further study the text.
There will be 3 exams in the course. They will be held on during regular class hours on February 5th, February 28th, and April 1st. Exams will be comprised of 3-4 short essay type questions. Study question guide will be made available to students about a week - week and a half before an exam.
Students will write about 8-10 pages (double spaced) final paper on a topic assigned by the professor. The essay will consist of answers to set of two or three questions provided to students by the instructor 1½ - 2 weeks in advance. Answer into each question should be about 2 - 2.5 pages long. Papers should be typed using word processor. Hand written papers will not be accepted. The paper is due on the last day of class, April 24th. Failure to turn in essay on time will result in a 20% grade reduction penalty. The purpose of the essays is to present textual analysis of the works assigned for the class. This means that the paper should be based on analyses of the original texts assigned for class. The use of secondary sources (e.g., books written on theorists by other authors) in the paper is strongly discouraged. In other words, in the paper you should present an analysis of Marx’s or Weber’s thoughts on the subject and not what other authors have written about these two theorists’ ideas. Papers that use secondary authors as their primary source for analysis will not be accepted. Attached to the paper should be a list of references used. The citations and references format should follow the format of the American Sociological Review (See any recent issue of ASR). Students are strongly urged to consult Writing Sociology Papers by The Sociology Writing Group. This short work gives a great deal of practical, useful advice on how to organize and write an analytical paper. A copy of this book is available in the Library for your convenience. Here is an example of the questions that you might be asked write on in your take-home essays: Marx and Weber disagree on importance of ideas and ideologies in shaping history. Describe how, according to Marx, ideas are produced, and whose ideas and why became predominant in each epoch? Compare this Marxian interpretation with Weber’s account of the rise of ideas (e.g., spirit of capitalism). In your opinion, which interpretation, that of Marx or of Weber, is more accurate in describing of the role of ideas and ideologies in shaping history?
IV. Grading
V. Grading Scale
VI. Course Schedule: by Dates, Topics and Reading Assignments1 Week: The Sociological Perspective: An Introduction
I. Durkheimian Sociology: Social Solidarity Defines Society 1 Week: Durkheim’s Suicide
2 Week: Durkheim’s Suicide
3 Week: Durkheim’s Suicide
4 Week: Durkheim’s Suicide
5 Week: Marxism
6 Week: Marxism
7 Week: Marxism
III. Weberian Sociology: Ideas/Meaning Define Society 8 Week: Weber’s Interpretive Sociology.
.9 Week: No Classes
10 Week: Weber’s Interpretive Sociology.
11 Week: Weber’s Interpretive Sociology.
IV: de Botton’s Status anxiety and phenomenology of everyday life 12 Week: Status Anxiety
13 Week: Status Anxiety
14 Week: Status Anxiety:
15 Week: Status Anxiety
East Carolina University is committed to equality of educational opportunity and does not discriminate against applicants, students, or employees based on race, color, national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, or disability. East Carolina University seeks to fully comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Students requesting accommodation based on a covered disability must go to the Department for Disability Support Services, located in Slay 138, to verify the disability before any accommodations can occur. The phone number is (252) 737-1016. Department Evacuation Drills If fire alarm is activated students should leave the classroom immediately for the sidewalk in front of the TKE fraternity house (next to the music building). Do not use elevators. If there is no room in that area, the class will meet in front of the Newman Center. The roll will be taken to account for all of students.
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