SOCb1004 Beginner's seminar of Introduction to Sociology

Faculty of Social Studies
Autumn 2026
Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 6 credit(s). Type of Completion: z (credit).
Teacher(s)
doc. PhDr. Ing. Radim Marada, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
doc. PhDr. Kateřina Nedbálková, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
Mgr. Světlana Nedvědová (seminar tutor)
Mgr. Karel Němeček (seminar tutor)
Mgr. Patrik Pýcha (seminar tutor)
Mgr. Daniela Rendl (seminar tutor)
Mgr. Alica Synek Rétiová, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
doc. PhDr. Iva Šmídová, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
PhDr. Roman Vido, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. Alica Synek Rétiová, Ph.D.
Department of Sociology – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Ing. Soňa Enenkelová
Supplier department: Department of Sociology – Faculty of Social Studies
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 120 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/120, only registered: 0/120
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 6 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Abstract
The course offers an introduction to sociological ways of thinking and provides orientation in fundamental sociological theories and concepts through the reading of primary literature. The aim of the course is to develop an understanding of key concepts of sociological thought and to acquire basic analytical and academic skills.
Learning outcomes
At the end of this course, students should be able:
(a) to understand basic sociological concepts and theories (b) to connect theoretical knowledge with empirical facts (c) to summarize the main point of sociological texts required for reading (d) to write a short sociological commentary to a given topic
Key topics
  • Sociological thinking and object of sociology: Berger
  • Modern rationality and capitalism: Weber
  • Modernity, commodification, alienation: Marx, Engels
  • Social forms and modern culture: Simmel
  • Structural differentiation and modernization of society: Elias
  • Expert systems, bureaucratic rationality and morality: Bauman
  • Risk, surveillance and security: Foucault
  • Gender, inequalities and symbolic power: Bourdieu
  • Cultural memory and politics of memory: Assmann, Nora
  • Changes of modernity, information age: Zuboff
Study resources and literature
  • Pozvání do sociologie :humanistická perspektiva. Edited by Peter L. Berger. 2. vyd. Brno: BARRISTER & PRINCIPAL, 2003, 194 s. ISBN 80-85947-90-0. info
  • WEBER, Max. Autorita, etika a společnost : pohled sociologa do dějin. Edited by Jan J. Škoda. 1. české vyd. Praha: Mladá fronta, 1997, 294 s. ISBN 8020406115. info
  • Vybrané spisy (Variant) : Vybrané spisy v pěti svazcích. Svazek 1, (1843-1849) : Vybrané spisy v pěti svazcích. Svazek 2, 1850-1866 : Vybrané spisy v pěti svazcích. Svazek 3, 1867-1875 : Vybrané spisy v pěti svazcích. Svazek 4, 1875-1883 : Vybrané spisy. info
  • SIMMEL, Georg. Peníze v moderní kultuře a jiné eseje. Translated by Otakar Vochoč. 2. vyd. Praha: Sociologické nakladatelství, 2006, 206 s. ISBN 8086429598. info
  • O procesu civilizace : sociogenetické a psychogenetické studie. Edited by Norbert Elias, Translated by Josef Boček. Vyd. 1. Praha: Argo, 2006, 338 s. ISBN 8072038389. info
  • BAUMAN, Zygmunt. Modernita a holocaust. Translated by Jana Ogrocká. Vyd. 1. Praha: Sociologické nakladatelství, 2003, 331 s. ISBN 80-86429-23-7. info
  • FOUCAULT, Michel. Dohlížet a trestat : kniha o zrodu vězení. Translated by Čestmír Pelikán. Praha: Dauphin, 2000, 427 s. ISBN 8086019969. info
  • BOURDIEU, Pierre. Nadvláda mužů. Edited by Miloslav Petrusek, Translated by Věra Dvořáková. Vyd. 1. V Praze: Univerzita Karlova v Praze, nakladatelství Karolinum, 2000, 145 s. ISBN 8071847755. info
  • Paměť a trauma pohledem humanitních věd : komentovaná antologie teoretických textů. Edited by Alexander Kratochvil. Vydání první. Praha: Ústav pro českou literaturu AV ČR, 2015, 341 stran. ISBN 9788074701092. info
  • ZUBOFF, Shoshana. Věk kapitalismu dohledu : boj o budoucnost lidstva u nové hranice moci. Translated by Sylva Ficová. Vydání první. Praha: Argo, 2022, 725 stran. ISBN 9788025739365. info
Approaches, practices, and methods used in teaching
seminars, reading, homework, class discussion, two written in-class assigneents
Method of verifying learning outcomes and course completion requirements
presence, 10 written summaries from reading, 2 written exams in class
Language of instruction
Czech
Further Comments
The course can also be completed outside the examination period.
The course is taught annually.
The course is taught every week.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2019, Autumn 2020, Autumn 2021, Autumn 2022, Autumn 2023, Autumn 2024, Autumn 2025.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2026, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/fss/autumn2026/SOCb1004