PGB005 Foundations of sociology

Faculty of Arts
Autumn 2023
Extent and Intensity
2/0/0. 6 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Ondřej Klíma (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
prof. Mgr. Klára Šeďová, Ph.D.
Department of Educational Sciences – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Mgr. Kateřina Zelená
Supplier department: Department of Educational Sciences – Faculty of Arts
Timetable
Thu 12:00–13:40 D22, except Thu 16. 11.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 50 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 30/50, only registered: 0/50
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.
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
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, 1997, 181 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
Teaching methods
Lectures and reading
Assessment methods
To complete the course successfully students must get at least 60 points from 100. The classification of points is divided as follows:
40/60pts: short / long seminar paper
60/40pts: long / short written exam Grading scale: A: 92-100pts
B: 84-91pts
C: 76-83pts
D: 68-75pts
E: 60-67pts
F: 0-59pts
Language of instruction
Czech
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2019, Autumn 2020, Autumn 2021, Autumn 2022, Autumn 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2023, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/autumn2023/PGB005