Sociology 15. Foundations of Sociological Theory

SOCIOLOGY 15. FOUNDATIONS OF SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY

FALL 2009

Jerry Himmelstein

110Morgan Hall

Phone: (413) 542-2129

E-mail:

Course website:

REQUIRED READINGS

Eric Hobsbawm, The Age of Revolution

Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, The Marx-Engels Reader (Tucker, ed.)

Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America (Mayer, ed., one volume)

Max Weber, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (Dover edition if possible)

Gerth and Mills, ed., From Max Weber

Emile Durkheim, On Morality and Society (Bellah, ed.)

Durkheim, Suicide

Sigmund Freud, Introductory Lectures on Psychoanalysis

Freud, New Introductory Lectures on Psychoanalysis

Freud, Group Psychology and the Analysis of the Ego

Freud, The Future of an Illusion

All required books are on reserve in the Frost Library and available at Amherst Books for purchase. In addition, I will distribute a short course reader and reading assignments for the papers.

WRITTEN WORK, PARTICIPATION AND COURSE GRADE

Students are required to write three papers of 5-7 pages each in response to readings and questions that the instructor will provide. Papers are due as marked on the syllabus. Each paper counts for ¼ of the course grade.

Students are also expected to participate in class, which also counts for ¼ of the course grade.

THE NATURE OF THE COURSE

This is a text-centered course that requires you to read the assigned writings closely and think at length about their ideas. I have put together a set of handouts to guide you through the readings. They will be available on the course website as the semester unfolds. The handouts also contain questions that will be the focus of in-class discussion.

Francis Bacon remarks somewhere that “some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.” The readings for this course fit in the last category; be ready to do a lot of chewing and digesting.

After the introductory classes, the course will focus squarely on discussion. I use two different strategies to engage students. Sometimes I pose specific questions to begin discussion and work from there to the general ideas in the texts. At other times, I guide students systematically through a text and try to elicit discussion as I go along.

GOALS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

GOALS

1. Learn more about the ideas of five important sociological thinkers.

2. Improve our ability to read complex texts closely, articulating the central arguments, basic assumptions, and important logical connections.

3. Improve our ability to evaluate complex arguments critically.

4. Improve our ability to write about these kinds of arguments.

YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Commit the time to doing and thinking about the reading.

2. Attend class.

3. Participate in class discussion.

4. Listen to and be respectful of what others have to say.

5. Follow the rules of intellectual responsibility.

MY RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Guide you through the readings, helping you put together the basic arguments.

2. Provide an atmosphere conducive to discussion.

3. Provide substantive feedback on papers and comments in class

COURSE OUTLINE AND READING ASSIGNMENTS

The Social Context of the Rise of Sociology

1.Introduction to the Course (Sept. 8)

2.The Industrial Revolution (Sept. 9)

Hobsbawm, Age of Revolution, introduction, ch. 1, 2, 11

3.The French Revolution (Sept. 14)

Hobsbawm, Age of Revolution, ch. 3, 10,16

MARX AND ENGELS

(all readings in Tucker, except where noted)

1.Overview(Sept. 16)

"Manifesto of the Communist Party"

2.Alienation and Species Being(Sept. 21)

Tucker’s introduction to Marx-Engels Reader, pp. xix-xxvii

"Contribution to a Critique of Hegel's Philosophy of Right," pp. 53-54.

"On the Jewish Question," pp. 26-46.

"Economic and Philosophical manuscripts," pp. 70-81.

"Theses on Feuerbach," pp. 143-145.

3.The Materialist Theory of History and Society(Sept. 23)

The German Ideology, pp. 146-163, 172(bottom)-175.

"Marx on the History of His Opinions,” pp. 3-6.

"On Historical Materialism" (reader)

The 18th Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte, pp. 606-612

Two articles on British imperialism in India, pp. 653-664

4. The Critique of Capitalism: What's wrong with it, how it will fall, what will take its place(Sept. 28)

“Socialism Utopian and Scientific,” pp. 700-717

"The Civil War in France," pp. 618-642.

"Critique of the Gotha Program," pp. 529(last par.)-531 (1st 2 par.).

Reading for first paper (Sept. 30)--To be announced

First Paper due Friday, October 2, by the end of the day

TOCQUEVILLE

(all selections from Democracy in America. Note that “Volumes” I and II are all in one volume.)

1. Democracy and Tyranny(Oct. 5)

Volume I: Author’s Introduction; Part I, Ch. 2-4; Part II, Ch. 7.

Vol. II: Part III, Ch. 5; Part IV, Ch. 6, 7.

2. Democracy and Individualism(Oct. 7)

Vol. II: Part II, Ch. 1, 2, 4, 8-11, 13; Part III, Ch. 17.

October 12: No class (mid-semester break)

3. Making Democracy Work (a lot of reading!) (Oct. 14)

Vol. I: Part I, Ch. 5 (pp. 61-70, 87-98); Part II, Ch, 2-4, 6, 8, 9; Vol. II: Part II, Ch. 5-7.

4. Democracy, Inequality, and Revolution(Oct. 19)

Vol. I: Part II, Ch. 10, pp. 340-376.

Vol. II: Part II, Ch. 19, 20; Part III, 7, 9-10, 21.

WEBER

1. Ideas and Social Structure I(Oct. 21)

The Protestant Ethic, Author’s introduction and chapter 2

2. Ideas and Social Structure II (Oct. 26)

The Protestant Ethic, chapters 3 last four paragraphs), 4 (introduction, parts A, D), 5 (entire)

3. Power(Oct. 28)

Economy and Society, pp. 212-215, 941-948 (Reader)

From Max Weber, Ch. 4 (pp. 77-83), Ch. 8 (parts 1, 2, 6, 8, 10, 14), Ch. 7

4. Protestant Ethic Revisited and Weber on “science”(Nov. 2)

From Max Weber, Ch. 12

Ibid.,Ch. 5

Reading for Second Paper (Nov. 4)

To be announced

Second Paper due Friday, November 6 by end of the day

DURKHEIM

1. The Individual, the Division of Labor, and Society(Nov. 9)

On Morality and Society, Ch. 3, 4, 6, 7(pp. 86-92, 110-113), 8(pp. 128-133), 9

2. Suicide I(Nov. 11)

Suicide, Preface, Introduction, Book II (chapters 2, 3, 5), p. 287.

3. Suicide II(Nov. 16)

Suicide, Book III (chapters 1 and 3)

4. Religion(Nov. 18)

On Morality and Society , Chapters 10-12

November 21-29—Thanksgiving Break

FREUD

1. Dreams(Nov. 30)

Introductory Lectures on Psychoanalysis, pp. 117-118 plus Lectures 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 14

2. Freud's Last Psychoanalytic Theory(Dec. 2)

New Introductory Lectures, Lectures 31, 32(pp. 118-138 only), 33.

3. The social bond (Dec. 7)

Group Psychology and the Analysis of the Ego, chapters 1-8, 12

4. Religion(Dec. 9)

Future of an Illusion, entire book.

Reading for Third Paper (December 14)

Lewis, The Problem of Pain, pp. 11-22 (course reader)