SYLLABUS FOR SOCIOLOGY A/100: Classical Sociological Theory (Epstein, Spring 2006)

SOCIOLOGY A/100

“CLASSICAL SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY”

Spring 2006

Mon., Wed., and Fri, 11:00-11:50 am in CSB 001

Prof. Steven Epstein

Department of Sociology

University of California, San Diego

Contact info:

Office phone: 858-534-0489

-E-mail: sepstein@ucsd.edu

Home page: http://sociology.ucsd.edu/~sepstein

Drop-in office hours this quarter: Mon 2:30-3:30 pm and Fri 9:30-10:30 am

in the Social Science Building, Room 476

Sections:

A01 (#563460): Wed 1:00-1:50 pm in Solís 109

A02 (#563461): Wed 2:00-2:50 pm in Solís 110

TA: Gordon Chang (gcchangucsd@gmail.com)

A03 (#563462): Fri 1:00-1:50 pm in HSS 2305B

A04 (#563463): Fri 2:00-2:50 pm in HSS 2305B

TA: Stephanie Chan (stchan@ucsd.edu)

A05 (#563464): Fri 8:00-8:50 am in U413A 1

A06 (#563465): Fri 9:00-9:50 in U413A 1

TA: Kevin Moseby (kmoseby@ucsd.edu)

Summary:

The goals of this course are:

· to provide a solid understanding of certain classic works and a clear grasp of selected central figures in sociological theory;

· to understand the theoretical origins of sociology as it is practiced today, and the ways in which the classic texts inform and inspire subsequent theorizing; and

· to acquire a sense of the diverse ways in which social theories can be appropriated, adapted, and used in order to understand the social world.

We will consider the writings of four theorists: Karl Marx (1818-1883), Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-1859), Max Weber (1864-1920), and Emile Durkheim (1858-1917). These theorists have provided the models for understanding society on which most sociologists have drawn. What do the four of them have in common? First, they are all practitioners of what can be called “grand theory.” That is, they all set out to explain the broad contours of modern Western society—its defining characteristics and its most pressing problems. Second, each of the theorists sought to understand the dangers and possibilities inherent in the major transformations of Western society in the modern era: the rise of modern capitalism and the modern nation-state, the dissemination of democratic ideals, the increasing prominence of science and bureaucratic organization, and the spread of new forms of social cohesion and social disorder.

Our goal will be understand how these four theorists came to grips with these social transformations in providing an analysis of their society and the dilemmas confronting it: What do they consider to be the distinctive features of modern Western society? What are the prospects for human happiness and fulfillment within such a society? And what is the proper role for the theorist who seeks to study, and perhaps improve, that society?

As part of their analysis, each of these theorists takes a stand on two central sets of questions, which will be important themes of this course:

1. Domination. What are the chief forms of domination in the modern world? To what extent is social order maintained through domination? What is freedom and how shall it be pursued?

2. Solidarity. What is the relation between the individual and the larger society? To what extent is social order maintained through solidarity? Is it “human nature” to be autonomous, or to be in community with others? What are the prospects for autonomy and community in the modern world?

We will approach each theorist systematically, looking at the theorist’s work as a whole, and searching for the inner logic rather than simply pulling out a few central ideas.

NOTE: In lecture and in section, we will emphasize the close interpretation of texts, so always bring the reading with you to class. Assignments will emphasize your ability to write cogently about the reasoning of the theorists. To assist you with these interpretive and writing tasks, the section meetings will place a special emphasis on the analysis of arguments and the practices of writing analytical essays.

Course Mechanics:

· Most of the course readings are contained in the following four books:

Tucker, Robert, ed., Marx-Engels Reader (Norton)

Tocqueville, Alexis de, Democracy in America (various publishers—but get the translation by George Lawrence)

Weber, Max, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (various publishers—but get the translation by Talcott Parsons)

Durkheim, Emile, The Division of Labor in Society (Free Press)

These books are available at the UCSD Bookstore in the Price Center. Used copies of these books are readily available, but make sure you are getting the correct editions and translations.

Although I strongly encourage you to buy them, the books also will be on reserve at the Social Sciences and Humanities library.

· A few additional course readings are available for download via e-reserves http://reserves.ucsd.edu/). Please note that you will be responsible for downloading and printing each item. You can access the files from any campus computer, and you can print them with an ACS laser printing account (see http://sdacs.ucsd.edu/~icc/laser.php). You also can download and print the files from off-campus, but in order to do so you need to specify a proxy in your web browser (an easy process; see http://www-ono.ucsd.edu/documentation/squid/). In the case of any problems accessing e-reserves, library staff are available to help you.

· Three of the e-reserve selections are from the same book, and I also have ordered the book—and placed it on reserve—in case you prefer simply to purchase it or do the reading in the library. The book is:

H.H. Gerth and C. Wright Mills, eds., From Max Weber (Oxford)

· This course is writing intensive, and your TA will be spending time helping you develop your writing skills. You will have three writing assignments for the course: two take-home essays and a take-home final exam. The first take-home essay should be a maximum of 4 pages in length and is worth 25% of your grade. The second essay should be a maximum of 6 pages and is worth 30%. The take-home final will also be 6 pages maximum and is worth 30%. The remaining 15% of your grade for the course is based on section attendance and participation in lecture and section. See the schedule that follows for the due dates of the assignments. Note that there is no sit-down midterm and no sit-down final.

· Students are responsible for all material presented in the readings, lectures, and sections. Class attendance is expected at both lectures and sections. Come to class with the reading for that day, and be prepared to participate.

· Late papers will be marked down unless you present a doctor’s note. Late finals will not be accepted at all, unless you contact me on the day the final is due and submit a doctor’s note with your final.

· Please understand that, in a class of this size, I cannot accept any papers sent as email attachments.

· I am committed to strict enforcement of university regulations concerning plagiarism and integrity of scholarship, which means that I report all such cases to university administrators. Please familiarize yourself with the “UCSD Policy on Integrity of Scholarship” (http://www.ucsd.edu/catalog/0506/front/AcadRegu.html). You should understand that examples of plagiarism include obtaining text from any source (including the internet), and passing off such text as your own work, rather than citing the source of the material. If you have any questions about what constitutes plagiarism or academic dishonesty, I encourage you to speak to me or your TA about it. According to university policies, plagiarism or other forms of academic dishonesty will typically result in a failing grade for the course and may lead to dismissal from the university.

· At the beginning of class, please make sure your cell phone is turned off or set to vibrate.

· Arriving late, leaving early, and walking in and out of class are distracting to those around you. Obviously they are sometimes unavoidable. But I’d appreciate your keeping them to a minimum.

· This syllabus and all lectures for this course are copyright 2006 by Steven Epstein. Students are prohibited from selling (or being paid for taking) notes during this course to or by any person or commercial firm without the express written permission of Professor Epstein. Audio recordings of lectures are forbidden without the permission of Professor Epstein.

Schedule of Readings and Assignments:

WEEK 1

** Sections begin meeting this week **

Mon, April 3: Introduction

Wed, April 5: Karl Marx: Capitalism and Alienation

Marx/Engels Reader:

“Speech at the Graveside of Karl Marx (pp. 681-2)

“Speech at the Anniversary of the People’s Paper” (pp. 577-78)

“Working Class Manchester” (pp. 579-85)

“Estranged Labour” (pp. 70-81).

Add religion: 53-54?

Fri, April 7: Marx: The Premises of History

Marx/Engels Reader:

“The German Ideology” (pp. 148-63)

WEEK 2

Mon, April 10: Marx: The Premises of History

Marx/Engels Reader:

“The German Ideology” (pp. 163-86)

Wed, April 12: Marx: The Division of Labor

Marx/Engels Reader:

“The German Ideology” (pp. 186-200)

Fri, April 14: Marx: The Secret of Profit

Marx/Engels Reader:

“Wage Labour and Capital” (pp. 203-17).

WEEK 3

Mon, April 17: Marx: The Class Struggle

** Take-home essay assignment #1 distributed **

Marx/Engels Reader:

“The Communist Manifesto” (pp. 469-491, 499-500 only).

Wed, April 19: Marx: Historical Materialism

Marx/Engels Reader:

“Preface to the Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy” (pp. 4-6; start in the middle of p. 4 with the sentence “The general result…”)

Fri, April 21: Marx: Historical Materialism (cont.)

Marx/Engels Reader:

“Socialism: Utopian and Scientific” (pp. 700-717 only, labeled section III).

WEEK 4

Mon, April 24: Alexis de Tocqueville: Modern Society as Democracy

Democracy in America, Vol. One:

Part I: Author’s Introduction (pp. 9-20), chapters 3-4 (pp. 50-60), chapter 5 (pp. 62-63, 68-70, and 87-98 only)

Wed, April 26: Tocqueville: Modern Society as Democracy (cont.)

** Take-home essay assignment #1 due at beginning of class **

Democracy in America, Vol. One:

Part II: chapters 4 (pp. 189-195), 5 (pp. 197-99 only), 6 (pp. 231-245)

Fri, April 28: Tocqueville: The “Tyranny of the Majority”; Race Relations

Democracy in America, Vol. One:

Part II: 7-9 (pp. 246-315), 10 (pp. 316-325, 339-343, 355-363 only)

WEEK 5

Mon, May 1: Tocqueville: Individualism; Equality; Gender

Democracy in America, Vol. Two:

Author’s preface (pp. 417-418)

Part II: chapters 1-2 (pp. 503-508), 4-5 (pp. 509-517), 13 (pp. 535-538), 20 (pp. 555-558).

Part III: chapters 1 (pp. 561-565), 9-10 (pp. 590-594), 12-13 (pp. 600-605), 17 (pp. 614-616), 21 (pp. 634-645).

Part IV: chapters 5-7 (pp. 679-702)

Add more pages to chapter 10?

Wed, May 3: Max Weber: Rationality, Religion, and Capitalism

e-reserves: Max Weber, Economy and Society, volume 1:

p. 4 (middle paragraph only, on “The Definition of Sociology and of Social Action”), and pp. 24-26 (“Types of Social Action”).

The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism:

Author’s Introduction (pp. xxviii-xlii)

Fri, May 5: Max Weber: Rationality, Religion, and Capitalism (cont.)

The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism:

Chapter 1 (pp. 3-12).

WEEK 6

Mon, May 8: Weber: Rationality, Religion, and Capitalism (cont.)

** Take-home essay assignment #2 distributed **

The Protestant Ethic:

Chapters 2-3 (pp. 13-50)

Wed, May 10: Weber: Rationality, Religion, and Capitalism (cont.)

The Protestant Ethic:

Chapter 4 (pp. 53-80, 100-1 only).

Fri, May 12: Weber: Rationality, Religion, and Capitalism (cont.)

The Protestant Ethic:

Chapter 5 (pp. 102-25)

WEEK 7

Mon, May 15: Weber: Science, Rationality, and Meaning

e-reserves: Gerth and Mills (eds.), From Max Weber

“Science as a Vocation” (pp. 137-140, 143-148, and bottom of 150-151 only).

Wed, May 17: Weber: Bureaucratic Rationality

** Take-home essay assignment #2 due at beginning of class **

e-reserves: Gerth and Mills (eds.), From Max Weber

“Bureaucracy” (pp. 196-244; read sections 1, 2, 6, 8, 9, 10, and 12 only).

Fri, May 19: Weber: Systems of Stratification

e-reserves: Gerth and Mills (eds.), From Max Weber

“Class, Status, Party” (pp. 180-194).

WEEK 8

Mon, May 22: Emile Durkheim: Society, Morality, and Solidarity