Hurl - SOCI 300 Syllabus - 2020-21 PDF

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CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY 2020-2021 DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY AND ANTHROPOLOGY

SOCIOLOGY 300: CLASSICAL SOCIAL THEORY Instructor: Chris Hurl Q&A: Live via Zoom, Tuesdays, 14:00-15:00 Office Hours: one-on-one meetings by appt Email: [email protected]

Lectures: On Demand, via Moodle [updated every Monday] Tutorials: Live via Zoom, Tuesdays, 11 :45-12 :45 TAs: A: Carlos Velasquez [email protected] B: Pierre-Olivier Jourdenais [email protected] C : Onder Gunes [email protected] D: Matthew Dodds-Miller [email protected]

Coursework during COVID: From the outset, I want to acknowledge the exceptional circumstances in which we are living. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this is a highly unusual semester. The situation will require flexibility from all of us. Through the course of the term, I want you to know that I am on your side. I see myself as a collaborator who encourages and helps you succeed in your work. Please try to approach your relationship with me and your classmates in that spirit. In addition, it is likely that all of us will have times in this semester when we are not at our best. I understand that. If that happens, you don’t need to be self-conscious about it with me and it will not affect our working relationship. If at any point you need extra support this semester, please get in touch. Course Description: What explains the gap between the rich and the poor? Why do people behave differently in different societies? Do individuals possess free will, or are they simply a product of their environment? Sociologists have long disputed these sorts of questions. This year-long course provides an introductory survey of classical theoretical perspectives. The aim is to build a conceptual toolbox that can be used in order to understand and analyze various issues – including class inequality, social cohesion, bureaucratic organization and revolutionary change. Beginning with seventeenth-century political philosophy, we will explore how classical thinkers interrogated the rational foundations of social order. We will go onto examine the scientific revolution and the influence of the natural sciences on the development of early sociological approaches. In this context, we will highlight the work of the three canonical figures most closely associated with the emergence of sociology as a discipline – Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim and Max Weber. We’ll also consider several thinkers who were active and influential in the historical development of sociology but who have fallen out of consideration in the canon. Part of our mandate, then, will be to notice the sometimes overlooked workings of social relations like gender, racialization, and sexuality in the foundation of the tradition itself. Altogether, you’ll get a good footing on the core thinkers and lines of inquiry that have shaped this discipline. You will have the opportunity to engage directly with primary texts; develop your own skills of close reading and theoretical analysis; learn to assess the strengths and weaknesses of different, often incompatible theoretical perspectives; and develop your writing and rhetorical skills. Format & Assessment Each week, you will: 1) read a selection of primary source texts, 2) watch two-hours of prerecorded lectures available via Moodle, and 3) attend a live one-hour tutorial with your TA over Zoom. The lectures are not designed to rehash the readings, but to complement them by providing background, context, and clarification. You will have numerous opportunities in live 1

2 weekly consultations and tutorials to engage with and discuss the readings and the ideas that they raise. You will be expected to: → view pre-recorded lectures each week; → read all of the required material before the lectures each week; → prepare for class by bringing notes and questions to tutorials; → participate regularly in tutorials; → attend office hours or otherwise schedule a meeting whenever necessary; → complete all assignments on time. Readings & Textbook: Edles, L. D. & Scott Appelrouth (2020). Sociological Theory in the Classical Era: Text and Readings. (4th edition) Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press. → The textbook is available at Concordia bookstore and on library Reserves. A selection of primary texts is also available in the public domain, mostly through Project Gutenberg. These texts are linked below, in the reading schedule. Course Requirements & Methods of Evaluation: Show-and-tell: 20% For two tutorials (once per term), illustrate and critically reflect on the core argument in the week’s reading through presenting an item for discussion. In a short 5-10 minute presentation, along with a 1-page handout (emailed to your TA beforehand): i) Identify the core argument in the week’s readings. What is the main problem that the theorist is addressing? How do they frame the problem? Based on what kinds of assumptions? ii) Identify a real-world example through which you can illustrate the theorists’ core argument. The item can be a newspaper or magazine article, short video-clip (no longer than 5:00 minutes), photograph, artifact or personal experience. iii) Having applied the core argument to a real world example, what do we learn? Do things look different? With what consequences? iv) Conclude by presenting three (3) critical questions for discussion to the class. Discussants: 10% For four tutorials (twice per term), you will engage in a close reading of the week’s readings and pose at least one question for discussion: In a one-page analysis (between 250 and 500 words) emailed to your TA: i) identify three (3) key quotes from the week’s reading; ii) discuss how each quote illustrates the theorist’s core argument; and iii) critically reflect on the core argument, posing at least one (1) question for discussion. What assumptions does the theorist make in their analysis? What critical issues does the article raise? What dilemmas does it pose for the study of sociology? Participation: 10% Your participation grade is based on a combination of attendance, active participation, and group activity work demonstrating that you have critically engaged with the issues discussed in the readings and lectures. Four papers: 60% Marx paper: 10% Durkheim paper: 15%

3 Weber paper: 15% Cumulative paper or final take-home exam: 20% Some things to notice about this course in terms of its methods of evaluation: I believe that low-stakes, smaller-scale, incremental assignments are more pedagogically useful to students in this class than large cumulative assessments. There is a lot of writing. Attendance, presentations, and discussion questions constitute a huge percentage of the course points. If you decide to take this section of 300, please plan to attend tutorials regularly, participate earnestly, and work steadily. Paper Format All written work is to be type-written or printed using a standard (e.g. Times New Roman) 12-point font and double-spaced, with one-inch margins. Written work for this course is also expected to conform to the grammatical and style standards of formal college writing: in Sociology this usually means using in-text citations (e.g. Weber 1978:85) in order to cite others' texts, and appending a formal bibliography to the end of your paper that lists the texts you have consulted. Submission Protocol Assignments are due at the beginning of tutorials and should be emailed to your TAs. You are responsible for keeping draft copies of your work as well as your research notes until your paper is marked and returned to you. Grades In accordance with the Concordia University Undergraduate Calendar, the letter grades assigned in this course will have the following percentage equivalents: A+ = 90-100 A = 85-89 A - = 80-84 F = Below 50

B+ = 77-79 C+ = 67-69 B = 73-76 C = 63-66 B - = 70-72 C - = 60-62 WDN = Withdrawn from the course

D+ = 57-59 D = 53-56 D - = 50-52

Final grades are subject to the Dean’s approval. Late Papers Late assignments will be penalized 10% for each day (or fraction thereof) past the due date that they are received (including weekends). Note that while assignments submitted more than 6 days past the due date will be corrected, a mark of 0 will be assigned. If you cannot complete an assignment on time because you are ill, you need to submit a doctor’s note accounting for the time lost due to illness. Extensions will only be granted upon the submission of a written application which sets out the basis for the request. Academic Regulations, Accommodations, Plagiarism, Etc. University rules regarding registration, withdrawal, appealing marks, and most anything else you might need to know can be found on the university’s website, here: http://www.concordia.ca/academics/undergraduate/calendar/current/sec16.html Plagiarism Plagiarism is the passing off of someone else's work as your own and is a serious academic offence. For the details of what constitutes plagiarism, the potential penalties and the procedures refer to the section on Academic Integrity in the Undergraduate Calendar. Some

4 of the things I have encountered that count as plagiarism include when people have included in their papers, without citing or putting quotation marks around the writing that is not their own: Wikipedia entries, course notes from classes at other universities, webpages about key figures, sections of books about sociology, and in one case one of my own emails to a student. I don’t believe in creating an atmosphere of suspicion and surveillance in this class, and I know that in general people plagiarize when they’re feeling inadequate or freaked out. So, any time you feel the urge to trust that a random website will be smarter than you in your writing, I earnestly encourage you to write to me or your TA to ask for help, instead. A student found to have plagiarized an assignment may be subject to one of several penalties including: expulsion; suspension from all studies at Concordia; suspension from full-time studies; and/or a reprimand; a refusal of permission to continue or to register in a specific degree program; academic probation; award of an R, Fail, or an ABS. Requests for Academic Accommodations For Students with Disabilities: Students with disabilities needing academic accommodations are required to contact a coordinator at the Access Centre for Students with Disabilities to complete the necessary letters of accommodation. The student must then make an appointment to discuss their needs with the instructor at least two weeks prior to the first in-class exam. This is to ensure sufficient time is available to make the necessary accommodation arrangements. If you miss these deadlines but need disability accommodations, or if you are a disabled student who chooses not to go through administrative classification, please see me. For Religious Obligations: Students requesting academic accommodation on the basis of religious obligation should make a formal, written request to their instructors for alternate dates and/or means of satisfying academic requirements. Such requests should be made during the first two weeks of class, or as soon as possible after the need for accommodation is known to exist, but no later than two weeks before the compulsory event. Students who have questions or want to confirm accommodation eligibility of a religious event or practice may contact an Ombudsperson or the Coordinator of the Multi-Faith Chaplaincy (http://www.concordia.ca/offices/chaplaincy.html) for assistance. For Pregnancy: Pregnant students requiring academic accommodations are encouraged to contact an Equity Advisor in Equity Services to complete a letter of accommodation. The student must then make an appointment to discuss her needs with the instructor at least two weeks prior to the first academic event in which it is anticipated the accommodation will be required. Assistance for Students: Student Success Centre (SSC): www.concordia.ca/students/success Student Learning Services (SLS): www.concordia.ca/students/learning-support Fall 2020 Schedule Date Reading Sept 8

Introduction and welcome to the course

Sept 15

Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan (1660) “Chapter XIII. Of The Naturall Condition Of Mankind” http://www.gutenberg.org/files/3207/3207-h/3207-h.htm#2HCH0013

Do/due

5

Sept 22

Sept 29

Jean-Jacques Rousseau - Book I of The Social Contract (1762) https://www.marxists.org/reference/subject/economics/rousseau/social -contract/ch01.htm Auguste Comte. The Positive Philosophy of Auguste Comte (1853). Chapter 1, pp. 27-42. http://socserv2.mcmaster.ca/~econ/ugcm/3ll3/comte/Philosophy1.pdf Herbert Spencer. (1874). The Principles of Sociology. “The Evolution of Society,” pp. 6-27. http://media.pfeiffer.edu/lridener/DSS/Spencer/SPENCER.HTML GWF Hegel. General Introduction to the Philosophy of History. https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/hegel/works/hi/introducti on.htm Karl Marx. Selections from The German Ideology (E&A 55-64)

Oct 6

Marx. Selections from Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844: Alienated Labour (E&A 65-73)

Oct 13

Marx & Engels. Manifesto of the Communist Party (E&A 74-87)

Nov 3

David Émile Durkheim. Selections from The Division of Labor in Society (E&A 112-121) Durkheim. Selections from The Rules of the Sociological Method (E&A 122131)

Nov 10 Nov 17

Durkheim. Selections from Suicide: A Study in Sociology. (E&A 132-146)

Nov 24

Durkheim. Selection from The Elementary Forms of Religious Life (E&A 148-164)

Dec 1

Review

Durkheim Paper Due

Winter 2021 Schedule Jan 12

Charlotte Perkins Gilman. “The Yellow Wallpaper” and “Why I Wrote The Yellow Wallpaper” (E&A 241-251)

Jan 19

Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Selections from Women and Economics (E&A 252-277)

Jan 26

Max Weber. Selections from The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (E&A 183-197)

Feb 2

Weber. Selections from “The Types of Legitimate Domination” (E&A 208-215)

Feb 9

Weber. Selections from “Bureaucracy” (E&A 216-223)

Feb 16

W.E.B Du Bois. Selections from The Philadelphia Negro. (E&A 353-360)

Feb 23

Du Bois. Selections from The Souls of Black Folk. (E&A 361-375)

Mar 2

Winter reading week – no class

Weber Paper Due

6 Mar 9 Mar 16

Simmel. Selections from “Conflict” (E&A. 304-309) Simmel. “The Stranger” (E&A 310-313)

Mar 23

Simmel. “Fashion,” and “The Metropolis and Mental life” (E&A 314320; 321-330)

Mar 30 Apr 6 Apr 13 TBA

Mead, “ Mind,” and “Self” (E&A 393-399; 400-413) Mead, “Introduction to Society” (E&A 414-422) Last day of class – wrapping up and farewell Cumulative Paper or Take-Home Due...