Sociology 003: Theoretical Perspectives in sociology

Fall 2019 Tuesday and Thursdays 10:30-11:50

University Village: Theatre 8 C. Chase-Dunn

v. 9-5-19

This course focuses on major issues in classical and contemporary social and sociological theory. It is a required course in the undergraduate Sociology major at UCR. .

A view of the C

Grading is based on the midterm exam (20%) [October 31], the final exam (20%) [December 12, 11:30 am] lecture attendance (10%), discussion section attendance and participation (20%) and a short (no more than 5-page typed double-spaced pages) research essay on one of the main topics covered in the course(30%) [due date December 5]. The midterm and the final are in-class essay exams. Study questions will be made available the week prior to the exams. The topic for your research paper is due November 7.

Teaching Assistants: Vladimir Borel and Joel Winegar

Readings marked with an asterisk (*) are required. Others are recommended.

The following required books are available at the Campus Store and are on reserve:

David Carrasco (2012) The Aztecs: A Very Short Introduction. New York: Oxford

University Press.

Jack Goldstone (2014) Revolutions: A Very Short Introduction. New York: Oxford

University Press

William I. Robinson (2019) Into the Tempest: Essays on the New Global Capitalism; Chicago, IL:

Haymarket Books

Robert J.C. Young (2003) Postcolonialism: A Very Short Introduction. New York: Oxford

University Press.

Karl Marx and Frederic Engels 1948 [1848] The Communist Manifesto New York: International

Publishers

Toni Morrison (2017) The Origin of Others. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press

Kevin Passmore (2014) Fascism: A Very Short Introduction. New York: Oxford

University Press

Marshall Sahlins (2008) The Western Illusion of Human Nature Chicago: Prickly

Paradigm Press.

Lecture Schedule:

Asterisked (*) readings are required. Others are recommended. Required readings should be read prior to the class meeting under which they are listed.

Sept 26 (Thursday) first lecture meeting; Syllabus handed out. Get Books. Start Reading

Oct 1 Overview of the course. Philosophy of Science; Theory Construction, Theoretical Research Programs. Social Science disciplines

Samir Okasha, Philosophy of Science: A Very Short Introduction 2016 Oxford University Press

Paul Davidson Reynolds, A Primer on Theory Construction. 2007 Allen and Bacon.

Imre Lakatos, “Falsification and the methodology of scientific research” in Criticism and

the Growth of Knowledge. Imre Lakatos and Alan Musgrave (eds.) Cambridge:

Cambridge University Press, 1974.

Oct 3 The Emergence of sociological theory and types of sociology (the big tent) Theory and Practice. Objectivity. Grand Narratives and Power, Cosmocentrism

*Michael Burawoy 2004 “For Public Sociology” American Sociological Association Presidential Address (available on course Ilearn site).

Jonathan H. Turner, Leonard Beeghley and Charles H. Powers 2012 The Emergence of

Sociological Theory. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage

Oct 8 Sociocultural Evolution

*David Carrasco (2012) The Aztecs: A Very Short Introduction. Chapters 1-4

Peter Turchin, Ultra Society

Gerhard Lenski, Ecological Evolutionary Theory

Oct 10 Sociocultural Evolution

*David Carrasco (2012) The Aztecs: A Very Short Introduction. Chapters 5-8

Jonathan H. Turner and Alexandra Maryanski On the Origin of Societies by Natural

Selection.

C. Chase-Dunn and B. Lerro Social Change: Globalization Since the Stone Age

Oct 15: Race, Gender and Othering

* Toni Morrison The Origin of Others

Randall Collins, Janet Saltzman Chafetz, Rae Lesser Blumberg, Scott Coltrane and Jonathan H. Turner “Toward an integrated theory of gender stratification. Sociological Perspectives 36,3: 185-216, Autumn 1993. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1389242

*Karen D. Pyke 1996 “Class-based masculinities: the interdependence of gender, class and interpersonal power” Gender and Society 10,5: 527-549. http://gas.sagepub.com/content/10/5/527.full.pdf+html

*Howard Winant 2000 “Race and race theory” Annual Review of Sociology 26:169-185, http://www.annualreviews.org/doi/pdf/10.1146/annurev.soc.26.1.169

Evelyn Nakano Glenn, Unequal Freedom

Oct 17 Collective Behavior, Social Movements and Revolutions

* Jack Goldstone Revolutions Chapters 1-6

Neil J. Smelser Theory of Collective Behavior.

David Snow and Janet Soule A Primer on Social Movements

Cora DuBois The 1870 Ghost Dance

Oct 22 Collective Behavior, Social Movements and Revolutions

* Jack Goldstone Revolutions Chapters 7-11

Valentine Moghadam Globalization and Social Movements: Islamism, Feminism and the Global

Justice Movement

Norman Cohn The Pursuit of the Millennium.

Laurent Dubois, Avengers of the New World: The Story of the Haitian Revolution

John Reed, Ten Days the Shook the World

Oct 24 Global Inequality

* Robert J.C. Young Postcolonialism: Chapters 1-4

Roberto Patricio Korzeneiwicz and Timothy Moran, Unveiling Inequality

Oct 29 Global Inequaliity (Midterm Study Questions Available)

* Robert J.C. Young Postcolonialism: Chapters 5-7

Immanuel Wallerstein The World-System and Africa

Oct 31 Midterm in Class

Nov. 5 Human Nature

*Marshall Sahlins The Western Illusion of Human Nature Pp. 1-62

Susan McKinnon, Neo-Liberal Genetics

Nov 7 Human Nature. Hand in the Topic for Your Research Paper in Lecture

*Marshall Sahlins The Western Illusion of Human Nature Pp. 63-112

Nov 12 World Politics and the Global Right

* Kevin Passmore Fascism Chapters 1-5

C. Chase-Dunn, Peter Evans and E.N. Anderson “The evolution of the global right”

Nov 14 World Politics and the Global Right

* Kevin Passmore Fascism Chapters 6-10

Nov 19 Globalization and Capitalism

*Karl Marx and Frederic Engels The Communist Manifesto

Nov 21 No lecture

Nov 26 Globalization and Capitalism

* William I. Robinson Into the Tempest, Introduction and Chapters 1-5

Immanuel Wallerstein, World-Systems Analysis

Christopher Chase-Dunn, Global Formation

Nov 28 Thanksgiving. Read Robinson

Dec 3 Globalization and Capitalism

* William I. Robinson Into the Tempest, Chapters 6-10

Giovanni Arrighi, The Long Twentieth Century.

Michael A. Witt 2017 “Deglobalization” Journal of International Business Studies

Sylvia Walby 2015 Crisis. Malden, MA: Polity Press

Dec 5 Lyrical Upsurge Five-page Essay is Due. Final Study questions available

Final: Thursday, December 12, 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Soc003 research essay

A short (no more than 5-page typed double-spaced pages) research essay on one of the topics covered in the course (30%) [due date December 5]. A short description of the topic for your research paper is due November 7 in Lecture. Hard copy. 2 or 3 sentences describing what you intend to write about.