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SOC 335 (LEC B1): Themes in Contemporary Social Theory
Summer, 2019
Tues. & Thurs., 9-11.50 AM T1 - 83
Instructor: Dr. Michael Vallee Office: 4-13 Tory Building Office Hours: By appointment Email: [email protected] Phone: 780-492-0488
COURSE PREREQUISITE:
SOC 212 or consent of the instructor.
COURSE MATERIALS (All Required):
Beamish, R. (2016). The Promise of Sociology: Classical Approaches to Contemporary Society. Toronto:
University of Toronto Press.
Swedberg, R. (2014). The Art of Social Theory. Princeton and Oxford: Princeton University Press.
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
The official course description says the following: “Major theoretical questions through analysis of works by contemporary theorists.” In this section, we will try to activate the sociological imagination by
theorizing the world as we observe it, with persistent reference to key texts encountered in the lectures.
This course will introduce you to social theory as a ‘quality of mind’ that arises from routine, steadfast, and disciplined observation: that is, a means for theorizing, analyzing, and understanding the world you already inhabit in such a way that allows you to find the ‘strange in the familiar’. You will identify the main tenets of theory, or better yet theorizing, and will learn what it means to theorize the world sociologically by reading some of the best and most approachable work in recent years. You will also be provided with a theoretical backdrop to each reading, in two standardized texts, in order to
demonstrate how theory is less a protected canon of works than it is an exciting and evolving field of concepts intended to help understand the social. By way of actively theorizing through a range of observational exercises, you will come to see first-hand what it means to reflect critically on assumptions you might make about the social world and the potential for sociological thought COURSE OBJECTIVES:
2 Objective #1: Participating: You are required to read, memorize, and comprehend a number of
perspectives that will fine-tune your understanding of sociological thought. If you skip out on classes you will be lost, because (A) we will be covering a lot of historical and theoretical territory that cannot be located solely in the accompanying texts, and (B) the texts are usually not exactly self-explanatory. If you skip your readings, you will be bored, because I run my classes with the presumption that you have read ahead of time. And I do not use PowerPoint. I do not post my lecture notes. I do not post podcasts. I do not post anything. You will be expected to attend classes, take notes, learn and understand some technical sociological terminology and to recognize and accurately identify details of different approaches in your writing.
Objective #2: Reading: Reading for a university course is an active academic exercise, one that requires patience and pace. Always take notes when you read. When you take notes, try to consistently
paraphrase what you’ve read. It’s dialectical: you read a little, you write a little, you read a little, you write a little more. Soon enough, you’ll find yourself in the midst of an original idea and will be writing a wholly distinctive thought, observation, criticism, or hypothesis. Write down quotes also, especially when a passage stands out as exceptionally eloquent.
When you study, read your lecture notes and cross-reference those with the notes you took from the text. You can never read enough. You can only read up to the time of the examinations and the paper when you are forced to commit your thoughts to a document. When you read actively, not only will you have retained the information better, you will be able to think through and articulate concepts more accurately. If you’ve been reading passively then you’ve likely retained very little.
Sometimes people are overwhelmed with the amount of historical/theoretical information in a course such as this. As in most university courses, however, the way to understand this information so that you will be well prepared for the assignments lies in looking at the content of the course as an edifice rather than a series of disconnected facts. That is, while memorization of specific theories and people is important generally, the assignments will assess how the various “facts” fit together into a larger context: in other words, within a general school of thought, what is going on? What behaviours are of interest? Which thought influences other thoughts? What comes after what? For those who are worried about how to organize the information from the lectures and readings, I suggest that you create a chart:
going across the top of the page, list the theories studied during a given portion of the class; then, beneath the theory’s name, answer the following questions, if they are relevant.
1. When and where did these theories become important?
2. Who were the most important scholars in these theories?
3. For whom was the theory intended? What concerns were involved in developing the theory?
4. What were the innovations of this theory? What did this theory retain from other theories?
What did it abandon? How did it influence subsequent theories?
5. What issues were raised and emphasized by the readings and the discussion of them in class?
3 COURSE FORMAT:
The objectives of this course will be learned from a combination of discussion, workshops, fieldwork, group work, and will make use of a little audiovisual material.
CLASSROOM POLICIES/ATMOSPHERE:
Please respect every person’s right to exist in a safe space. This does not mean withholding
disagreement from one another, but discussing and disagreeing in such a way that lends weight to a respectful conversation between mature colleagues. Any perceived intolerance of personal differences will not be tolerated.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
- 2 take-home examinations (submitted July 23 and August 6) and a take-home final examination (TBA)
- Each exam is to be emailed to me for marking and return.
- Each exam is worth 30% and each is based on one essay question.
- Participation/Contribution (10%) and will be determined throughout the course, based on the frequency and/or quality of contributions. The participation/contribution grade will be self- determined.
- Please note: You will be supplied with sample exam questions throughout the course.
On the midterm take-home exams you will be asked to answer one essay question. On the final exam you will be asked to answer one essay question. Standard essay answers, where you provide an argument with three or four supporting pieces of evidence and a conclusion, are acceptable. But because your writing must be ‘claim-driven’, please consider the following criteria when you read and when you study: Clarity of thesis or proposition; Strength and credibility of supporting evidence for the stated position; Consistency of arguments and narrative structure throughout the essay; Analytic deployment and further development of concepts and paradigms presented in the assigned readings and lectures; Persuasiveness of arguments and clarification of specific theories. Further details on these objective will be discussed in the exam reviews, where a grading rubric will be distributed.
EXPLANATORY NOTE ON COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
Please contact me with any questions you have about previous examination material.
GRADING: Please note that your examinations will be assigned letter grades that correspond with the highest percentage in the grade range. Borderline excellent work, for instance, will be given an “A-”
with an explanatory note justifying that assigned grade, and will be given a percentage of 85.
Likewise, “satisfactory” work (i.e. work which fulfills the expectations of the assignment) will be given a letter grade corresponding with the designation of satisfactory (i.e. C- = 61, C = 65, or C+ = 69) and a justification. The final grade will be calculated by adding the percentages and assigning the
corresponding letter grade and grade point.
4 Marks for graded course requirements are given in percentages, to which letter grades are also
assigned, according to the table below. The percentage mark resulting from all graded components produces the final letter grade for the course. Marks for grades are not curved or scaled.
Letter % Pts Descriptor
A+ 90-100 4.0
Excellent
A 86-89 4.0
A- 82-85 3.7
B+ 78-81 3.3
Good
B 74-77 3.0
B- 70-73 2.7
C+ 66-69 2.3
Satisfactory
C 62-65 2.0
C- 58-61 1.7
D+ 54-57 1.3 Poor
D 50-53 1.0 Minimal Pass
F 0-49 0.0 Fail
LECTURE SCHEDULE:
July 9: Why think sociologically?
July 11: Marx and the dialectic of dynamic, unstable social formations (Beamish, ch. 4) July 16: Durkheim and the systematic study of social facts (Beamish, ch. 7)
July 18: Weber and the interpretive understanding of social action (Beamish, ch. 8)
July 23: Examination 1 + Why theorize and can you learn to do it? (Swedberg, introduction) July 25: Starting anew and social observation (Swedberg, chs. 1 & 2)
July 30: Naming, concept, typology, analogy, metaphor, pattern (Swedberg, chs. 3 & 4) August 1: Coming up with an explanation + heuristics (Swedberg, chs. 5 & 6)
August 6: Examination 2 + Practical exercises (Swedberg, ch. 7)
August 8: The role of theory, imagination and art (Swedberg, chs. 9 & 10)
August 13: Historical case study: popular culture and rock ’n’ roll music (Beamish, chs. 11 & 12)
Examination TBA5 ATTENDANCE, ABSENCES, AND MISSED GRADE COMPONENTS:
Regular attendance is essential for optional performance. Regarding absences that may be excusable and procedures for addressing course components missed as a result, consult the Attendance section of the University Calendar.
Absence from Term Work
Students are required to contact me within two working days following the missed exam or term work (or as soon as possible, considering the circumstances) to apply for an excused absence. Excused absences are not automatic and are at my discretion. Below is a list of acceptable documentation to support an absence:
• For incapacitating medical illness, students can present one of the following:
o “University of Alberta Medical Statement” signed by a doctor (this cannot be required, but must be accepted if provided in lieu of other documents).
o “Request for Excused Absence or Deferral of Term Work” Faculty of Arts form o Statutory Declaration" (to be obtained from the Office of the Registrar).
• For all other cases, such as domestic afflictions or religious convictions, the student should submit documentation appropriate to the situation. This could include the following:
o For a death in the family – a copy of the death certificate o For a religious conflict – a letter from the church or pastor o For a car accident – a copy of the accident report
o For other serious afflictions – consult the Instructor or Department about appropriate documents
Policy for Missed Term Exams: Students are required to write a make-up exam or have the percentage weight distributed to other term work and/or the final exam.
Policy for Late Assignments: Late assignments are accepted. Any demerits will be determined by the reason for the lateness.
Absence from Final Exam
If you miss the final exam, you must formally apply to your Faculty Student Services office to be considered for a deferred final exam within two working days from the date of the missed exam (or as soon as possible, considering the circumstances). I cannot approve or deny requests for deferred final exams. Refer to the Absence from Final Exams information provided in the Attendance section of the University Calendar for full details.
6 Date of Deferred Final Exam: Insert Department deferred Exam date, time and location. For Fall 2018 courses, this date is Saturday, January 12, 2019 at 9:00am in BUS 1 10. For Winter 2019 courses, this date is Saturday, May 4, 2019 at 9:00am, location TBD. If you do not have a scheduled final exam in your course, then delete this section, as it is not applicable.Deferral of term work is a privilege and not a right; there is no guarantee that a deferral will be granted. Misrepresentation of Facts to gain a deferral is a serious breach of the Code of Student Behaviour.
STUDENT RESOURCES:
The best all-purpose website for student services is: https://www.ualberta.ca/current-students.
Accessibility Resources (1-80 SUB)
The University of Alberta is committed to creating work and learning communities that inspire and enable all people to reach their full potential. Accessibility Resources promotes an accessible, inclusive, and universally designed environment. For general information or to register for services visit the Accessibility Resources webpage.
LEARNING AND WORKING ENVIRONMENT:
The Faculty of Arts is committed to ensuring that all students, faculty and staff are able to work and study in an environment that is safe and free from discrimination and harassment. It does not tolerate behaviour that undermines that environment.
The University of Alberta acknowledges that we are located on Treaty 6 territory, and respects the histories, languages, and cultures of the First Nations, Métis, Inuit, and all First Peoples of Canada, whose presence continues to enrich our vibrant community.
REQUIRED NOTES:
Academic Integrity
“The University of Alberta is committed to the highest standards of academic integrity and honesty.
Students are expected to be familiar with these standards regarding academic honesty and to uphold the policies of the University in this respect. Students are particularly urged to familiarize themselves with the provisions of the Code of Student Behaviour (online at https://www.ualberta.ca/governance/) and avoid any behaviour which could potentially result in suspicions of cheating, plagiarism,
misrepresentation of facts and/or participation in an offence. Academic dishonesty is a serious offence and can result in suspension or expulsion from the University.”
All students should consult the Academic Integrity website. If you have any questions, ask your instructor.
Audio or Video Recording
“Audio or video recording, digital or otherwise, of lectures, labs, seminars or any other teaching environment by students is allowed only with the prior written consent of the Instructor or as a part of
7 an approved accommodation plan. Student or Instructor content, digital or otherwise, created and/or used within the context of the course is to be used solely for personal study, and is not to be used or distributed for any other purpose without prior written consent from the content author(s).”
Course Outline Policy
"Policy about course outlines can be found in Course Requirements, Evaluation Procedures and Grading of the University Calendar."
Important Dates and Deadlines
REGISTRATION DEADLINE: LAST DAY TO ADD AND DROP COURSES ON BEAR TRACKS: JULY 11 COURSE WITHDRAWAL DEADLINE (50% FEE REFUND): JULY 22
HERITAGE DAY (UNIVERSITY CLOSED): AUGUST 5
COURSE WITHDRAWAL DEADLINE (NO FEE REFUND): AUGUST 6 CLASSES END: AUGUST 14
OFFICIAL FINAL EXAMINATION PERIOD: AUGUST 15-16