CONTEMPORARY SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY Sociology 920:314:04-05 Murray Hall 213; TTh 4:30-5:50 Department of Sociology Rutgers University Spring 2016

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1 CONTEMPORARY SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY Sociology 920:314:04-05 Murray Hall 213; TTh 4:30-5:50 Department of Sociology Rutgers University Spring 2016 Professor: Paul McLean Office hours: M1:00-3:00, Davison 101C and by appointment Teaching Assistant: Steph Alves Office hours: T2:00-3:00, TBA and by appointment Sociology, like any science, aims for explanation and understanding in our case, explanation and understanding of crucial things like social organization, social practices, social processes, and how differently situated persons experience social life. We generally do sociology in the first place by harnessing our curiosity and/or sense of moral judgment about social things. But going beyond curiosity and ethics, we pursue any explanation of social life (and for that matter, we explore the workings of social life) necessarily by means of theory. Using theory, we aim not only to describe something, but to give an account of it that identifies the key forces or factors producing it, and/or the key consequences flowing from it. That account will inevitably be somewhat stylized and less exhaustive than a complete description would be; but what we lose in detail hopefully we make up for in insight and clarity of comprehension, applicability to other cases, and an increased capacity to bring about social change. At its worst, theorizing can be a dry exercise riddled with confusing concepts. Hopefully we can avoid that experience in this course. At its best, theory is the stimulating lens through which we understand the social world, and it energizes us. Good sociological research is theoretically informed, and all research strives in turn to improve the theories we use. What distinguishes the theory we will discuss in this course most is that it aims to describe the most fundamental or most general features of social organization and to explore social dynamics for society as a whole, rather than treating particular groups or particular social institutions only. We will follow largely a chronological order of presentation in this course. Nevertheless, you should not think of theorizing as a cumulative exercise in which the most recent theory is the best. There are at least two good reasons for rejecting that view. First, theory is an essential part of how we experience and interact with the world, and theorizing necessarily changes as the circumstances of our lives change. We cannot know what theory will be in the future; it is likely that some past theories previously forgotten will be resurrected and assume a new relevance. Theory must be responsive to, and in dialogue with, ever-changing life. Secondly, to quote my colleague Professor Richard Williams Contemporary Theory syllabus, there is no single theoretical perspective that could give us the ability to competently study the complexity of social

2 life. Thus theorizing is always an incomplete exercise, and multiple theories can provide enlightening insight into a single phenomenon. Thus, it would be best to think of theory as an ongoing, contentious, and collaborative debate among a number of impassioned participants, each providing distinctive tools for thinking, rather than a linear succession of ideas and concepts. Our goal is to keep such debate alive, internalize it, and expand on it through critical engagement, both with past theory and with the world around us. Our main goal in this class is learning to theorize, rather than simply learning theory; but that is a very high standard to attain! The learning goals of this course are fourfold: to understand some of the most fundamental arguments and theoretical texts in sociology to devise questions and a critical framework for your own analysis of the social world to develop a sense of how theory is a product of its own time and place to develop your oral and written communication skills, insofar as I highly value thoughtful discussion in the classroom and clear, trenchant writing in written work Readings I have made an effort to keep the number of required pages of reading down, but much of what remains will be DIFFICULT. You should read the material carefully before class and if possible, re-read it after class, to ensure you are achieving an adequate understanding. The good news is that you need not buy any textbook for this course; I have placed all of the required readings on sakai. Readings are sorted by date and labelled clearly with the author s name and a portion of its title. Requirements and Evaluation Your grade in this 4-credit course will be based on the following factors: attendance and participation at lectures and, especially, in recitations (20%); one midterm test in class (20%); two short papers, each about 5-6 pages in length (20% each); a final exam (20%). Attendance will be taken frequently at both lectures and recitations. You are expected to show up on time and stay for the duration, and you will be assessed on the quantity and quality of your classroom participation. The midterm test will be a combination of multiple choice questions, quotation identifications, and short essay answers. The two papers will be written on a topic proposed by the instructors, although you may seek permission to write on a topic of your own choosing if the professor and/or the TA approve. The basic idea in each paper will be to articulate and illustrate the value of some important concept or argument in one or more of the texts we have read, for

3 understanding some social phenomenon. The final exam will consist of multiple choice, short answer, and essay questions covering material largely from the second half of the semester, but also requiring some use of first half materials. The Department of Sociology encourages the free exchange of ideas in a safe, supportive, and productive classroom environment. To facilitate such an environment, students and faculty must act with mutual respect and common courtesy. Behavior that distracts students and faculty is NOT acceptable. Such behavior includes cell phone use, surfing the internet, checking , text messaging, listening to music, reading newspapers, leaving and returning, leaving early without permission, and discourteous remarks. Courteous and lawful expression of disagreement with the ideas of the instructor or fellow students is of course permitted. If a student engages in disruptive behavior, then your instructor, in compliance with the University Code of Student Conduct, is entitled to direct that student to leave class for the remainder of the class period. Serious verbal assaults, harassment, or defamation of the instructor or other students can lead to university disciplinary proceedings. Students are furthermore expected to comply with the University s policies on academic integrity, a statement of which may be found at the following url: Students are expected to attend all classes. If you expect to miss one or two classes, please use the RU absence reporting website to indicate the date and reason for your absence. More prolonged absences must be discussed with the instructors. Lecture and Readings Schedule Week 1 January 19: January 21: Overview of the Course The Goals, Principles, and Pitfalls of Social Theorizing Read: 1) Charles Lemert, Social Theory: Its Uses and Pleasures. Pp in Lemert, Social Theory: The Multicultural and Classic Readings (Westview, 1993) 2) Pierre Bourdieu, On the Possibility of a Field of World Sociology, pp in Social Theory for a Changing Society, edited by Pierre Bourdieu and James Coleman (1991) [FOCUS ON PP ] 3) John Levi Martin, Thinking Through Theory (Norton, 2015), selections

4 Week 2 January 26: Taking a First Stab at a Conceptual Framework Read: Scott Appelrouth and Laura Desfor Edles, How Can We Navigate Social Theory? Pp in Classical and Contemporary Sociological Theory, second edition (Pine Forge 2008) January 28: Structural-Functionalism as a (Dubious?) Theoretical Position Read: 1) Talcott Parsons, The Unit Act of Action Systems (1937), pp in Lemert 2) Talcott Parsons, Actions and Social Systems, pp in Lemert, ed., Social Theory [Excerpt from The System of Modern Societies] 3) Robert K. Merton, Manifest and Latent Functions, pp in Lemert, ed., Social Theory [Excerpt from Social Theory and Social Structure] 4) Robert K. Merton, The Unanticipated Consequences of Social Action (1936), pp in Peter Kevisto, ed., Social Theory: Roots and Branches (Oxford, 2010) 5) Kingsley Davis and Wilbert E. Moore, Some Principles of Stratification, pp in James Farganis, ed., Readings in Social Theory: The Classic Tradition to Post-Modernism, 5 th edition (McGraw-Hill, 2008) Week 3 February 2: Problematizing the Functionalist Frame I: Conflict Theories Read: 1) Herbert J. Gans, The Uses of Poverty: The Poor Pay All, pp in Eve Howard, ed., Classic Readings in Sociology (Thomson, 2004) 2) Ralf Dahrendorf, Social Structure, Group Interests, and Conflict Groups (1959), pp in Farganis 3) C. Wright Mills, The Structure of Power in America (1959), pp in Farganis 4) Antonio Gramsci, Selections from Prison Notebooks, pp. 55-9, , , 238-9, (International Publishers, 1971)

5 February 4: Problematizing the Functionalist Frame II: Freud and Nietzsche Read: 1) Sigmund Freud, The Psychical Apparatus and the Theory of Instincts, pp in Charles Lemert, ed., Social Theory 2) Sigmund Freud, Oedipus, the Child, pp in Lemert, ed., Social Theory 3) Friedrich Nietzsche, The Madman, pp in Peter Kivisto, ed. Week 4 February 9: Toward a Freudian Social Theory Read: 1) Sigmund Freud, Civilization and Its Discontents, sections 2, 3, 5, 7, 8 [in two chunks on sakai] February 11: Meaning, Self, and World: Intersubjectivity and Everyday Life Read: 1) George Herbert Mead, Mind, Self and Society excerpt (1934), pp from Farganis 2) Alfred Schutz, The Phenomenology of the Social World (1932/1967), from Farganis, pp Week 5 February 16: More on Meaning and Intersubjectivity Read: 1) Peter Berger and Thomas Luckmann, Society as a Human Product, pp in Lemert [from their book, The Social Construction of Reality] 2) Harold Garfinkel, Studies in Ethnomethodology, pp. 1-4, 35-49, February 18: Symbols, Performance and the Interaction Order Read: 1) Herbert Blumer, Society as Symbolic Interaction, pp in Farganis 2) Erving Goffman, On Face-Work, pp in Charles Lemert, ed., Social Theory: The Multicultural and Classic Readings [From Interaction Ritual] 3) Erving Goffman, Out-of-frame activity, pp in Alexander and Seidman, eds. [from Frame Analysis]

6 ***FIRST PAPER TOPICS DISTRIBUTED*** Week 6 February 23: Gendered Performances Read: 1) Candace West and Don Zimmerman, Doing Gender, pp in Kivisto 2) Arlie Hochschild, Exploring the Managed Heart, pp in Farganis February 25: Rational Choice Theory: Interests, Exchange, and Aggregation Issues Read: 1) James Coleman, Social Theory, Social Research and a Theory of Action. American Journal of Sociology 91 (1986): ) Richard M. Emerson, Power-Dependence Relations. American Sociological Review 27,1 (February 1962): ) Thomas Schelling, Micromotives and Macrobehavior (Norton 1976), selections Week 7 March 1: March 3: REVIEW and CATCH-UP SESSION MIDTERM EXAMINATION Week 8 March 8: Pierre Bourdieu s Social Theory: The Concept of Habitus Read: 1) Pierre Bourdieu and Loic J. D. Wacquant, An Invitation to Reflexive Sociology, pp. 7-19, [this is part of Wacquant s exposition, really helpful for reading Bourdieu himself] 2) Pierre Bourdieu, The Logic of Practice, chapter 3 [RATHER HARD!] 3) Pierre Bourdieu, Distinction, pp. 1-7 only ***FIRST PAPER DUE*** March 10: Pierre Bourdieu s Social Theory: Fields and Forms of Capital Read: 1) Pierre Bourdieu, The Forms of Capital, pp in J. G. Richardson, ed., Handbook of Theory and Research for the Sociology of Education, 1986)

7 SPRING BREAK, MARCH Week 9 March 22: Towards Postmodernity: Foucault on Power/Knowledge Read: 1) Michel Foucault, Lecture Two: 14 January 1976, in his Power/Knowledge: Selected Interviews and Other Writings, , pp [QUITE HARD] March 24: Disciplinary Regimes and the Body Read: 1) Michel Foucault, Discipline and Punish, pp. 3-7, ( The body of the condemned, and Panopticism ) (Vintage, 1979) 2) Michel Foucault, History of Sexuality: An Introduction (1976), pp Week 10 March 29: Against Essentialism: Postmodern Foundations Read: 1) Jacques Derrida, The Decentering Event in Social Thought, pp in Lemert 2) Jean-François Lyotard, The Postmodern Condition (excerpts), pp in Jeffrey Alexander and Steven Seidman, Culture and Society: Contemporary Debates (Cambridge, 1990) ***SECOND PAPER TOPICS DISTRIBUTED*** March 31: Baudrillard: Simulacra and the Consumption Society Read: 1) Jean Baudrillard, Simulacra and Simulations Week 11 April 5: Identities, Standpoints, Intersections Read: 1) Dorothy Smith, Women s Experience as a Radical Critique of Sociology (1990), pp in Farganis 2) Patricia Hill Collins, Black Feminist Thought in the Matrix of Domination (1990), pp in Lemert 3) Raewyn Connell, Femininity and Masculinity (1995), pp in Kivisto

8 April 7: Contemporary Theoretical Approaches to Race and Ethnicity Read: 1) Michael Omi and Howard Winant, Racial Formation (1986), pp in Racial Formations in the United States (Routledge 1986) 2) Rogers Brubaker, Ethnicity Without Groups, pp in Kivisto Week 12 April 12: Theoretical Bases of Colonialism Read: 1) Ann Laura Stoler, Colonial Studies and the History of Sexuality, pp in Race and the Education of Desire; Foucault s History of Sexuality and the Order of Things (Duke 1995) April 14: Postcolonial Identities and Subaltern Challenges Read: 1) Gayatri Spivak, Can the Subaltern Speak? (1988), pp in Lemert 2) Frantz Fanon, Black Skin, White Masks (Grove Press, 1967), Introduction and chapters 1 and 2 Week 13 April 19: Theorizing Globalization Read: 1) Arjun Appadurai, Disjunction and Difference in the Global Cultural Economy (1996), pp in Kevisto April 21: Modernity, Postmodernity, Subjectivity Read: 1) Anthony Giddens, The Consequences of Modernity ***SECOND PAPERS DUE*** Week 14 April 26: The Effect of Social Networks on the Conduct of Life Read: 1) Lee Rainie and Barry Wellman, Networked: The New Social Operating System, chapters 1 and 7 [in two chunks on sakai]

9 April 28: Network Theories of Social Organization Read: 1) Harrison C. White, Identity and Control (2nd edition; Princeton, 2008), pp. 1-16, 24-26, 36-38, 66-69, [RATHER HARD] FINAL EXAM: WEDNESDAY, MAY 11 4:00-7:00pm MURRAY HALL 213