This course introduces students to the field of sociology through a survey of the main themes, concepts, and controversies within the discipline since its birth in the 19th century. The aim is to develop awareness and understanding of contemporary issues from a global perspective. The course carries four-credits and has a heavier workload than most introductory level courses. Grading is based on three exams (40%); your five best writing assignments (40%); and attendance/participation (20%). Text: Bradshaw, Healey, Smith. Sociology for a New
Century I. The Sociological Perspective
(reading: ch. 1)
What is sociology? How does a “sociological imagination” help us understand the forces shaping our lives? How is it useful in thinking about controversial issues, current events, and solutions to social problems? What are the ideas of Karl Marx, Max Weber, and Emile Durkheim? What sort of society did they live in and are their ideas still valid? How is sociology related to history, political science, economics and psychology? II. Social Frameworks I:
Globalization (reading: ch. 2) Globalization refers to social changes that are
worldwide in scope. In sociology, it is
the largest scale of study. What are
some of the meanings of globalization?
What is the fate of cultural diversity in a globalizing world? How does world inequality affect the
process? What role do transnational corporations play? What is the impact of globalization on the
United States? How does world-systems
explain global social change? III. Social Frameworks II: Socialization (reading: ch. 3 & 4) If globalization is focused on the entire world,
socialization brings us to the level of culture and the individual. How do we acquire a social identity and the
cultural knowledge required to function in society? What are norms and values?
What is the role of conformity and disobedience, inclusion and
exclusion, rewards and punishments? How
does group life figure in Durkheim’s social theory? IV.
Class
and Social Conflict (reading: ch. 5) Some sociologists have argued that class is not a
useful concept to understand social life in the United States. What are the different meanings of class
found in the writings of Marx and Weber?
What is the relationship between class division and social
conflict? Do you view your identity in
class terms? Is the vision of a
classless society too utopian? V. Social Division and Identity:
Race and Ethnicity (reading: ch. 6) Why were the early social theorists largely silent
on race and ethnicity? What is a
race? Is it a biological or social
reality? How is it related to class
inequality? What is the origin of
racial and ethnic groups? Are there
worldwide meanings and social practices related to race? What role have social movements played in
the changing nature of race in the United States? VI.
Exam VII. How do we acquire gender identities? Do gender roles vary across different
societies? What is the connection to
sexuality and sexual expression? What
is the meaning of patriarchy? Are gender
roles changing in the United States and the world in general? What can the workplace, the household and
the media reveal about gender today? VIII. Changing Families (reading: ch.
8) Is the traditional nuclear family dead? What caused its genesis and its demise? How is it related to changes in the American
workplace and the culture of postwar America?
What is a post-modern family?
How is it connected to changing sexual mores, divorce, and
immigration? What are your views on
family? IX. Crime, Deviance and Social
Control (reading: ch. 9) What are the causes of crime? Where do governments derive their legitimacy
to handle crime? What accounts for the
rapid growth of people behind bars in American society? What is deviance? Why are certain types of behavior and not
others defined as deviant? What is the
boundary between drugs and pharmaceuticals?
What were Durkheim’s views on crime and social cohesion? X. States and Politics (reading:
chs. 10 & 11) How did humanity come to be organized into
different nationalities and nation-states?
What is Weber’s definition of the state? Why is violence crucial to understand politics and the social
functions of government? Which social
forces promote the formation of a world government? Is globalization compatible with democratic forms of government? XI.
Exam XII. The American Workplace (reading:
ch. 12) Are Marx’s ideas useful to understand changes in
the American workplace? What is the
impact of globalization and changing gender roles? How does outsourcing affect the workplace and society? XIII. Environmental Crises (reading:
ch. 13) What impact does capitalist industrialization have
on the environment? Are there solutions
to the environmental crisis? XIV. Health and Human Welfare (reading:
chs. 14 & 15) What social priorities account for the problems of
human welfare in the world? What is the
impact of capitalist norms of social organization on public health and the
medical profession? Date of final exam to be announced.
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