GLCb2025 Sociological Diagnoses of our Times

Faculty of Social Studies
Spring 2023
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 5 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Dr. Werner Binder (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
Dr. Werner Binder
Department of Sociology – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Ing. Soňa Enenkelová
Supplier department: Department of Sociology – Faculty of Social Studies
Timetable
Mon 18:00–19:40 U35
Prerequisites
! SOCb2587 Sociological Diagnoses of our
The course has no prerequesites, except of course for the ability to read English texts and converse in English. It is not only suitable for bachelor students in sociology but also for students from other fields without a sociological background.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 40 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 2/40, only registered: 0/40, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/40
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
Sociological literature, especially in the writings of the classics, often contains a (more or less explicit) diagnosis of the present time of the author (for example, Weber’s characterization of modern capitalism as “iron cage”). In the 20th century, “time diagnosis” emerged as a specific sociological genre, exemplified by works such as Beck's "Risk Society", Bauman’s “Liquid Modernity” or Castell's "Network Society". Time diagnoses offer a sociological interpretation of contemporary society, often with a critical edge and the potential to reach broader educated audiences beyond the confines of the discipline. This course focuses on recently published diagnoses of our times, which we will read and discuss in their entirety, limiting ourselves to one or two monographs per semester.
This year, two recent(ly translated) books by two German sociologists will be at the center of our attention, which not only offer condensed versions of arguments elaborated in larger monographs, but also sharpen them towards a critical time diagnosis.
In End of Illusions (2021), Andreas Reckwitz, arguably the most influential sociologist in contemporary Germany, elaborates on the themes of The Society of Singularities (2020), in which he argues that cultural processes of “singularization” characterize all fields of contemporary society, from economy and work to culture, life-style and politics. End of Illusions (2021) focusses on the social consequences and political challenges, which are the result of cultural processes of singularization.
Similarly, The Uncontrollability of the World (2020) by Hartmut Rosa, Germany’s leading critical theorist, is a follow-up to his voluminous monograph Resonance (2019), in which he develops a sociology of human-world relations. The Uncontrollability of the World (2020) argues that our modern desire to control the world impedes on our capacity to experience “resonance”, which Rosa argues is central to having a good life. Good societies, accordingly, acknowledge the uncontrollability of the world and create opportunities for resonance.
Learning outcomes
After completing the course students will be able to
- read and discuss contemporary sociological texts in English
- identify the key arguments in a text and present them in a written form
- apply general insights from the literature to specific social phenomena in their lives and societies
- think about contemporary challenges to our societies in a sociological way
- understand the role, strenghts and weaknesses of particular time diagnoses as well as of the genre in general
Syllabus
  • Organizational Meeting
  • End of Illusions I – Introduction & Cultural Conflicts as a Struggle over Culture
  • End of Illusions II – From the Leveled Middle-Class Society to the Three-Class Society
  • End of Illusions III – Beyond Industrial Society
  • End of Illusions IV – The Weariness of Self-Actualization
  • End of Illusions V – The Crisis of Liberalism and the Search for the New Political Paradigm
  • Reading Week
  • The Uncontrollability of the World I – Controllability and Resonance
  • The Uncontrollability of the World II – Theses and Observations on Controllability
  • The Uncontrollability of the World III – Controllability and Modernity
Literature
    required literature
  • RECKWITZ, Andreas. The end of illusions : politics, economy, and culture in late modernity. Translated by Valentine A. Pakis. English edition. Cambridge: Polity, 2021, viii, 201. ISBN 9781509545704. info
  • ROSA, Hartmut. The uncontrollability of the world. Translated by James C. Wagner. English edition. Cambridge: Polity, 2020, ix, 132. ISBN 9781509543168. info
    recommended literature
  • RECKWITZ, Andreas. The society of singularities. English edition. Cambridge: Policy, 2020, viii, 416. ISBN 9781509534227. info
  • ROSA, Hartmut. Resonance : a sociology of our relationship to the world. English edition. Cambridge: Polity, 2019, xiv, 554. ISBN 9781509519910. info
Teaching methods
Reading, response papers, class discussion, presentation in class, final essay.
Assessment methods
1. Participation in class – 20%
2. Eight short response papers – 60%
3. Presentation or Final Essay – 20%
Language of instruction
English
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2024, Spring 2025.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2023, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/fss/spring2023/GLCb2025