The two books required for this course are available in the bookstore:
1. Kenneth Allan, The Social Lens (Thousand Oaks: Sage
Publishers, 2007).
2. Peter Kivisto, Social Theory: Roots and Branches,
Third Edition (New York: Oxford Press, 2008).
Instructor – Len Berkey Office Hours: By appt.
Course web: www.albion.edu/anthsoc/berkey/THEORY/212fall08.htm
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course is designed to introduce students to the theoretical history of sociology as a social science;
to explore sociology’s intellectual history, if you will. We will begin in the mid nineteenth century and
work our way to the present. Our goals are to:
1) examine a broad range of sociological theories and to analyze what each theorist was
attempting to explain;
2) situate these theories within their socio-historical context; and
3) assess the relevance of these ideas about the nature of social life and organizations for
researching contemporary society.
Our discussions will focus on the actual texts of each theorist, and you will be expected to come to class
having read the material and prepared to debate its meaning and significance.
Famed literary critic Kenneth Burke wrote the following: “Imagine that you enter a parlor. You come late.
When you arrive, others have long preceded you, and they are engaged in a heated discussion, a discussion
too heated for them to pause and tell you exactly what it is about. In fact, the discussion had already begun
long before any of them got there, so that no one present is qualified to retrace for you all the steps that had
gone before. You listen for a while, until you decide that you have caught the tenor of the argument; then
you put in your oar. Someone answers; you answer him; another comes to your defense; another aligns
himself against you, to either the embarrassment or gratification of your opponent, depending upon the quality
of your ally’s assistance. The hour grows late, you must depart. And you do depart, with the discussion
still vigorously in progress.” That is the spirit of this course. You will read from a history of ideas, not to
memorize them but to join in an ongoing conversation about the nature of the social world. Hopefully, your
engagement won’t end with this class.
Much of this material is dense and requires careful reading – sometimes more than once. The selections
aren’t very long on a day-to-day basis, but you should be prepared to spend the time necessary to prepare
yourself for class discussions. Don’t lose your sense of humor!! We will need everyone’s ideas and
perspectives to make this experience worthwhile.
COURSE MATERIALS
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The two books required for this course are available in the bookstore:
1. Kenneth Allan, The Social Lens (Thousand Oaks: Sage Publishers, 2007).
2. Peter Kivisto, Social Theory: Roots and Branches, Third Edition (New York: Oxford Press, 2008).
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COURSE REQUIREMENTS
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Grades for this course will be based upon four components of your work. There will be three essay examinations over the course materials on:
1. Friday, September 26th (25% of your grade) 2. Friday, October 31st (25% of your grade) 3. Monday, December 8th from 11:30- 1:30 p.m.
each worth one quarter of your final grade. The remaining quarter of your final grade will be based upon the quality of your class participation.
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READING ASSIGNMENTS
Week One:
Monday, Aug 25 Overview of the course: What is theory?
“If the standpoint of economics is the market and its expansion, and the standpoint of political science is the state
and the guarantee of political stability, then the standpoint of sociology is civil society and the defense of the social.
In times of market tyranny and state despotism, sociology – in particular its public face – defends the interests of humanity.” Michael Burawoy
“From its very beginnings, modern social theory has been inspired by a noble purpose: to advance human freedom.” Steven Seidman
Wednesday, Aug 27 The Social Lens: pp. xvii-xxii and 1-3
Michael Burawoy, “For Public Sociology” (e-mail)
Friday, Aug 29 The Social Lens: Karl Marx (pp. 10-39)
Week Two:
Monday, Sept 1 Labor Day!!
Wednesday, Sept 3 Social Theory: articles 1 & 2 (“Alienated Labor” and
“The German Ideology”)
Friday, Sept 5 “Preface to A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy”
http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1859/critique-pol-economy/preface-abs.htm
Social Theory: article 3 (“The Manifesto…”)
Week Three:
Monday, Sept 8 The Social Lens: Emile Durkheim (pp. 72- 104)
Wednesday, Sept 10 Social Theory: articles 6 & 7 (“Mechanical and Organic
Solidarity” and “What Is a Social Fact?”)
Friday, Sept 12 Social Theory: article 8 (”Anomic Suicide”)
Robert Putnam, “Bowling Alone: America’s Declining Social Capital”
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/DETOC/assoc/bowling.html
Week Four:
Monday, Sept 15 The Social Lens: Max Weber (pp. 42-70)
Wednesday, Sept 17 Social Theory: articles 11 and 13 (“Objectivity” and “Bureaucracy”)
Friday, Sept 19 Social Theory: article 12 (“The Spirit of Capitalism”)
Week Five:
Monday, Sept 22 The Social Lens: Mead and Simmel (pp. 105-136) Wednesday, Sept 24
Wednesday, Sept 24 Social Theory: article 29 (“The ‘I’ and the ‘Me’ ”)
Friday, Sept 26 EXAMINATION!!
Week Six:
Monday, Sept 29 The Social Lens: Talcott Parsons (pp. 168-199)
October 1 The Social Lens: Robert Merton (pp. 199-209).
Friday, Oct 3 Social Theory: article 30 (“Unanticipated Consequences”)
Week Seven:
Monday, Oct 6 The Social Lens: Wilson and Chafetz (pp. 265-300)
Wednesday, Oct 8 Transgeneration video
Friday, Oct 10 Social Theory: article 52 (“Doing Gender”/ Doing Race?)
Week Eight:
Monday, Oct 13 Fall Break!!
Wednesday, Oct 15 The Social Lens: Blumer and Goffman (pp. 301-349)
Friday, Oct 17 Social Theory: article 39 (“Symbolic Interaction”)
Week Nine:
Monday, Oct 20 Social Theory: article 40 (“Performances”)
Wednesday, Oct 22 The Social Lens: Giddens and Bourdieu (pp. 385-429)
Friday, Oct 24 continued…
Week Ten:
Monday, Oct 27 Social Theory: article 63 (“Reflexivity of Modernity”)
Wednesday, Oct 29 Social Theory: article 65 (“Structures and the Habitus”)
Friday, Oct 31 EXAMINATION!!!
Week Eleven:
Monday, Nov 3 The Social Lens: Identity Politics (pp. 471-517)
Wednesday, Nov 5 Social Theory: articles 54 and 55 (Collins and Smith)
Friday, Nov 7 George Lipsitz, "The Possessive Investment in Whiteness" (e-mail)
Week Twelve:
Monday, Nov 10 The Social Lens: Post-Theories (pp. 519-567)
Wednesday, Nov 12 Social Theory: articles 68 and 69 (“Postmodernity”)
Friday, Nov 14 continued…
Week Thirteen:
Monday, Nov 17 Mary Klages, "Queer Theory" (e-mail)
Wednesday, Nov 19 Steven Seidman, "Queer Theory/Sociology: A Dialogue" (e-mail)
Friday, Nov 21 Social Theory: article 74 (“Sociology of the Body”)
Week Fourteen:
Monday, Nov 24 Globalization video
Wednesday, Nov 26 Thanksgiving!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Week Fifteen:
Monday, Dec 1 Social Theory: article 73 (“Theorizing Globalization”)
Wednesday, Dec 3 Review -- soc major
Friday, Dec 5 Review – grad school… and life