SOCd0103 Texts from the General Sociology I

Faculty of Social Studies
Spring 2025
Extent and Intensity
0/0/0. 15 credit(s). Type of Completion: z (credit).
Teacher(s)
doc. PhDr. Csaba Szaló, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
doc. PhDr. Csaba Szaló, Ph.D.
Department of Sociology – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Ing. Soňa Enenkelová
Supplier department: Department of Sociology – Faculty of Social Studies
Prerequisites (in Czech)
! SOC911 Texts from the general sociol. && ! NOW ( SOC911 Texts from the general sociol. )
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
there are 8 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
The goal of this course is to read and critically examine classical sociological works, some of which are required for the state exam.
Learning outcomes
After successfully passing the course, student will be able to translate, interpret, compose, evaluate.
Syllabus
  • Natural sciences and the humanities can ignore each other; nevertheless, social sciences have to include their divergent perspectives into their interpretations. We can build on shared experience that the meanings of plentiful statements are not transparent to us. This experience could be more significant for us to understand the division between these three forms of knowledge than the usual narrative about the diverging tools for gathering evidence. Hence, in the seminar, we would focus on the set of concepts at the core of sociological narratives. What more, this attention to ambiguity could guide us to disclose a set of undoubted presuppositions that generate inclination for specific questions.
  • 1. 
Sociological theory as epistemology
  • Abend, Gabriel. 2008. “The Meaning of ‘Theory.’” Sociological Theory 26(2):173–99.
  • Reed, Isaac. 2008. “Justifying Sociological Knowledge: From Realism to Interpretation*.” Sociological Theory 26(2):101–29.
  • 2. Sociological theory as ontology
  • Joyce, Patrick, and Chandra Mukerji. 2017. “The State of Things: State History and Theory Reconfigured.” Theory and Society 46(1):1–19.
  • Barnard, Alex V. 2019. “Bureaucratically Split Personalities: (Re)Ordering the Mentally Disordered in the French State.” Theory and Society 48(5):753–84.
  • 3. Sociological theory as ethics and aesthetics
  • Heinich, Nathalie. 2020. “Ten Proposals on Values.” Cultural Sociology 14(3):213–32.
  • Quéré, Louis. 2020. “How Can the Field of Value Be Made More Pragmatic?” Cultural Sociology 14(3):271–91.
Literature
    required literature
  • Abend, Gabriel. 2008. “The Meaning of ‘Theory.’” Sociological Theory 26(2):173–99.
  • Quéré, Louis. 2020. “How Can the Field of Value Be Made More Pragmatic?” Cultural Sociology 14(3):271–91.
  • Joyce, Patrick, and Chandra Mukerji. 2017. “The State of Things: State History and Theory Reconfigured.” Theory and Society 46(1):1–19.
  • Barnard, Alex V. 2019. “Bureaucratically Split Personalities: (Re)Ordering the Mentally Disordered in the French State.” Theory and Society 48(5):753–84.
  • Heinich, Nathalie. 2020. “Ten Proposals on Values.” Cultural Sociology 14(3):213–32.
  • Reed, Isaac. 2008. “Justifying Sociological Knowledge: From Realism to Interpretation*.” Sociological Theory 26(2):101–29. Reed, Isaac and Jeffrey Alexander. 2009. “Social Science as Reading and Performance: A Cultural-Sociological Understanding of Epist
Teaching methods
reading, seminar discussion
Assessment methods
Only the careful reading of both texts before the seminar by each of the participants will make the discussion prolific, creative, and attractive. Short (2-3 pages) position papers are due 8 hours before the seminars. Short reports assessing the discussions are due 48 hours after the seminars.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
The course is taught annually.
The course is taught: in blocks.
Teacher's information
The course is taught: in blocks
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2020, Autumn 2020, Spring 2021, Autumn 2021, Spring 2022, Autumn 2022, Spring 2023, Autumn 2023, Spring 2024, Autumn 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2025, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/fss/spring2025/SOCd0103