SOCIOLOGY 301, CLASSICAL SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY
Fall 2004
Instructor: Dr. Alem Kebede, Associate Professor of Sociology
Office: AA206 Dorothy Danhoe; Hours: TR 10:10-11:10 AM
Phone: (661) 664-2306; E-mail: akebede@csub.edu;
Web Cite: http://www.csub.edu/~akebede
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this class is to acquaint students with classical sociological perspectives that
provide the conceptual basis for sociological research and analysis. Throughout the quarter
emphasis will be placed on the assumptions, terminologies, and implications of the dominant
theoretical frameworks in classical sociology. The major sociological figures discussed in this
class include August Comte, Herbert Spencer, Karl Marx, Max Weber, Georg Simmel, Emile
Durkheim, Vilfredo Pareto, W. E. DuBois, Talcott Parsons and George Herbert Mead. The
relevance of their arguments to contemporary issues will also the subject of discussion.
TEXT BOOKS
-Blackwell Companion to Classical Social Theorists, By George Ritzer (ed.), First Edition, 2003,
Blackwell Publishing: Malden, MA.
-Social Theory: The Multicultural and Classic Readings, By Charles Lemert (ed.), First Edition,
1999, Westview Press: Boulder, CO.
EXAMNINATIONS, PAPERS, AND GRADING
Grades will be based on three exams (60 points each [180 points total]), attendance and
participation in class (20 points), and a conceptual term paper (100 points). A term paper should
not be less than 8 pages, nor should it exceed 12 pages. Guidelines for the term paper will be
discussed in class.
Grades will be assigned using the standard grading system: 100-90=A; 89-80=B; 79-70=C; 6960=D. The final grade for the course will be determined as follows: 300-270=A; 269-240=B;
239=210=C; 209-180=D.
ATTENDANCE
You are required to attend all classes. An absence will be regarded as excused if and and only if
verification of the reason for the absence is provided. Absences are excused only when a)
attendance would have been detrimental to the health of the student, b) attendance would have
put other students at risk, c) there is a case of personal emergency or tragedy. In other important
cases, the instructor must approve the reason for the absence at least one week in advance of the
missed class. The instructor will be happy to discuss any aspect of the course with any student
during office hours or during a mutually agreed to meeting time. However, it is unprofessional to
approach the instructor seeking information that was missed as a result of unexcused absence.
Active participation and attending class on a regular basis can raise your grade in borderline
cases. Excessive absence will result in the letter grade of “I” (Incomplete).
CURVES, MAKE-UPS, ETC.
No grading curves or other such means will be employed during the determination of any grades
for this course. There will be no extra credit options unless assigned by the instructor following
an excused absence. There will be no make-up exam except in cases where an exam was missed
due to an excused absence. If an exam is missed as a result of an excused absence, then either a
make-up exam will be scheduled, or the weight assigned to other elements in the course will be
adjusted.
ACADEMIC DISHONESTY
Any form of academic dishonesty will not be tolerated during this course. It is the responsibility
of each student to learn what academic dishonesty includes. The Office of Student Conduct can
provide useful information on this topic. The instructor will seek the gravest possible penalty in
accordance with CSUB policies and regulations.
SPECIAL NEEDS
Any student with a disability or having special needs should notify both the instructor and the
Office of Disabled Student Services as soon as possible. The instructor welcomes any student
who wants to discuss issues pertaining to his/her academic progress, ambition, or problem. Just
e-mail, or call me, or drop by to my office anytime.
COURSE OUTLINE
Please note that the following outline does not exhaust all the sociological concepts that we will
be discussing in class. The treatment of a particular sociologist in class will depend on the
repercussion that his/her perspective has on social analysis.
I: INTRODUCTION
Read: Ritzer 1-12: Lemert 21-27
II: AUGUST COMTE
Read: Ritzer 13-40
III: HERBERT SPENCER
Read: Ritzer 69-92
IV: KARL MARX
Read: Ritzer 93-131; Lemert 29-66
EXAM I Thursday, October 07
V: EMILE DURKHEIM
Read: Ritzer 193-238; Lemert 69-99
VI. MAX WEBER
Read: Ritzer 132-192; Lemert 99-125
VII. GEROG SIMMEL
Read: Ritzer 239-266; Lemert 184-188
EXAM II: Tuesday, November 2
VIII. W. E. DUBOIS
Read 333-354; Lemert 162-171
IX. TALCOTT PARSONS
Read: Ritzer 421-XXX; Lemert 213-215
X: GEORGE HERBERT MEAD
Read: Ritzer 290-332; Lemert 224-229
TERM PAPER DUE: Thursday, November 18, 8:30 AM
EXAM III: Tuesday November 30, 8:00-10:30 AM
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR: Dr. AlemSeghed Kebede is a graduate of Oklahoma State
University (MS: Sociology; MA: Philosophy; PhD: Sociology). Prior to joining CSUB, he had a
visiting assistant professor position at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Currently, Alem
Kebede is associate professor of sociology. His research areas include social theory, social
movements, and cross-cultural encounters. His articles have appeared in Sociological Inquiry,
Sociological Perspectives, Sociological Spectrum, Sociological Focus, and Research in Social
Movements. Currently, Alem is conducting research on two projects entitled “’Emperor Haile
GebreSellassie’: The Social Construction of a Hero,” and “Theda Skocpol and the 1974
Ethiopian Revolution.” His recent published article that deals with the notion of “decentered
movements”—a concept that he has coined—has been nominated for 2001 Sociological
Spectrum Best Paper Award. While at CSUB, Alem Kebede has taught Introduction to
Sociology, Theoretical Perspectives in Sociology, Social Stratification, Social Change, Social
Movements and Collective Behavior, The African American Experience, and Advanced
Sociological Theories. During his spare time, Alem Kebede loves to train for marathons. He has
run nine marathons, including the Boston, Los Angeles and New York City Marathons. Alem
Kebede is a native of Ethiopia, East Africa, “who has come [to the United States] today and
decided to stay tomorrow.”