SOC755 General sociology

Faculty of Social Studies
Autumn 2008
Extent and Intensity
1/1. 15 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Benjamin Jeremiah Vail, Ph.D., M.Sc. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
doc. PhDr. Ing. Radim Marada, Ph.D.
Department of Sociology – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Ing. Soňa Enenkelová
Timetable
Tue 16:00–17:40 exP52
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
This course introduces students to the wide range of social theory that has developed over time in the discipline of Sociology, providing exposure to classical, modern, and contemporary theories. The first half of the course surveys the development of sociological thought, while the second half of the semester features in-depth study of three books representative of important themes in the field that continue to shape sociological thinking today. This literature is featured on the required reading list for the final state exam for students to earn the Masters degree in Sociology.
Syllabus
  • The course is based on weekly seminar meetings in which the required reading is presented and discussed. The weekly topics for the semester include:
  • 1. Introduction to Sociology and Social Theory
  • 2. Classical Sociological Theory
  • 3. Modern Sociological Theory
  • 4. Interactionism, Rational Choice, and Feminist Theories
  • 5. Micro-Macro, Structure-Agency Integration
  • 6. Modernity and Postmodernity
  • 7. Social Construction of Reality, by Berger & Luckmann
  • 8. Practical Reason, by Bourdieu
  • 9. The Consequences of Modernity, by Giddens
  • 10. Review and Conclusion
Literature
  • BOURDIEU, Pierre. Practical reason : on the theory of action. Cambridge: Polity Press, 1998, xi, 153 s. ISBN 0-7456-1625-9. info
  • GIDDENS, Anthony. Sociology [Giddens, 1997]. 3rd. ed. Cambridge: Polity Press, 1997, xiv, 625 s. ISBN 0-7456-1802-2. info
  • GIDDENS, Anthony. The consequences of modernity. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1990, ix, 186. ISBN 0804718911. info
  • RITZER, George. Sociological theory. 1st ed. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1983, xv, 486. ISBN 0394325168. info
  • BERGER, Peter Ludwig and Thomas LUCKMANN. The social construction of reality :a treatise in the sociology of knowledge. 1st pub. London: Penguin Press, 1967, 249 s. ISBN 0-14-013548-0. info
Assessment methods
Students are expected to attend every seminar meeting and participate actively in class. There is one mid-term exam covering information presented in class and the required readings up to that point; a comprehensive final exam at the end of the semester tests all information presented during the semester. Students receive a final letter grade (A-F) for the semester based on the following components:

10% – Class participation and attendance
40% – Mid-term exam
50% – Final exam
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Information on course enrolment limitations: Výhradně pro zahraniční studenty programů "Sociology". Just for " Sociology " Students
Listed among pre-requisites of other courses
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2005, Spring 2006, Autumn 2006, Spring 2007, Autumn 2007, Spring 2008, Spring 2009, Autumn 2009, Spring 2010, Autumn 2010, Autumn 2011, Autumn 2012, Autumn 2013, Autumn 2014, Autumn 2015, Autumn 2016, Autumn 2017, Autumn 2018, Autumn 2019.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2008, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/fss/autumn2008/SOC755