Sociology 100: CLASSICAL SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY
Spring 2008 Prof.
John Skrentny
Center 214 SSB
490, tel. 4-0484
Tu/Th
5:00-6:20 email: jskrentny@ucsd.edu
Office Hours: Tu and Th. 1 to 2
& also by appt.
This course
will explore the main ideas of the "classical" sociological
theorists: Marx, Tocqueville,
Weber, and Durkheim. Through this
exploration, we will become acquainted with the ideas of the founders of
sociology, identify enduring problems in the project of sociological theory,
and develop your skills of thinking theoretically, abstractly and critically.
Sociology
was born when a few curious and clever people, inspired by a growing faith in
the power of human reason, tried to make some sense of the changes that were
going on around them. The primary changes-- the industrial revolution and the
democratic revolution—are collectively known as modernization. The forces of modernization which were
new to the classical theorists still shape the thoughts and values of contemporary
people (i.e., you), and therefore, their thoughts on this subject are quite
relevant today.
In the
course we will see how these four theorists used sociological theory to
understand modernization and modern society. We will also tease out the fundamental assumptions and ideas
of their theories: What is
"real" and how should we try to understand complex social
phenomena? What is human nature? How is social order possible, and can
things get better than they are now?
What are the possibilities of sociology--how much can we really understand about our world? In
addition, as mentioned above, we will develop your skills as critical thinkers
and writers.
Required texts
Emile
Durkheim, The Division of Labor in Society (Free Press)
Gerth and
Mills, From Max Weber (Oxford)
Alexis de
Tocqueville, Democracy in America, Vol. I (Vintage Books, Random House)
Alexis de
Tocqueville, Democracy in America, Vol. II (Vintage Books, Random House)
Tucker,
ed., The Marx-Engels Reader (Norton)
Max Weber, The
Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (Routledge)
***All of
these texts are available at the bookstore and have also been placed on reserve
at the main library.***
Course requirements
1. Three essays during the course of the
quarter. Essay #1 should be 4 double-spaced pages, Essay #2 should be 5 to 6
pages, while Essay #3 should be 7 pages.
Students will select an essay topic from a list of at least two
potential questions, handed out at least one week before due date. Due dates will be announced in lecture and
section. Essay #1 and #2 will each count for 25% of your grade, and Essay #3
for 35% of the final grade, and participation in section will be 15% of your
grade.
2. Class participation (faithful
completion of the reading assignments, and regular and informed participation
in discussions). Class
participation is your chance to develop some skills of oral expression and
thinking on your feet. Further,
students who come to class regularly will perform better on assignments, and I
believe they should also be directly rewarded for coming. Students are expected to come to
lectures and sections, be prepared and offer informed participation in lecture
and section discussions. The participation grade, however, will be determined
by regular attendance and informed participation in sections only. Students that miss more than two
sections will lose the 15 percent.
After that, students will have one step (eg, a B becomes a B-) deducted
from their final course grade for each additional section they miss.
Late paper
policy: One letter grade deducted
for each day late. Doctor's note
needed for exemptions. In fairness
to students who get their papers in on time, this requires being rigid about
this, so please take note.
Also: students sometimes
request paper question lists early.
This is not fair to other students, who often complain, since it gives
one student extra time. So again,
please take note that fairness matters.
Course outline and readings
Karl
Marx: Modern Society as Capitalism
Weeks 1
and 2: The Early Marx: Basic Assumptions and Critique of
Capitalism
Marx-Engels
Reader:
"Discovering
Hegel" pp. 7-8
"Marx
on the History of His Opinions"
pp. 3-6
"Estranged
Labor" pp. 70-80
"Private
Property and Communism" pp.
81-90
"The
German Ideology" pp. 148-166,
172-174, 189-193, 197
ÒContribution
to the Critique of HegelÕs Philosophy of Right: Introduction,Ó pp. 53-54
"Manifesto
of the Communist Party" pp.
469-491
"Wage
Labor and Capital" pp. 203-217.
Week 3: Marx's Political History: Historical Materialism in Practice
Marx-Engels
Reader:
ÒThe
Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis BonaparteÓ
pp. 594-617
Alexis
de Tocqueville: Modern Society as
Democracy:
Week 4: Assumptions and Ideas, How is
Democratic Society Possible?
Tocqueville,
Democracy in America, Vol. I:
Author's Introduction
Chapters 2 (pp. 26-31 only), 3, 4, 5 (pp. 59-69 and 83-97
only), 12, 14, 15, 16, 17.
Week 5: How are we to understand American race
relations? What are the Effects of
Democracy on Society?
Tocqueville,
Democracy in America, Vol. I:
Chapter XVIII, pp. 331-336, 356-381
Tocqueville,
Democracy in America, Vol. II:
Book II:
Chapters 1, 2, 4, 5, 13, 20.
Book III:
Chapters 1, 9, 10, 12, 17, 21
Book IV:
Chapter 7
Week 6: Basic Assumptions and Ideas
From Max
Weber:
"Class,
Status, Party," "Bureaucracy"
Week 7: Capitalism and Rationalization
The
Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, pp. xxviii-80; 102-125
Week 8: Politics, Science and the Meaning of
Life
From Max
Weber: "Politics as a Vocation,
""Science as a Vocation"
Emile
Durkheim: Society as Moral
Universe
Weeks 9
and 10: Durkheim: Basic Assumptions and Ideas; Solidarity
and Social Order
Durkheim, The
Division of Labor in Society
Prefaces to the First Edition
Introduction
Book I:
Chapters 1 (pp. 11-17, 22-29), 2 (pp. 38-47, 60-64), 3 (pp. 68-72,
81-87), 5 (pp. 101-106, 118-123), 7 (pp. 149-163, 172-174).
Book II:
Chapters 2, 5 (pp. 286-287).
Book III:
Chapters 1, 2
Conclusion
Preface to the Second Edition
FINAL ESSAY DUE JUNE 12 at 5 PM