SPEDB006 Sociology

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2026
Extent and Intensity
2/0/0. 6 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
In-person direct teaching
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Ondřej Klíma (lecturer)
prof. Mgr. Klára Šeďová, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
prof. Mgr. Klára Šeďová, Ph.D.
Department of Educational Sciences – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Mgr. et Mgr. Adéla Zajíčková
Supplier department: Department of Educational Sciences – Faculty of Arts
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
The course is an introduction to the discipline of Sociology. It maps origins and development of the discipline, informs about topics dealt with in sociology and possible attitudes and scientific approaches. The aim of the course is to present to students a basic orientation in the discipline. As a result, students understand the specifics of various sociological paradigms, branches and schools, and they know their main representatives and basics of scientific research work. They are well informed about basic topics of contemporary sociology and accessible sources of data about Czech society.
Learning outcomes
The course is aimed to provide students with three types of skills:
• To develop understanding of the basic concepts used in the discipline (social institution, social roles, social action, social structure, stratification, mobility…)
• To understand its basic methodological approaches (quantitative and qualitative methodology, interpretative and constructivist epistemologies)
• To be informed about the existence of sociological branches and to understand their approaches as the examples of practical applications of sociological theory (sociology of family, sociology of education, sociology of stratification and inequality, social politics)
Syllabus
  • BLOCK 1: Assumption of sociology as a science
    What is social theory?
    What is sociology?
    Sociology as a product of crisis

    BLOCK 2: A brief history of sociology
    Antecedents and dead ends
    Structural functionalism and the beginnings of interpretive sociology
    Functionalism and its critics
    Interpretivism and Interactionism
    Critical theory
    Structuralism and poststructuralism

    BLOCK 3: Examples of a sociological approach to specific topics
    Structure and actions in society
    Socialization, family and gender
    Reflexive modernization
    Contemporary research
Literature
    required literature
  • GIDDENS, Anthony. Sociologie. Edited by Jan Jařab. Vyd. 1. Praha: Argo, 1999, 595 s. ISBN 8072031244. info
  • HARRINGTON, Austin. Moderní sociální teorie : základní témata a myšlenkové proudy. Translated by Hana Antonínová. Vyd. 1. Praha: Portál, 2006, 495 s. ISBN 8073670933. info
  • KELLER, Jan. Úvod do sociologie. 4., rozš. vyd. Praha: Sociologické nakladatelství, 1999, 204 s. ISBN 80-85850. info
    recommended literature
  • BAUMAN, Zygmunt and Tim MAY. Myslet sociologicky : netradiční uvedení do sociologie. Translated by Jana Ogrocká. Druhé vydání. Praha: Sociologické nakladatelství, 2010, 239 stran. ISBN 9788074190261. info
  • The Blackwell companion to social theory. Edited by Bryan S. Turner. 2nd ed. Malden: Blackwell, 2000, xx, 570. ISBN 063121366X. info
  • MARTUCCELLI, Danilo. Sociologie modernity : itinerář 20. století. Translated by Pavla Doležalová - Jana Spoustová. 1. vyd. Brno: Centrum pro studium demokracie a kultury, 2008, 494 s. ISBN 9788073251451. info
  • ŠUBRT, Jiří and Jan BALON. Soudobá sociologická teorie. Vyd. 1. Praha: Grada, 2010, 232 s. ISBN 9788024724577. URL info
  • GIDDENS, Anthony. Sociologie. Edited by Philip W. Sutton, Translated by Tereza Jiroutová Kynčlová - Blanka. Aktualizované a rozšířen. Praha: Argo, 2013, 1049 stran. ISBN 9788025708071. info
  • KELLER, Jan. Úvod do sociologie. šesté vydání. Praha: Sociologické nakladatelství, 2012, 204 stran. ISBN 9788074191022. info
  • ALEXANDER, Jeffrey C. The civil sphere. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006, xix, 793. ISBN 0195162501. info
Teaching methods
Lecture and Seminar - explanation, reading of academic literature, discussion

To complete the course, a workload of 150 hours is anticipated (6 ECTS credits):
30 hours – participation in classes
50 hours – reading academic literature, self-study of course materials, and systematic preparation for classes
30 hours – preparation and writing of the seminar paper
40 hours – preparation for the exam
Assessment methods
To successfully complete the course, a minimum of 60 points out of 100 is required. Seminar Paper
The task is to write a text of 6 standard pages on a selected sociological topic. It will not be a free essay, but rather a short essay based on reading. For example, it could involve describing the ideas of a specific sociologist (e.g., Weber, Durkheim, Marx, Parsons, Bourdieu) and evaluating their contribution; comparing the approaches of two or more authors (e.g., how Marx and Weber approached social classes); analyzing a selected sociological concept according to different sociologists (e.g., gender, social capital, social institutions, social roles, integration...); or analyzing a selected phenomenon using sociological concepts.
While writing the text, students must refer to the required literature (at least one of the three books); other texts can be used as desired. The citation style is optional, but it must be consistent throughout the text and follow the Harvard referencing style, not using footnotes.

Final Exam
The final exam will primarily take place in the form of an online questionnaire. It consists of open-ended questions based on the required reading of the course.

Grading Scale:
A: 92-100 points
B: 84-91 points
C: 76-83 points
D: 68-75 points
E: 60-67 points
F: 0-59 points
Náhradní absolvování
Please get in touch with the course instructor regarding further options.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
The course is taught annually.
The course is taught every week.
Listed among pre-requisites of other courses
Teacher's information
Sociological journals in the Czech Republic and Slovakia:
Sociologický časopis, Sociológia (professional journals published by the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic and Slovakia, representing the national peak in the field, both have the so-called impact factor).
Sociální studia (a professional journal published by FSS MU, monothematic issues focused on various areas of sociology, political science, and humanitarian environmental studies).
Data a výzkum / SDA Info (published by the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, focused on methodology and quantitative research).
Biograf (published by the civic association Časopis Biograf, focused on qualitative research and biographical sociology).
Historická sociologie (focused on historical research).
Naše společnost (published by the Academy of Sciences, CVVM, focused on public opinion).
Gender, rovné příležitosti, výzkum (published by the Academy of Sciences, focused on gender inequality).
Demografie (published by the Czech Statistical Office – analyses of the population and demographic phenomena).

Websites of extensive international surveys (the most important sociologically relevant projects in which the Czech Republic has participated in the past or is currently participating. Data from these surveys are available either through their websites or in the Sociological Data Archive):
European Values Study (EVS) Approximately ten-year intervals between individual waves of the survey comparing the attitudes and value orientations of residents of European countries. 2017 – collection of the next wave of surveys also in the Czech Republic.
europeanvaluesstudy.eu
European social survey. (ESS) Comparative survey in European countries since 2001
europeansocialsurvey.org
International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) International survey held annually with a different thematic focus (e.g., Work Orientation, Citizenship, National Identity, Health, Environment, Social Inequality, Family…)
issp.org
Generations & Gender Programme (GGP) International survey focused on life trajectories, intergenerational relationships, and gender
ggp-i.org
Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). Focused on aging and population aging
share-project.org
Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) – focused on comparing student performance
oecd.org
Working group for sociologists focused on cultural sociology
cstnetwork.org
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