SOCIOLOGY 3P00
INTRODUCTION TO EARLY MODERN SOCIAL THEORY
Brock University
Fall 2016, Fridays, 8:00 - 9:50 a.m., AS 216
Course Director: Dr. Murray Smith - AS408; msmith@brocku.ca
Office Hour: 10:00 – 10:45 a.m., Fridays
This course will survey the contributions of several prominent figures in modern social theory, as well as some
of the major themes in its development from the 18th-Century Enlightenment to about 1920. The first part of the
course will focus on Enlightenment thought, the ‘utopian socialist’ tradition, functionalist sociology in France,
and the contributions of Karl Marx and Max Weber. The second part will be devoted to considering specific
themes and issues that have asserted themselves persistently in modern social thought.
A package of lecture notes will be posted as a PDF on Sakai and is one of the required readings. These notes
contain much, though not all, of the information that will be provided in the lectures. With these in hand, students
should not have to occupy themselves with a great deal of note taking in class. However, reading the relevant
notes in advance will enable students to better follow each lecture and to raise points of interest or questions for
clarification. Please download and print a copy of this PDF for your personal use at your earliest convenience.
To really master the course material and obtain the best possible grade, it is recommended that you attend lectures
regularly and do all of the required reading.
Course Objectives:
1) To provide sociology majors and other interested students with a solid grounding in the main theoretical
frameworks that have shaped the discipline of sociology and modern social theory in general
2) To give students an opportunity to critically reflect on many of the ‘big questions’ that have preoccupied
social theorists since the Enlightenment, questions that remain very much with us in the 21st century
3) To equip students with some useful tools to develop their own ‘theoretical strategies’ for analyzing
particular social issues and problems
Required Texts/Readings:
1) Murray Smith (ed.), Early Modern Social Theory: Selected Interpretive Readings (SIR)
2) Blackwell, Smith and Sorenson, Culture of Prejudice (CoP)
3) Murray Smith, Lecture Notes for Early Modern Social Theory
Recommended Web Resource: The website www.marxists.org is an excellent resource for texts in social
theory. It contains most of the key works of Marx and Engels (and their successors in the Marxist tradition), as
well as key texts by Adam Smith, G.W.F. Hegel, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Max Weber, Emile Durkheim, and
many others.
Grading Scheme:
In-Class Test
Term Paper
Take-Home Test
Seminar Participation
25%
30%
25%
20%
October 21 (results to be posted by Nov. 1)
due November 18, in class
due by Friday, December 9 at 12:00 noon; deliver to seminar leader
(seminars will start the week of September 12)
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WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS
There will be two major writing assignments: a term paper and a take-home test. Before beginning either assignment, please
read the Statement of Academic Integrity (appended to this course syllabus). Failure to attach a signed copy of this statement
to your term paper assignment will result in a two-mark penalty.
Term Paper
Due on November 18 in class [with a penalty of 2 marks (out of 30) for each day late, to a maximum of 6]
You are required to write a typed and double-spaced essay of approximately 2500 words comparing the thought of two of the
following theorists on an issue of central theoretical concern: Adam Smith, Karl Marx, Max Weber, Emile Durkheim.
Approximately one third of this paper should be devoted to discussing, documenting, and critically evaluating the relevance
of the idea(s) under examination to present-day concerns. (Some examples: Marx versus Weber on the Rationality and
Irrationality of Capitalism; Weber versus Durkheim on the Moral Significance of Modernization.) Please consult with your
seminar leader about the topic of your term paper if you are uncertain about its suitability. Please note that the following two
topics are not acceptable: “Marx’s Theory of Alienation versus Durkheim’s Theory of Anomie” and “Marx versus Weber on
Capitalism.” At least five scholarly references (books or articles) other than your course texts must be cited. However, your
term paper must also display a thorough understanding of the course material and should therefore also refer extensively
to the relevant assigned readings. Introductory sociology textbooks are not to be used as references. Grading of the paper
will take into account accuracy, research thoroughness, analytical acuity, and critical engagement with the issues (50%) as
well as composition, organization of ideas, and overall literary quality (50%). (See attached grading sheet.) Plagiarism will
be severely punished. Except where you are quoting a reference directly, it is expected that the text of your paper will consist
of information, ideas, insights and opinions expressed in your own words. (See attached Statement of Academic Integrity
form, which must be signed and attached to your term paper.) The instructor and graders will not use a computerized
plagiarism detection system; nevertheless, vigilance in the detection of plagiarism will be exercised.
Take-Home Test
Tests are due no later than December 9 at 12:00 noon and are to be returned to seminar leaders, not to Professor Smith.
A late penalty of one mark per day will be applied, to a maximum of 2 out of 25. Tests will not be accepted after December
9 without proof of extraordinary hardship.
Write essay-type answers to two of the following questions.
1. Compare and contrast Marx’s and Weber’s analyses of capitalism. How does Marx’s ‘law of the tendency of the rate of
profit to fall’ serve to highlight the differences between these two analyses? (Devote half your answer to the latter question.)
2. Discuss Durkheim’s analysis of modern pathologies in the division of labour in society and his proposed solutions to those
pathologies. How might a Marxist and a Weberian social theorist, respectively, critique Durkheim’s ideas? (Devote half your
answer to the latter question.)
3. Summarize the differences between dialectical-monist and dualistic social ontologies. How do these differences
find expression in the analysis of economic crisis under capitalism? How might they find expression in the analysis of
gender inequality and/or environmental issues?
Please note:
•
Each answer should be approximately 600 words in length, typed and double-spaced.
•
Quality of composition as well as intellectual content will be considered in grading.
•
Base your answers on the Lecture Notes and the relevant readings for the specific topics.
•
No external referencing is required, but you should include in your answers some of your own thoughts.
•
Except where you are quoting a reference directly, your answers must consist of information, ideas, insights and
opinions expressed in your own words. Do not plagiarize any of the course readings.
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Course Schedule
Note: Including the Lecture Notes, the required readings total about 450 pages over 12 weeks.
Sept. 9. Lecture 1: Liberalism & Enlightenment (Locke, Smith, Rousseau). CoP: 13-16, 127-132;
SIR: vii-xi, 2-12. (24 pages) Recommended SIR: 33-54
Sept. 16. Lecture 2: Philosophy & Social Theory. CoP: 59-73; SIR: 395-398 (Glossary), 14-17, 180-184. (26
pages)
Sept. 23. Lecture 3: ‘Utopian Socialism’, Early Sociology & Durkheim.
SIR: 68-73, 100-105, 110-148; CoP: 107-112. (55 pages)
Sept. 30. Lecture 4: Marx I. CoP: 145-157; SIR: 152-170, 106-109, 171-192. (55 pages)
Oct. 7. Lecture 5: Marx II. CoP: 287-294; SIR: 55-65, 201-214. (32 pages) Recommended: SIR 215-238
October 10-14: Fall break week, no classes.
Oct. 21. In-Class Test (graded tests to be returned in seminar and/or grades posted on Sakai no
later than Tuesday, November 1)
Oct. 28. Lecture 6: Weber. SIR: 244-250, 251-277. (34 pages) Recommended: CoP: 79-85, 165-174
Nov. 4. Lecture 7: Dualism and Dialectic in Social Theory. (No readings except for lecture notes)
(Tuesday, Nov. 8 is the last day to withdraw from the course without academic penalty)
Nov. 11. Lecture 8: The Woman Question in Classical Social Theory.
SIR: 290-293, 294-318; CoP: 223-229. (35 pages) Recommended: SIR: 319-339
Nov. 18. Lecture 9: Rationality & Irrationality of Capitalism.
CoP: 133-135, 295-301; SIR: 192-200 (Review), 278-288 (New). (28 pages)
(Term paper due)
Nov. 25. Lecture 10: Marxism versus ‘Bourgeois Sociology’.
CoP: 159-164, 305-319. (20 pages)
Dec. 2. Lecture 11: Enlightenment & Moral Progress — Capitalism versus Socialism.
CoP: 321-335; SIR: 342-343, 344-364 (38 pages)
Dec. 9. Take-home test due no later than Friday, December 9, 12:00 noon. Please submit this directly to
your seminar leader and not to Professor Smith.
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Seminar Information:
Seminars will begin the week of September 12 and end the week of November 28. Seminars are
cancelled for the week of October 24 (due to in-class test the previous week).
In general all seminar participants are expected to prepare for seminars. Do your reading, and come
prepared to pose some questions and/or contribute some insights. Your seminar participation mark will
be based on your attendance record as well as the quality and extent of your contribution to seminar
discussions. Seminar discussions will be organized around comments and questions randomly selected
by the seminar leader from students’ typed weekly submissions. Each week students must submit two
comments/questions (of at least 50 words each) based on the reading assignments associated with the
lecture of the previous week. The quality of these submissions will be taken into consideration in
determining participation grades, but they will not be individually graded or returned. In your first
seminar, during the week of Sept.12 – 16, you will be considering questions based on the assigned
readings associated with the September 9 lecture.
Accommodation: As part of Brock University's commitment to a respectful work and learning
environment, the University will make every reasonable effort to accommodate all members of the
University community with disabilities. If you require accommodations related to a permanent
disability to participate in this course, you are encouraged to contact the Student Development Centre
Services for Students with Disabilities (4th Floor Schmon Tower ext. 3240) and also discuss these
accommodations(s) with the professor.
Use of Sakai
The course Sakai site will be used exclusively for the following purposes:
1) posting of course outline, course lecture notes and other selected readings in PDF format
2) posting of power-point presentations for each lecture after it has been delivered
3) posting of grades for all assignments as they become available
4) posting of special announcements by the course director and teaching assistants
Intellectual Property Notice
All slides, presentations, handouts, tests, exams, and other course materials created by the instructor
in this course are the intellectual property of the instructor. A student who publicly posts or sells an
instructor’s work, without the instructor’s express consent, may be charged with misconduct under
Brock’s Academic Integrity Policy and/or Code of Conduct, and may also face adverse legal
consequences for infringement of intellectual property rights.
Academic Accommodation due to Religious Obligations: Brock University acknowledges the
pluralistic nature of the undergraduate and graduate communities such that accommodations will be
made for students who, by reason of religious obligation, must miss an examination, test, assignment
deadline, laboratory or other compulsory academic event. Students requesting academic
accommodation on the basis of religious obligation should make a formal, written request to their
instructor(s) for alternative dates and/or means of satisfying requirements.
Medical Exemption Policy: The University requires that a student be medically examined in Health
Services, or by an off-campus physician prior to an absence due to medical reasons from an exam,
lab, test, quiz, seminar, assignment, etc. The Medical Certificate can be found at:
http://www.brocku.ca/health-services/policies/exemption
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STATEMENT OF ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
Please read and sign the following statement, and submit this sheet with your term-paper assignment.
Failure to do so will result in a two-mark penalty.
Because academic integrity is vital to the wellbeing of the university community, Brock University
takes academic misconduct very seriously. Academic misconduct includes plagiarism, which involves
presenting the words and ideas of another person as if they were your own, and other forms of cheating, such as
using crib notes during a test, fabricating data for a lab assignment, or submitting the same piece of work in
more than one course.
The penalties for academic misconduct can be very severe. A grade of zero may be given for the
assignment or even for the course, and a second offense may result in suspension from the University. Students
are urged to read the section of the Brock University Undergraduate Calendar that pertains to academic
misconduct. The Student Development Centre (Schmon Tower, Room 400) offers free workshops on writing
and study skills and on avoiding plagiarism.
I, the undersigned, confirm that I understand that all the following constitutes academic misconduct
according to Brock University’s policy on academic misconduct:
•
Quoting someone’s words without using quotation marks or the indented block format
•
Quoting someone’s words without acknowledging the source
•
Citing someone else’s ideas in my own words but without citing the source
•
Using someone else’s organization of ideas
•
Allowing someone the opportunity to borrow material from my paper (e.g., allowing access to my paper)
•
Writing the paper for another student, or doing some of the work for them (such as, but not limited to,
reading the articles for them and providing them with notes on the articles)
•
Allowing someone (or paying someone) to write part or all of my paper, or do some of the work for me. It
is acceptable to allow someone to type the paper for me or make editorial comment on it. If someone types
the paper for me, or if I incorporate an editorial suggestion, and there are errors in the typing or the
suggestion was misguided, I take full responsibility for those errors.
•
Submitting this work to another course without both instructors’ permission.
I confirm that I am informed about these aspects of academic misconduct.
Name (please print):_________________________
Signature: _________________________________
Date: __________________________
Please Note: The avoidance of academic misconduct does not ensure that your written assignment will be
awarded a high grade. In addition to quality of research and intellectual rigour, graders take into account
composition, organization of ideas, and overall literary quality, as well as proper formatting and referencing. In
trying to avoid charges of plagiarism, students sometimes indulge in “over-citation.” If you find yourself
referencing almost every sentence, this is a sure sign that you are not producing a good piece of academic work.
Remember, with every written assignment, graders will be assessing your ability to express ideas, present
information, and develop an argument in your own words.
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GRADING SHEET FOR SOCI 3P00 TERM PAPER ASSIGNMENT
[Your seminar leader will use this sheet to mark your term-paper assignment. If you wish, you
may fill it out yourself and attach it to your term paper as a self-assessment. Your grader may
or may not take your self-assessment into consideration.]
Student’s Name: __________________________
Composition
1. At least 2500 words in length? Yes = 3 points; a little short = 2; short = 1; much shorter than
required = 0. Score:
2. Correct formatting (proper pagination, double-spacing, indenting of quoted passages, etc.).
Yes = 1 point, No = 0 points. Score:
3. Proper Referencing (consistent and correct application of recognized referencing system).
Yes = 3 points, Partial = 1.5, No = 0 points. Score:
4. Essay well structured and ideas well organized? Yes = 3 points; No = 0 points. Score:
5. Essay well written (free of grammatical, syntax, and spelling errors)?
Excellent = 5.0; Good = 4.0; Fair = 3; Inadequate = 2.0; Very Poor = 0. Score:
Intellectual Content
1. Completed term paper assignment in accordance with stipulated requirements.
Acceptable topic: Yes - No; one third of paper devoted to assessing relevance of ideas to present-day
concerns: Yes - No; Consulted five outside scholarly references: Yes - No; References made to
relevant assigned course readings: Yes - No.
Score out of 5:
2. Accuracy in Presentation of Theorists’ Ideas and Over-all Research Thoroughness.
Score out of 5:
3. Analytical Acuity and Quality of Critical Engagement with the Issues.
Score out of 5:
Over-all Score out of 30:
Grader’s Initials:
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