Queen’s University Department of Sociology SOCY226: Central Concepts in Sociological Theory Fall 2015 Class Times: Friday 9.30am-­‐11.30pm Lecture Room: Ellis Auditorium Tutorials: Check Solus Instructor: Dr. Martin Hand Office: Mac-­‐Corry D529 Office Hours: Mondays 1 -­‐ 3.00pm Email: handm@queensu.ca Phone: 533-­‐6000 ext. 74494 TAs: Michelle Gorea, Melissa Forcione, ATM Mehedi, Jennifer Matsunaga COURSE DESCRIPTION This course builds upon the foundations established in SOCY122 by examining and explaining key concepts in sociological theory. Course content focuses upon key concepts in relation to their historical context, theoretical traditions, and contemporary issues. In encouraging students to be critical and comparative in their application of theory, the course is organized around responses to the following questions: • What are concepts and what can we do with them? • Which concepts have been dominant in social thought and why? • How and in what ways have sociological concepts changed over time? • How does sociological theory relate to social change? AIMS The aim of this course is to provide students with a solid understanding of key concepts, ideas and debates in sociological theory in the modern period, emphasizing their distinctive character and explanatory power. 1
LEARNING OUTCOMES Knowledge By the end of this course, students will have an appreciation and understanding of: • The internal connections between classical and modern approaches to social theory • The transformations in social theory during the 20th century in Europe and North America • The similarities and differences between a plurality of approaches in modern social theory • The key theoretical debates about social transformations in the 20th Century Skills By the end of this course, students will be able to: • Evaluate theoretical arguments and evidence • Use abstract sociological concepts with confidence • Apply theoretical knowledge to an appropriate sociological question • Clearly communicate the meaning of abstract theoretical concepts verbally and in writing • Demonstrate the ability to evaluate and synthesize information obtained from a variety of written sources, and communicate relevant information in different ways. ORGANIZATION AND ASSESSMENT • The course will be taught through a combination of lectures and tutorials. • Lectures will explain the scope, context, substance and detail of the theoretical ideas and concepts under consideration. • Tutorials will involve participatory small group work focused upon the required readings. • It is essential that students are familiar with the readings prior to each tutorial, in order to participate effectively and be graded accordingly. This is crucial for success. Assessment: • Effective Tutorial Participation: students will be evaluated on their attendance and effective participation in tutorials during the whole course. • Paper 1: (6 pages). Due 22nd October • Paper 2: (6 pages). Due 13th November • Take home exam: (10 pages). Due 11th December More details on all assignments will be provided in Moodle. Students are also advised to begin preparation well in advance of the deadlines. MARK DISTRIBUTION • Effective Participation 20% • Paper 1 25% • Paper 2 25% • Take Home Examination 30%
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ACADEMIC INTEGRITY Academic integrity is constituted by the five core fundamental values of honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility (see www.academicintegrity.org). These values are central to the building, nurturing and sustaining of an academic community in which all members of the community will thrive. Adherence to the values expressed through academic integrity forms a foundation for the "freedom of inquiry and exchange of ideas" essential to the intellectual life of the University (see the Senate Report on Principles and Priorities). Students are responsible for familiarizing themselves with the regulations concerning academic integrity and for ensuring that their assignments conform to the principles of academic integrity. Information on academic integrity is available in the Arts and Science Calendar (see Academic Regulation 1), on the Arts and Science website (see http://www.queensu.ca/calendars/artsci/Regulation_1____Academic_Integrity.html), and from the instructors. Departures from academic integrity include plagiarism, use of unauthorized materials, facilitation, forgery and falsification, and are antithetical to the development of an academic community at Queen's. Given the seriousness of these matters, actions which contravene the regulation on academic integrity carry sanctions that can range from a warning or the loss of grades on an assignment to the failure of a course to a requirement to withdraw from the university. Also you may wish to review the information on the Arts/Sci website for students: http://www.queensu.ca/artsci/about/academic-­‐integrity GRADING Late assignments will receive a penalty of 5% per day after the submission time. All the assignments will receive a numerical percentage mark. The final grade you receive for the course will be delivered by converting your numerical course average to a letter grade according to the Queen’s Official Grade Conversion Scale: Queen’s Official Grade Numerical Range Conversion Scale Grade (Range) A+ 90-­‐100 A 85-­‐89 A-­‐ 80-­‐84 B+ 77-­‐79 B 73-­‐76 B-­‐ 70-­‐72 C+ 67-­‐69 C 63-­‐66 C-­‐ 60-­‐62 D+ 57-­‐59 D 53-­‐56 D-­‐ 50-­‐52 F 49 and below 3
MOODLE, READING AND OTHER RESOURCES This course uses Moodle to provide all the required resources, including course outline, lecture slides for the purposes of note taking, links to the required readings, and TA information. The material on the website is copyrighted and is for the sole use of students registered in SOCY226 during the Fall 2015 semester. The material on this website may be downloaded for a registered student’s personal use, but shall not be distributed or disseminated to anyone other than students registered in SOCY226. Failure to abide by these conditions is a breach of copyright, and may also constitute a breach of academic integrity under the University Senate’s Academic Integrity Policy Statement. The required reading in the course outline is exactly what it says it is – you will need to engage with this material in order to succeed in participating satisfactorily and producing successful assignments. Readings usually involve a mixture of primary and secondary sources. Additional readings will be helpful throughout and suggestions will be provided. Use all the resources at your disposal – your lecture a n d t u t o r i a l notes from class, required and additional readings, and other appropriate source material. Recent Textbooks Allan, K. (2013) Contemporary Social and Sociological Theory. 3rd Edition. London: Sage. Calhoun, C. et. al. (2012) Contemporary Sociological Theory. 3rd. Edition. Oxford: Blackwell. Elliott, A. (2009) Contemporary Social Theory. London: Routledge. Elliott, A. Lemert, C. (2014) Introduction to Contemporary Social Theory. London: Routledge. Mann, D. (2011) Understanding Society. 2nd Edition. Oxford: OUP. Turner, J. (2013) Contemporary Sociological Theory. London: Sage. Relevant Journals Theory, Culture & Society European Journal of Social Theory Sociological Theory Theory & Society British Journal of Sociology Economy & Society Acta Sociologica Sociology Sociological Review Media, Culture & Society Body & Society Cultural Sociology Gender & Society Feminist Theory 4
COURSE STRUCTURE AND READINGS Tutorials will be based on the previous week’s readings. [1] 18th September Lecture: introduction to sociological theory and concepts Tutorials: No tutorials in the first week Required Tutorial Reading: Dillon, M. (2014) ‘Welcome to Sociological Theory’, Chapter 1 in Introduction to Sociological Theory. New York: Wiley-­‐Blackwell. Further Reading: Bilton T. et al. (2002) Introductory Sociology, Palgrave, Ch.1 Fulcher, J. and Scott, J. (2003) Sociology, Oxford: Oxford University Press. ch.1 Giddens, A. (2006) Sociology, Cambridge: Polity Press. ch.1 Jenkins, R. (2002) Foundations of Sociology, Basingstoke: Palgrave. chs. 1 and 2 Lee, D. and Newby, H. (1995) The Problem of Sociology, London: Routledge. Part 1 Macionis J. and Plummer K. (2008) Sociology: A Global Introduction Pearson Ch.1 Marsh I and Keating M. (2006) Sociology: Making Sense of Society, Pearson, Ch.1 Scott, J. (1995) Sociological Theory, Aldershot: Brookfield. ch.1 Wright Mills, C. (1959) The Sociological Imagination, Harmondsworth: Penguin ch 1. [2] 25th September Lecture: Revolution, Reification, and Hegemony Tutorials: introduction and what’s the point of theory Required Tutorial Reading: Mann, D. (2011) ‘The Debate over Materialism’, Chapter 3 in Understanding Society, Oxford: OUP, specifically pages 59 – 73. Joseph, J. (2006) ‘Praxis Marxism’, Chapter 4 in Marxism and Social Theory, Basingstoke:Palgrave. Further Reading: Feenberg, A. 2014. “Reification and Rationality.” Pp. 61-­‐ 91 in The Philosophy of Praxis, by A. Feenberg. London, New York: Verso. Honneth, A. 2008. “Reification: A New Look at an Old Idea.” Pp. 17-­‐97 in 5
Reification: A New Look at an Old Idea, edited by M. Jay. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press. Renault, E. 2007. “From Fordism to Post-­‐Fordism: Beyond or Back to Alienation?” Translated by S. Corcoran. Critical Horizons: A Journal of Philosophy and Social theory. Vol. 8 (2): 205-­‐220. [3] 2nd October Lecture: Functionalism and Social Order Tutorials: revolution and reification Required Tutorial Reading: Mann, D. (2011) ‘Functionalism and its Critics’, Chapter 2 in Understanding Society, Oxford: OUP, specifically pages 24 – 45. Swingewood, A. (2000) ‘Functionalism’, Chapter 6 in A Short History of Sociological Thought, New York: St. Martins Press. Further Reading: Lidz, V. (2003)’Talcott Parsons’ in Ritzer, G. The Blackwell Companion to Major Classical Social Theorists, Malden MA, Blackwell: 376-­‐ 419. Parsons, T. (1951) ‘The Action Frame of Reference and the General Theory of Action Systems: Culture, Personality and the Place of Social Systems’, in The Social System, Free Press, Glencoe, IL: 3-­‐23. Gerhardt, U (2002) Talcott Parsons: an intellectual biography, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Holmwood, J. (1996) Founding sociology? : Talcott Parsons and the idea of general theory, London; New York : Longman Group. Mills, C. W. (1959). The Sociological Imagination. Oxford: Oxford University Press Robertson, R. and Turner, BS (1991). Talcott Parsons: theorist of modernity, London: Sage. Rocher, G. (1974) Talcott Parsons and American Sociology, London: Nelson. 6
[4] 9th October Lecture: The Culture Industry Tutorials: functionalism and social order Required Tutorial Reading: Adorno, T. Horkheimer, M. (1947) ‘The Culture Industry: enlightenment as mass deception’, in Dialectic of Enlightenment (2002). Stanford: SUP. Dunn, R.G. (2008) Identifying Consumption. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. Chapter 1: The Triumph of the Commodity: theoretical lineages’. Further Reading: Adorno, T. W. (1991) ‘Culture Industry Revisited’ in J.M. Bernstein (ed.) The Culture Industry: Selected Essays on Mass Culture. London: Routledge. Bernstein, J. M. (1991) The Culture Industry: Selected Essays on Mass Culture. London: Routledge. Crook, S. (1994) Adorno: The Stars Down to Earth and Other Essays on the Irrational in Culture. London: Routledge. Horkheimer, M. and Adorno, T.W. (1972 & 2000) Dialectic of Enlightenment. New York: Continuum, 2000. Huhn, T. (2004) The Cambridge Companion to Adorno. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Jarvis, S. (1998) Adorno: A Critical Introduction. Oxford : Polity Press. Introduction: pp.1-­‐19; Dialectic of Enlightenment: pp. 20-­‐43 Jenks, C. (1993) Culture. London: Routledge. O’Connor, B. (2000) The Adorno Reader. Oxford: Blackwell. Swingewood, A. (1977) The Myth of Mass Culture. London: Macmillan. Tar, Z. (1979) The Frankfurt School: The Critical Theories of Max Horkheimer and Theodor W. Adorno. New York : Wiley. Thompson, J. B. (1990) Ideology and Modern Culture: Critical Social Theory in the Era of Mass Communication. Stanford: Stanford University Press. Stein U. Larsen. 2011. “Decomposition and Recomposition of Theories: How to Arrive at Useful Ideas Explaining Fascism.” Pp. 13-­‐53 in Rethinking the Nature of Fascism, edited by A. Costa Pinto. New York: Palgrave. Conversi, D. 2009. “Art, Nationalism and War: Political Futurism in Italy (1909-­‐ 1944)”. Sociology Compass, Vol. 3 (1):92-­‐117. Adorno, T, W. and Rabinbach. 1975. “Culture Industry Reconsidered.” The New German Critique, Vol. 6 (6):12-­‐19. 7
[5] 16th October Lecture: White Collar and Black Power Tutorials: culture industry and instrumental rationality Required Tutorial Reading: Mills, C. Wright. (1956) ‘Introduction’ and ‘Status Panic’, in White Collar: The American Middle Classes, New York: galaxy. Van Horne, W.A. 2007. “The Concept of Black Power and Its Continued Relevance”. Journal of Black Studies. Vol. 37 (3): 365-­‐389. Further Reading: Mills, C. Wright. (1956). The Power Elite. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press. Mills, C. Wright. (1959). The Sociological Imagination. Oxford, New York: OUP. Back, L. Solomos, J. (ed.) (2000) Theories of Race and Racism: A Reader. New York: Routledge. George M. Fredrickson, Racism: A Short History (Princeton University Press, 2002), 1-­‐13. Peter Bearman, Doormen (University of Chicago Press, 2005), 38-­‐63 and 102-­‐138. Elijah Anderson, The Cosmopolitan Canopy: Race and Civility in Everyday Life (Norton, 2011). 249-­‐273. Devah Pager, "The Mark of a Criminal Record," American Journal of Sociology 108(2003), 937-­‐975. Freeman, Michael (2002) Human Rights: An Interdisciplinary Approach (Key Concepts) Cambridge: Polity Morris, Lydia (ed) (2006) Rights: Sociological Perspectives Routledge Fanon, F. (1967) Black Skin, White Masks. New York: Grove Press. Fanon, F. (1961) The Wretched of the Earth. New York: Grove Press. Gilroy, P. (2000) Against Race: imagining political culture beyond the colour line. Cambridge, MA: HUP. Gilroy, Paul (1987). There Ain’t No Black in the Union Jack’: The Cultural Politics of Race and Nation. London: Hutchinson. [6] 23rd October Lecture: Rational Choice and Social Exchange Tutorials: white collar and black power Required Tutorial Reading: Homans, G.C. (1958) ‘Social Behaviour as Exchange’, American Journal of Sociology, Vol. 63: 6, pp 597-­‐606. Craib, I. (1992) ‘Rational Choice Theory: the price of everything’, Chapter 4, in Modern Social 8
Theory, New York: St Martins press. Further Reading: Coleman, J. 1990. Foundations of social theory. Cambridge, MA: Belknap. Hedström, P., and C. Stern. 2008. Rational choice and sociology. In The new Palgrave dictionary of economics. Edited by S. N. Durlauf and L. E. Blume, 872–877. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan. Goldthorpe, J. 1998. Rational action theory for sociology. British Journal of Sociology 49.2: 167–192. Lindenberg, S. 2006. Rational choice theory. In International encyclopedia of economic sociology. Edited by J. Beckert and M. Zafirovski, 548–552. New York: Routledge. Udehn, L. 2001. Methodological individualism: Background, history, and meaning. London: Routledge Voss, T., and M. Abraham. 2000. Rational choice theory in sociology: A survey. In The international handbook of sociology. Edited by S. R. Quah and A. Sales, 50–83. London: SAGE. Boudon, R. 2010. Beyond rational choice theory. Annual Review of Sociology 29:1–21. Hechter, M., and S. Kanazawa. 1997. Sociological rational choice theory. Annual Review of Sociology 23:191–214. Hastie, R., and R. Dawes. 2010. Rational choice in an uncertain world. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE. Kiser, E., and M. Hechter. 1998. The debate on historical sociology: Rational choice theory and its critics. American Journal of Sociology 104.3: 785–816. [7] 30th October Lecture: Everyday Life and the Self Tutorials: rational choice and exchange Required Tutorial Reading: Scott, S. (2009) Making Sense of Everyday Life. Cambridge: Polity. Chapter 2: Theorizing the Mundane. Pp. 10-­‐32. Goffman, E. (1959) The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. Pp. 17-­‐25. Further Reading: Goffman E, (1968) Asylums: Essays on the social Situation of Mental Patients and Other Inmates, London: Penguin Blumer, H. (1969) Symbolic Interactionism: Perspective and Method. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-­‐Hall. Charon, J.M. (1998) Symbolic Interactionism: An Introduction, An interpretation, An 9
Integration. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall. Elias, N. (1991) The Society of Individuals. Oxford: Blackwell. Jenkins, R. (1996) Social Identity. London: Routledge. Mead, G. H. (1934) Mind, Self, and Society: From the Standpoint of a Social Behaviorist. Mead, G. H. (1999) ‘The Self, the I and the Me’, in C. Lemert (ed.) Social Theory: The Multicultural and Classic Readings. Boulder: Westview Press. Swingewood, A. (2000) A Short History of Sociological Thought, Basingstoke: Palgrave. ch.7 Woods, P. (1990) Symbolic Interactionism: Theory and Method. Milton Keynes. Goffman, E. (1983) ‘The Interaction Order’, American Sociological Review, 48: 1-­‐17. Lemert, C. and Branaman, A. (1997) The Goffman Reader. Malden: Blackwell. Manning, P. (1992) Erving Goffman and Modern Sociology. Cambridge: Polity Press. Rawls, A. (1987) ‘The Interaction Order Sui Generis: Goffman’s Contribution to Social Theory’, Sociological Theory, 5: 136-­‐149. Smith, G. (2006) Erving Goffman. London: Routledge. Blumer, H. 1969. “The Methodological Position of Symbolic Interactionism.” Pp. 1-­‐60 in Symbolic Interactionism: Perspective and Method. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall [8] 6th Nov Lecture: Existentialism, Phenomenology and Ethnomethodology Tutorials: everyday life and self-­‐presentation Required Tutorial Reading: Roberts, B. (2006) ‘Phenomenology and Ethnomethodology’, Chapter 6 in Micro Social Theory, Basingstoke: Palgrave. Garfinkel, H. (1967) ‘Studies of the Routine Grounds of Everyday Activities’, Chapter 45 in Kivisto, P. (ed.) Social Theory. Oxford: OUP. Further Reading: Garfinkel, H. 1967. “What is ethnomethodology”, Pp. 1-­‐34 in Studies in ethnomethodology. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall Berger, P.L. and Luckmann, T. 1967. “Introduction: The Problem of the Sociology of Knowledge.” Pp. 1-­‐18 in The Social Construction of Reality: A Treatise in the Sociology of Knowledge. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday. Berger, P.L. and Luckmann, T. 1967. “The Foundations of Knowledge in Everyday Life.” Pp. 19-­‐27 in The Social Construction of Reality: A Treatise in the Sociology of Knowledge. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday. Schutz, A. 1967 [1932]. “The Constitution of Meaningful Lived Experience in the Constitutor’s Own Stream of Consciousness,” chapter 2. Pp. 45-­‐96 in The Phenomenology of the Social World. Evanston, Ill.: Northwestern University Press. 1
Schutz, Alfred. 1945. “On Multiple Realities.” Philosophy and Phenomenological Research 5(4): 533-­‐576. [9] 13th November No class Tutorials: no class [10] 20th November Lecture: Patriarchy and Equality Tutorials: existentialism, phenomenology and ethnomethodology Required Tutorial Reading: Whelehan, I. (1995) ‘Radical Feminism’, Chapter 3 in Modern Feminist Thought. Edinburgh: EUP. Smith, D.H. (1992) Sociology from Women’s Experience: a reaffirmation’, Sociological Theory, Vol. 10(1): 88-­‐98. Further Reading: Adkins, L. (2006) ‘Feminist Social Theory’, in A. Harrington (ed) Modern Social Theory. Oxford University Press. Jackson, S. and Scott, S. (eds.) (2002) Gender: A Sociological Reader, Routledge: London, see especially ‘Introduction’ Andermahr, S. et al (2000) A Glossary of Feminist Theory. Arnold. Beasley, C. (1999) What is Feminism? And Introduction to Feminist Theory. Sage. Delamont, S. (2003) Feminist Sociology. Sage. Evans, J. (1995) Feminist Theory Today. Sage. Evans, M. (1997) Introducing Contemporary Feminist Thought. Polity Press. Letherby, G. (2003) Feminist Research in Theory and Practice. Open University Press. Saul, J. (2003) Feminism: Issues and Arguments. Oxford University Press. Smith, D. (1987) The Everyday World as Problematic. Northeastern University Tietjen Meyers, D. (1997) Feminist Social Thought: A Reader. Routledge. Tong, R. (1989) Feminist Thought: A Comprehensive Introduction. Westview Press. Walby, S. (1997) Gender Transformations. Routledge. Walby, S. (1990) Theorising Patriarchy. Blackwell. Moore, H. (1994) ‘The Cultural Constitution of Gender’ in The Polity Reader in Gender Studies, Polity: Oxford Walby, S. (1994) ‘Towards a Theory of Patriarchy’ in The Polity Reader in Gender Studies, Polity: Oxford Connell, R. W. (1994) ‘Gender Regimes and the Gender Order’ in The Polity Reader in Gender Studies, Polity: Oxford 1
Abbott, P. and Wallace, C. (1990) An Introduction to Sociology: Feminist Perspectives, see especially chapter 1 Firestone, S. 1971. “The Ultimate Revolution: Demands and Speculations.” Pp. 232-­‐274 in The Dialectic of Sex: The Case for Feminist Revolution. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Smith, E.D. 1990. “Women’s Experience as a Radical Critique of Sociology.” Pp. 11-­‐30 in The Conceptual Practices of Power: A Feminist Sociology of Knowledge. Boston, MA: Northeastern University Press. Biklen, S, Marshall, C. and Pollard. 2008. “Experiencing second-­‐wave feminism in the USA”. Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, Vol. 29 (4): 251-­‐469. Hollows, J. 2013. “Spare Rib, Second-­‐Wave-­‐Feminism and the Politics of Consumption”. Feminist Media Studies. Vol. 13 (2): 268-­‐287. [11] 27th November Lecture: Structures of Power Tutorials: patriarchy and equality Required Tutorial Reading: Allan, K. (2013) ‘Structures of Power: Michel Foucault’, Chapter 9 in Contemporary Social and Sociological Theory, Los Angeles: Sage. Danaher, g. et. al. (2000) Understanding Foucault. London: Sage. Chapters 2 and 3. Further Reading: Foucault, M. (1991) ‘Docile Bodies’ in his Discipline and Punish, Penguin Foucault, M. (1988) ‘Technologies of the self’ in L.H. Martin et al (eds) Technologies of the Self: a Seminar with Michel Foucault. London: Tavistock; and in Rabinow, P. ed. The essential works of Michel Foucault, 1954-­‐1984. Vol. 1, Ethics. London: The Penguin Press. Foucault, M. (1990) The History of Sexuality vol. 1: The Will to Knowledge, Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. [especially part one: ‘We Other Victorians’ and Part Two-­‐Chapter 2: ‘The Perverse Implantation’] Foucault, M. (1986) ‘Enkrateia’ in The History of Sexuality vol. 2: The Use of Pleasure, Penguin Books. Rabinow, P. (1991) The Foucault Reader: an Introduction to Foucault’s Thought, Harmondsworth: Penguin Books Bernauer, J. (1988) ‘Michel Foucault’s ecstatic thinking’ in James Bernauer and David Rasmussen, The Final Foucault. MIT Press. Kurzweil, E. 1980. “Claude Levi-­‐Strauss: The Father of Structuralism.” Pp. 13-­‐34 in The Age of Structuralism: From Levi-­‐Strauss to Foucault. New Brunswick and London: Transaction Publishers. Lizardo, O. 2010. “Beyond the antinomies of structure: Levi-­‐Strauss, Giddens, Bourdieu, and Sewell”. Theory and Society, Vol. 36 (9): 651-­‐688. 1
Wolff, R.D. 2005. “Ideological State Apparatuses, Consumerism, and U.S. Capitalism: Lessons for the Left”. Rethinking Marxism, Vol. 17 (2): 223-­‐235. [12] 4th December Office Hours 9.30 – 3pm Tutorials: structures of power 1