Sociological Theory
Soc 4111 Weekly Schedule.
Department of Sociology and Anthropology
UMD

Topics & Outlines Readings - epub, pdf, & html Suggested Readings
Aug. 27 - Sept. 12, 2018 INTELLECTUAL AND SOCIAL CONDITIONS LEADING TO THE RISE OF SOCIOLOGY
This early section of the course provides some historical context to the rise of sociology. This will be a brief overview.


Intellectual, Economic, and Political Revolutions and their impact on Sociologic Thought

Paradigms in Sociology Paradigms
Friedrichs
(David Hume) Scottish Moral Phlilosopher David Hume, (John Locke) English Phlilosopher John Locke, and (Thomas Hobbes) English Phlilosopher Thomas Hobbes: Represent Social Contract Theory

(Jeremy Bentham) English Utilitarian Philosopher Jeremy Bentham

(Adam Smith) Scottish Moral Phlilosopher Adam Smith

(Thomas Malthus) English Philosopher Thomas Malthus

Hobbes; Of the First and Second Natural Laws, and of Contracts.

Locke, Of Property

Smith, Book 1, Chapter 1 of the Wealth of Nations

Smith, Book 1, Chapter 2 of the Wealth of Nations


Sample Review Questions

EARLY SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY
Sept. 19 - Oct. 3, 2018
St. Simon; French Sociologist (socialist) Saint Simon
(Augustus Comte) Founder of Positivist Sociology Augustus Comte;

(Harriet Martineau) First Woman Sociologist Harriet Martineau;

(Herbert Spencer) English Sociologist Social Darwinism before Darwin Spencer
Required
Background on St. Simon
St. Simon's "Letters from an Inhabitant of Geneva to His Contemporaries


Comte, Positive Philosophy - Introduction.

Harriet Martineau, Illustrations of Political Economy

Suggested


Spencer, The Comparative Psychology of Man
Cooley, Reflections Upon the Sociology of Herbert Spencer


Sample Review Questions

October 10 - 22, 2018
(Emile Durkheim)  French Sociologist, Emile Durkheim

Functionalism This is an over view of functionalism, including a small section on Davis and Moore.

(Talcott Parsons) Talcott Parsons established the agenda and set the parameters for sociological theorizing in the United States for a great part of the 20th century. His work is what we call grand theory. Perhaps his most important contribution was the legacy of graduate students he spawned. We will only cover Parsons if time permits. I will let you know as we get to this section.

(Robert Merton) Robert Merton. Although there have been many functionalist theorists, Merton is perhaps one of the brightest. Merton has made many contributions by backing away from grand theory and advocating what is referred to as middle range theory. We will talk about Merton's Anomie theory and, if time, social role theory.
Required
Durkheim, Social Facts
Durkheim, Division of Labor
Merton, Durkheim's Division of Labor in Society


Merton, The Unanticipated Consequences of Purposive Social Action
Merton, Social Structure and Anomie
Merton, Manifest and Latent Functions, (Social Theory and Social Structure)
Suggested
Merton, Recent French Sociology

Parsons, The Structure of Social Action
Parsons, The Unit Act of Action Systems
Parsons, The System of Modern Societies.htm Durkheim, The Realm of Sociology as a Science
An Exchange Between Durkheim and Tonnies...
Merton, Social Time: A Methodological and Functional Analysis
Merton, Sociological Theory
Merton, The Bearing of Empirical Research Upon the Development of Social Theory
Merton, Bureaucratic Structure and Personality, (Social Theory and Social Structure)
Merton, Social Conformity, Deviation, and Opportunity Structures:...
Merton, Insiders and Outsiders: A Chapter in the Sociology of Knowledge
Review Questions
October 29 - Nov. 19, 2018
(Max Weber) German Sociologist Max Weber: The tradition of conflict theory has grown tremendously since the late 1960s in the U.S. There are a variety of approaches within the conflict tradition drawing from both Karl Marx and Max Weber.

(CW Mills) If time permits, we will discuss C.W. Mills, the person who brought conflict theory into the mainstream of sociology; Lewis Coser , one of a few people who has ever cared to try and blend functionalism with conflict theory (He produces an interesting look at the functions of conflict for society.) and; Ralf Dahrendorf, probably the real founder of contemporary conflict theory. He so modified Marxism in the 1950s that today Marxist sociology and conflict sociology are often considered the same.

Martin Luther, A treatise on Good Works

Weber, Protestant Ethic and Spirit of Capitalism

C.W. Mills, The Power Elite

Randall Collins, The Basics Of Conflict Theory

Coser, The Functions of Social Conflict

W.E.B. Dubois, The Economic Future of the Negro

(George Herbert Mead) Chicago Sociologist George H. Mead is often consider one of the founding fathers of Symbolic Interactionism
a product of American Pragmatism and German Idealism.



(Jane Addams) Jane Addams: Considered part of the Chicago School of Interactionism, was more applied and founded Hull House in Chicago.



(Herbert Blumer Herbert Blumer is given most of the credit for founding the approach and providing it with it's name.

Munford Kuhn and the Iowa School of Interactionism: Just who am I anyway?

(Erving Goffman Dramaturgy Theory:, In this approach, all the world is a stage - so get your act together.

Required
Mead, Mind, Self, and Society
Mead, The Genesis of the Self and Social Control
Mead, The Social Self
Mead, The Behavioristic Account of the Significant Symbol

Cooley, Primary Groups
Cooley, Looking-Glass Self

Goffman, Embarrassment and Social Organization
Goffman, The Arts Of Impression Management
Goffman, The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life - The Front
Suggested
Mead, The Mechanism of Social Consciousness
Mead, Natural Rights and the Theory of the Political Institution
Mead, Scientific Method and the Moral Sciences
Mead, The Philosophy of John Dewey
Mead, Cooley's Contribution to American Social Thought
Cooley, Political Economy and Social Process
Cooley, The Theory of Transportation Addams, The Belated Industry
Addams, Trade Unions and Public Duty
Jane Addams, The Spirit of Youth and the City Streets
Addams, The Modern Devil-Baby

Cooley, The Roots of Social Knowledge
Cooley, The Process Social Change
Cooly, A Theory of Social Causation Discussion
Cooley, Social Consciousness

W.I. Thomas, The Unadjusted Girl

Bourdieu, Social Space and Symbolic Power



Review questions for Weber, Mead, and Goffman
November 26 - December 5, 2018

(Karl Marx) German Philosopher, Political Economist, Social Theorist Karl Marx and

(Fredrick Engels) Fredrich Engles

(Karl Marx) Young Karl Marx

(Theodore Adorno)Theodore Adorno and Critical Theory has surfaced as one of the major additions to Marxian sociology. Another addition, among many, to Marxian Theory is World Systems Theory.
Marx and Engles, Manifesto Of The Communist Party

Marx, Commodities (Vol. 1 of Capital)

The Labour-process and The Process Of producing Surplus-value (Vol. 1 of Capital)

Constant Capital And Variable Capital (Vol. 1 of Capital)
Marcuse, One Dimensional Thought

Horkheimer, The Culture Industry: Enlightenment As Mass Deception

Habermas, Legitimation Crisis

Wallerstein, The Modern World-System
(G.W. Bush) Is the resemblance just a coincidence?

Review Questions for Marx and Wallerstein


Exam scheduling


  • Simply the best Karl Marx site on the web
  • G.H. Mead
  • Thomas Kuhn
  • Scientific Revolutions


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