Sociology 319 – Contemporary Social Theories

Winter 2006

 

Instructor:         Paul Gingrich

Office:              CL217

Telephone:        585-4196

Fax:                  585-4815

email:                paul.gingrich@uregina.ca

url:                    http://uregina.ca/~gingrich

 

Classes:          Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 11:30 a.m. – 12:20 p.m., ED542

Office hours:   Monday, 1:00 – 2:00 p.m., Thursday, 10:00 – 11:00 a.m., or by appointment.

 

Text and readings

 

Bert N. Adams and R. A. Sydie. 2002.  Contemporary Sociological Theory.  Thousand Oaks, California, Pine Forge Press.  Referred to as CST. 

 

Nancy Fraser and Axel Honneth.  2003.  Redistribution or Recognition?  A Political-Philosophical Exchange.  London, Verso.  HM671  F713   Referred to as RR.

 

Additional assigned readings will be provided as class handouts.  I will also place additional readings on reserve in the University Library or provide links through the web site.

 

Assignments and Grading

First short paper                                   15%                 February 13

Midterm examination                            20%                 March 1 and 3

Second short paper                              15%                 March 20

Third short paper                                  15%                 April 24

Final examination                                  25%                 April 24  (9:00 a.m. – 12 noon)

Discussion and participation                  10%                

Total                                                  100%

 

 

Faculty of Arts Academic Announcements

 

Calendar description

 

The course provides an overview of the development of sociological theories through the 20th century into the 21st century.   Prerequisite:  Two 200-level sociology courses, one of which must  be Sociology 280 or 290, or permission of department head.

 

Tentative class outline

 

Dates

Topic

Readings

January 11-13

Introduction and review of classical theory

CST, Ch. 1, 7

January 16-20

Functionalism

CST, Ch. 2.  Parsons, Merton

January 23-27

Critical theory

CST, Ch. 4.  Habermas, Marcuse

Jan. 30- Feb. 3

Marxism and world systems      

CST, Ch. 5-6, Wright, Wallerstein

February 6-10

Symbolic interactionism (SI)

CST, 164-179.  Blumer, Goffman

February 13-17

SI and ethnomethodology

CST, 179-186. Hochschild, Garfinkel

February   20-25

Mid-term break

 

Feb. 27 – March 3

Systems and structures

CST, Ch. 3. Giddens

March 6-10

Rational choice theory

CST, Ch. 9.  Coleman

March13-17

Feminist sociological theory

CST, Ch. 10.  Smith, Collins

March 20-24

Knowledge and power

CST, Ch. 11.  Foucault, Baudrillard

March 27-31

Fraser and Honneth

RR, 1-109

April 3-7

Fraser and Honneth

RR, 110-267                            

April 10-12

Conclusion

CST, Ch. 12

April 24, 9-noon

Final examination

 

 

 

Last edited January 14, 2006