SOC 2550 B (CRN: 95805)

Sociology: Social Theory (B)

3 credit hours

About SOC 2550 B

Classical sociological theory including Marx, Weber, Durkheim, and Mead, as well as DuBois and early female theorists such as Martineau. Reading and writing intensive. Prerequisites: SOC 1500; three additional hours of Sociology; minimum Sophomore standing.

Notes

Prereqs enforced by the system: SOC 1500; Also needed: 3 additional hours of SOC required; Minimum Sophomore standing PACE students by permission and override.

Section Description

The industrial revolution, the democratic revolutions of the 18th and 19th centuries, and the development of modernity fascinated the European theorists credited with the development of sociology. Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, Max Weber, and other central theorists like Georg Simmel were all concerned with understanding social change, the rise of modernity, the emergence of capitalism, and the social impact – both positive and negative – of these transformations.

The scholarship of the founders of sociology generated many crucial questions that continue to resonate in the discipline today. These questions include, but are not limited to: What generates social solidarity? How is culture developed, shared and transformed? Is our social reality a given, or is it constructed? Are ideas or material conditions the fundamental agents in historical change? Can individuals shape their social world or are they inherently constrained by their socioeconomic status?

The course begins with a brief overview of social theory, exploring the distinct contributions of sociological analysis. It then devotes considerable attention to the scholarship of sociology’s foundational theorists before moving, in the latter part of the semester, to some more contemporary developments. Much of the reading for this course draws from the original writings of sociological theorists. These original works are considered classics for a reason. The concerns, concepts, and approaches contained in them are foundational to the discipline and remain relevant today. To demonstrate this continued relevance, we will regularly draw on contemporary readings and current events as part of our explorations of classical theory.

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