Social Theory
SOCI 4333, Section 1
Term: Spring 2015
Location: Social and Behavioral Sciences 207
Time: MWF, 9:45am-10:35am
Instructor: Dr. Steven L. Foy
Email: foysl@utpa.edu
Office: SBSC 360
Office Hours: MWF, 4:00pm5:00pm and by appointment
Synopsis
Social theory both attempts to answer questions and raises new questions about important issues
that face us. From the extent to which our decisions are patterned by structural factors or the
result of our own agency to how meaning is constructed within a society, social theory addresses
and challenges how we view social phenomena. In this course, we will follow the progression of
social theory from the classical theories of sociology’s disciplinary origins to the present day,
noting core and peripheral theorists at various junctures and the reasons why some theorists have
been historically overlooked despite the value of their contributions to our understanding of the
social world.
Course Objectives
Learners will:
-Distinguish between personal experiences and patterns of human experience identified by social
theories
-Determine the major theories underpinning sociology, recognizing their differential level of
impact on the discipline
-Note how the volatility of human behavior across time, space, and sociodemographic
characteristics can complicate generalizations about social processes
-Determine how power position may impact the extent to which paradigms emanate and are
accepted, identifying who has benefited from the prominence of major theoretical traditions and
who has been overlooked by theoretical assumptions about society
-Analyze how theoretical paradigms have risen and fallen in response to social, cultural,
political, and academic shifts, identifying which theoretical traditions became prominent when
and the extent to which they aligned with practices on the ground
-Place theorists in conversation, understanding their influences on each other and their points of
divergence
-Evaluate the logic, validity, and testability of social theories
-Apply social theory to real world situations to explain and address contemporary problems
Departmental Learning Outcomes for Sociology
-Demonstrate knowledge of basic sociological concepts and sociological perspectives.
-Understand basic procedures of sociological research and be able to analyze sociological data.
-Apply sociological perspectives and methodology to community service and research projects.
Readings
One textbook is required for this course:
Ritzer, George and Jeffery Stepnisky. Sociological Theory. 9th Edition. New York City, NY:
McGraw-Hill.
You should complete all readings prior to the day beside which they appear on the attached
schedule.
Grading
Grades will be rounded up to the nearest whole number at .5 or higher and down to the nearest
whole number at .4 or lower. For example, an 89.5 would be rounded up to a 90, whereas an
89.4 would be rounded down to an 89. The final exam will include a few extra credit questions.
No other extra credit opportunities will be provided.
Attendance- 10%- There is no penalty for the first three absences and no excuse or
explanation is necessary. After that, there will be a 10% deduction per class period missed.
Attendance will be determined based on whether you have signed the attendance sheet
(which will be passed out at the beginning of class). It is your responsibility to make sure
that you sign the attendance sheet. Failure to sign the attendance sheet before the end of
the class constitutes an absence. There will be no exceptions to this policy.
Quizzes (4) – 10% each (40% total)- The lowest quiz grade will be dropped. No quiz will be
scheduled outside of its regular administration time except in cases of genuine, documented
emergency or as necessary to comply with verified disability accommodations.
Quiz 1: Monday, February 16
Quiz 2: Friday, March 13
Quiz 3: Friday, April 10
Quiz 4: Monday, May 4
Constitutional Revision Project- 30%- The project will be accepted for a grade for up to 5
days after the due date with a 10% penalty for each day late. After that, the project will no
longer be accepted for a grade.
Assigned: Wednesday, March 4
Due: Monday, April 13
Final Exam- 30%- Please bring a pen. No Scantron sheet is necessary. No final exams will
be scheduled outside of the regular administration time except in cases of genuine,
documented emergency or as necessary to comply with verified disability accommodations.
The final exam will take place on Friday, May 15 from 8:00am-9:45am.
Other Policies
Assistance
It is my hope that every person in the class will receive a grade commensurate with his or her
expectations. If you find yourself having any difficulties with the class, please contact me to
arrange a meeting. I am always happy to make myself available and want you to have a
productive experience as a student in this course. Also, if the problems you face pertain to
writing, you can utilize the services of the University Writing Center (UWC) in the Academic
Services Building (ACSB) 2.130.
Academic Honesty
Please adhere to the Bronc Student Honor Statement. For your reference, it is printed below:
I pledge I will not cheat, plagiarize, falsify data or give or receive unauthorized assistance on
academic work in accordance with The Bronc Honor Code. I further pledge to support a culture
of academic integrity.
If you have any questions about whether a particular action constitutes a breach of the honor
code, please bring them to my attention. It is better to ask than to find yourself in a grey area
after someone else questions your actions. If you violate the honor code in the completion of
any work for this class, then you will receive a zero and may face course failure depending
on the severity of the violation.
Class Conduct
I encourage you to engage with the ideas discussed in class, and disagreement is welcome.
However, remember to keep the discourse civil and to debate the issues at hand rather than attack
others personally. If you cannot conduct yourself with decorum, then you will be asked to leave.
Mandatory Course Evaluation Period (April 15-May 6)
Students are required to complete an ONLINE evaluation of this course, accessed through your
UTPA account (https://my.utpa.edu/); you will be contacted through email with further
instructions. The evaluation window closes at 11:59 pm on May 6th. Students who complete
their evaluations by May 6th will have priority access to their grades.
Students with Disabilities
If you would like to be considered for reasonable accommodations under the provisions of the
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the ADA Amendments Act, please register with the
Disability Services office, University Center #322, 665-7005 or disabilityservices@utpa.edu.
Class Schedule
Topic 1: “The Big Three” and Their Contemporaries: Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, Max
Weber (and Georg Simmel)
Date
Week 1:
Topic
Wednesday, January 21
Introduction to Social
Theory
Friday, January 23
The Early Years
Readings
Ritzer and
StepniskyChapter 1
Week 2:
Monday, January 26
The Early Years (cont’d)
Wednesday, January 28
The Early Years (cont’d)
Friday, January 30
Karl Marx (cont’d)
Ritzer and
StepniskyChapter 2
Week 3:
Monday, February 2
Karl Marx (cont’d)
Wednesday, February 4
Karl Marx (cont’d): Film:
Bread and Roses
Friday, February 6
Karl Marx (cont’d): Film:
Bread and Roses (cont’d)
Week 4
Monday, February 9
Emilé Durkheim
Wednesday, February
11
Emilé Durkheim (cont’d)
Ritzer and
StepniskyChapter 3
Graded Items
Friday, February 13
Week 5
Emilé Durkheim (cont’d)
Monday, February 16
Max Weber
Wednesday, February
18
Max Weber (cont’d)
Friday, February 20
Max Weber (cont’d): Film:
Idiocracy
Ritzer and
StepniskyChapter 4
Quiz 1 (on the Early
Years, Karl Marx,
and Emilé Durkheim)
Week 6
Monday, February 23
Max Weber (cont’d):
Film: Idiocracy
Wednesday, February
25
Georg Simmel
Friday, February 27
Week 7
Georg Simmel (cont’d)
Monday, March 2
Sustainability and Human
Rights
Ritzer and
StepniskyChapter 5
IUCN- The
Future of
Sustainability
(on Blackboard)
Universal
Declaration of
Human Rights
(on Blackboard)
Wednesday, March 4
Human Rights from the
Perspective of the Classical
Theorists
Vischer“Human Rights
and
Sustainability:
Two
Conflicting
Notions?”- pg.
47-53 (on
Blackboard)
Constitutional
Revision Project
Assigned
Topic 2: Modern Sociological Theory
Date
Week 7 (cont’d)
Friday, March 6
Topic
The Later Years
Readings
Assignments
Ritzer and
StepniskyChapter 6
Week 8
Monday, March 9
The Later Years (cont’d)
Wednesday, March 11
Structural Functionalism,
Systems Theory, and
Conflict Theory
Friday, March 13
Structural Functionalism,
Systems Theory, and
Conflict Theory (cont’d)
Ritzer and
StepniskyChapter 7
Quiz 2 (on Max
Weber, Georg
Simmel,
Sustainability and
Human Rights, and
The Later Years)
Week 9
NO CLASS (SPRING
BREAK (March 1520))
Week 10
Monday, March 23
Structural Functionalism,
Systems Theory, and
Conflict Theory (cont’d)
Wednesday, March 25
Structural Functionalism,
Systems Theory, and
Conflict Theory (cont’d)
Friday, March 27
Neo-Marxism
Ritzer and
StepniskyChapter 8
Monday, March 30
Symbolic Interactionism
Wednesday, April 1
Symbolic Interactionism
(cont’d)
Ritzer and
StepniskyChapter 9
Week 11
Friday, April 3- NO
CLASS (EASTER
HOLIDAY)
Week 12
Monday, April 6
Symbolic Interactionism
(cont’d)
Wednesday, April 8
Exchange Network/Rational
Choice Theories
Friday, April 10
Exchange Network/Rational
Choice Theories (cont’d)
Ritzer and
StepniskyChapter 11
Quiz 3 (on Structural
Functionalism,
Systems Theory,
Conflict Theory,
Symbolic
Interactionism, and
Exchange
Network/Rational
Choice Theories)
Week 13
Monday, April 13
Contemporary Feminist
Theory
Wednesday, April 15
Contemporary Feminist
Theory (cont’d)
Friday, April 17
Contemporary Feminist
Theory (cont’d)
Ritzer and
StepniskyChapter 12
Constitutional
Revision Project Due
Topic 3: Integrative Sociological Theory
Date
Week 14
Monday, April 20
Topic
Micro-Macro and AgencyStructure Integration
Readings
Ritzer and
StepniskyChapter 13
Assignments
Topic 4: From Modern to Postmodern (and Beyond)
Date
Week 14 (cont’d)
Topic
Wednesday, April 22
Theories of Modernity
Friday, April 24
Theories of Modernity
(cont’d)
Readings
Assignments
Ritzer and
StepniskyChapter 14
Week 15
Monday, April 27
Globalization Theory
Wednesday, April 29
Structuralism,
Poststructuralism, and
Postmodern Social Theory
Friday, May 1
Ritzer and
StepniskyChapter 15
Ritzer and
StepniskyChapter 16
Structuralism,
Poststructuralism, and
Postmodern Social Theory
(cont’d)
Week 16
Monday, May 4
Critical Race Theory
Wednesday, May 6
Queer Theory (Last Day of
Class)
NO CLASS
STUDY DAYS (May
7-8)
Friday, May 15:
8:00am-9:45am
FINAL EXAM
(cumulative, including all
topics from the course)
Ritzer and
StepniskyChapter 17
Quiz 4 (on
Contemporary
Feminist Theory,
Micro-Macro and
Agency-Structure
Integration, Theories
of Modernity,
Globalization Theory,
Structuralism,
Poststructuralism,
and Postmodern
Social Theory)
FINAL EXAM