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TRENT UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY SOCIOLOGY 3100H: CONTEMPORARY SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY WINTER TERM 2014-15 SYLLABUS, PETERBOROUGH CAMPUS
Professor Debra M. Clarke 748-1011 Ext. 7862,
[email protected] – include “3100” in the subject line Office Hours: Friday 4-5pm in OC 227, at other times by appointment Workshop Leader: Carley MacKay,
[email protected], OC 220.9, Office Hours: TBA Administrative Assistant: Linda Sweeting,
[email protected], OC 220.1, 748-1011 Ext. 7537
The course is designed to introduce a range of contemporary theories in sociology and social science generally. It presupposes at least a minimal level of familiarity with the key works of classical, and some contemporary, social science or what most students should have attained following their completion of SOCI 2110H. The central agenda is to acquire a solid understanding of various core concepts – such as hegemony, postmodernism, globalization, intersectionality, and the public sphere – as well as basic parameters that are pivotal to contemporary theorizations regarding social reproduction, the everyday lived experience of domination, the meanings of citizenship and the sources of political (dis)engagement, and the prospects of such developments as democratic communication, cohesive political movements, and progressive social change within contemporary neoliberal societies. In the process, we will investigate some of the fundamental dichotomies of sociological theory, such as power versus resistance, agency versus structure, and the material versus the symbolic. A diversity of principal social theorists whose conceptual formulations continue to feed these highly contentious debates – such as Gramsci, Bourdieu, Baudrillard, Habermas, Derrida, and Foucault – will be examined critically, with necessary attention to breadth rather than depth. Prerequisite: 5.0 university credits including SOCI 2110H and at least one other half-credit in Sociology at the 2000 level. Format: A two-hour lecture weekly, Wednesday 2-3:50pm, location TBA. Students can choose between the one-hour offline weekly workshop scheduled Thursday 1-1:50pm in DNA B110.2 or the online workshop at Blackboard. Required Text: Mann, Douglas (2011), Understanding Society: A Survey of Modern Social Theory (second edition). Don Mills, ON: Oxford University Press. Course Topics and Required Readings Note that readings selected to complement the Mann text are subject to change. Students will be advised in class, via e-mail, and/or at the Blackboard site of alternative selections. Week 1 (January 7): INTRODUCTION TO THE COURSE (no required readings or workshops) Week 2 (January 14): INTRODUCTION TO CONTEMPORARY SOCIAL THEORY Mann, Chapter 1.
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Week 3 (January 21): GRAMSCI’S “HEGEMONY” REVISITED, BOURDIEU’S VARIETIES OF CAPITAL Bourdieu, Pierre (1989), “Social space and symbolic power.” Sociological Theory 7 (1): 14-25 (available at Blackboard). Mann, Chapter 3. Recommended Website: www.marxists.org/archive/gramsci/index.htm Week 4 (January 28): HABERMAS’S PUBLIC SPHERE, THE FRANKFURT SCHOOL Mann, Chapter 4. Week 5 (February 4): GIDDENS AND OTHERS: AGENCY VERSUS STRUCTURE Giddens, Anthony (1991), “The emergence of life politics,” Chapter 7 (pp. 209-231) of Giddens, Anthony, Modernity and Self-Identity: Self and Society in the Late Modern Age. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press (BL Reserve). Mann, Chapter 5. Week 6 (February 11): *MID-TERM EXAMINATION* (no workshops this week) [February 16-20: Reading Week] Week 7 (February 25): SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM, STRUCTURALISM, POSTSTRUCTURALISM Mann, Chapters 6 and 7. Week 8 (March 4): CASTELLS, POLITICAL ECONOMY, AND COMMUNICATION Castells, Manuel (2009), “Power in the network society,” Chapter 1 (pp. 10-53) of Castells, Manuel, Communication Power. New York: Oxford University Press (BL Reserve). Mann, Chapter 8. Murdock, Graham (2008), “Reconstructing the ruined tower: Contemporary communications and questions of class.” Studies in Language and Capitalism 11 (3-4): 67-91 (available at Blackboard). *THURSDAY, MARCH 5: UNIVERSITY DEADLINE TO WITHDRAW FROM WINTER TERM COURSES* Week 9 (March 11): WAVES OF FEMINIST THEORY AND PRACTICE Mann, Chapter 10. Recommended Website: www.cddc.vt.edu/feminism/enin.html Week 10 (March 18): GLOBALIZATION AND “THE GLOBAL VILLAGE” *PAPER DUE AT THE LECTURE* Mann, Chapters 11 and 12. Week 11 (March 25): WHO AM I? THEORIES OF SELF AND SOCIETY Mann, Chapter 13.
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Week 12 (April 1): FINAL EXAMINATION REVIEW, COURSE CONCLUSIONS, COURSE EVALUATIONS (no required readings or workshops this week) *FINAL TAKE-HOME EXAMINATION TO BE DISTRIBUTED AND DISCUSSED AT THE LECTURE* *WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15: FINAL TAKE-HOME EXAMINATION DUE*
Course Policies •
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At the lectures, you need to demonstrate a close attention to the discussions and a mature respect for other students who need to be attentive to the discussions. The use of cell phones and other mobile communication devices is prohibited. Laptops used for purposes other than note-taking, ringing cell phones, persistently late arrivals and/or early departures from classes, and other sources of distraction to other students will result in a loss of participation marks. If you choose to be disrespectful or otherwise unpleasant to other students, the workshop leader, and/or myself, participation marks will be deducted.
Course Requirements The readings in this course can be challenging. You must be prepared to read thoroughly and contemplate carefully what you read, and you must be prepared to debate the meanings and significance of the readings with others. You must come prepared to classes and you must attend classes consistently; otherwise, you will not be able to follow the trajectory of the course. If you do commit yourself to prepare for each class, we will all benefit from focused, intense discussion and learn from each other. The final grade will be derived from three exercises: (1) Active class participation, including active participation online in the Blackboard workshop if that is your chosen workshop option. See the online workshop participation guidelines below, which specify the minimum number of posts required weekly, the grading criteria, and other information. In the online and offline workshops, the quality of a student’s contributions will be deemed more important than the quantity. If you participate in such a way that you demonstrate a serious engagement with the lecture and reading materials, you will be much more likely to receive a good participation grade. Overall, regular contributions to the workshop debates will be assessed at 30 percent, and 15 percent will be assessed at mid-term. (2) A well-conceptualized analytical paper (7-10 double-spaced pages), focused upon a singular contemporary social theorist, will be due at the lecture of Wednesday, March 18 and worth 30 percent of the final course grade. Rather than depend entirely upon secondary sources about the theorist, the paper will be expected to demonstrate a genuine effort to grapple with one or more of the original works of the selected theorist. These should be included among the 7-10 scholarly sources to be utilized. Late papers submitted into the Sociology drop box (across from
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the Sociology office, OC 220.1) without formal documentation will be penalized at the rate of 5 percent per weekday. Papers cannot be submitted via email or fax, and papers submitted more than one week late will not be accepted. (3) Mid-term and final examinations worth 20 percent each or a total of 40 percent. The midterm in-class examination will be held at the lecture of Wednesday, February 11. The final take-home examination will be distributed and discussed at the lecture of Wednesday, April 1, to be completed and returned by no later than Wednesday, April 15. The final examination is not cumulative. In each case, students will be expected to demonstrate clearly their completion of the required readings, their regular attendance at lectures and participation in workshops, and their solid understanding of the course material. Because take-home examinations are meant to be written within a limited time period, late examinations cannot be accepted. Students who fail to submit their final examination by the deadline will lose 20 percent of their final course grade. Online Workshop Participation Guidelines As discussed above, the quality of your online contributions is more important than the quantity, although there must also be attention to the latter. There will be a “discussion board” associated with each course topic. You are expected to make no less than and no more than three posts about each topic. Your posts should appear over the course of the entire week, on at least two different days, in order that others can have the chance to respond to your ideas and you can in turn respond to other students. At least one post should be a response to another student’s post, although it is inadequate to simply agree or disagree with another student. You need to address the “why” question – why you agree or disagree – at some length and with reference to what you have read about the theorist(s) being discussed. A good post will be substantive – a comment such as “good idea!” is not sufficient, nor is it appropriate to simply paraphrase someone else’s words. As a general rule, your posts should be at least 75 words and no more than 250 words. At the same time, keep in mind that longer posts will not necessarily receive more marks – posts which are concise and to the point are often the most effective. A good post will also add value to the discussion. It should demonstrate some analysis of the issues at hand and of other students’ posts, and it should reflect a familiarity with concepts discussed in the pertinent lectures and required readings. Truly excellent posts will extend the discussion in interesting and original ways. Just as in face-to-face workshops, the best discussions happen when there is dialogue and active exchange between students. Submit your first post early in the discussion and post subsequent responses to others in a timely fashion. Read carefully and think about what others have to say. Good posts will encourage others to participate and respond. Posts should be written clearly, well-organized, and free of grammatical and spelling errors. See also the IT guides to online discussions – including the rules of “netiquette” – that are posted at the Blackboard site. The discussion boards are intended to foster peer-to-peer learning. The instructor’s role is to observe and facilitate discussion where necessary. I will check discussion boards regularly, yet it will not be feasible to address each and every post. Finally, please do not use the online
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workshop as a place in which to “catch up” on course material that you missed due to unattended lectures. Summary of Course Requirements Assignment
Value
Deadline
Active participation
30%
15% assessed at mid-term
Mid-term examination
20%
Paper
30%
Final take-home examination
20%
at the lecture of Wednesday, February 11 due at the lecture of Wednesday, March 18 due in the Sociology drop box by Wednesday, April 15
Learning Objectives Your grade results for each component of the requirements will be largely determined by the extent to which it is evident that you have met the following learning objectives of the course: To demonstrate a solid understanding of various core concepts within contemporary social theory; To demonstrate appreciation of the basic parameters that distinguish contemporary theoretical frameworks and their distinctive approaches to the analysis of contemporary social phenomena; To engage actively in debates regarding a number of the fundamental dichotomies of sociological theory. University Policy Statements Academic Integrity: “Academic dishonesty, which includes plagiarism and cheating, is an extremely serious academic offence and carries penalties varying from a 0 grade on an assignment to expulsion from the University. Definitions, penalties, and procedures for dealing with plagiarism and cheating are set out in Trent University’s Academic Integrity Policy. You have a responsibility to educate yourself – unfamiliarity with the policy is not an excuse. You are strongly encouraged to visit Trent’s Academic Integrity website to learn more: www.trentu.ca/academicintegrity.” Access to Instruction: “It is Trent University’s intent to create an inclusive learning environment. If a student has a disability and/or health consideration and feels that he/she may need accommodations to succeed in this course, the student should contact the Student Accessibility Services Office (SAS), (BH Suite 132, 705-748-1281 or email
[email protected]). For Trent University in Oshawa Student Accessibility Services Office contact 905-435-5102 ext. 5024. Complete text can be found under Access to Instruction in the Academic Calendar.”
