SOCn4011 Theoretical Sociology

Faculty of Social Studies
Spring 2026
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 10 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
doc. PhDr. Ing. Radim Marada, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. et Mgr. Katarína Azzamová (seminar tutor)
Mgr. Karel Němeček (seminar tutor)
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
Timetable
Wed 18:00–19:40 P52
Prerequisites
TYP_STUDIA(N)
Basic knowledge of sociological theories and methods is presupposed.
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
Abstract
At the end of the course students should be able to: • understand and explain basic sociological paradigms and issues of contemporary sociological theory; • understand and explain key concepts and theoretical frameworks, which form the core of sociological paradigms and make them function as research programs for empirical analyses; • to distinguish between various interpretative capacities of sociological paradigms and their key concepts; • identify and formulate social problems by means of a sociological language and formulate these social problems in terms of sociological conceptual frames; • to interpret various types of empirical data in reference to broader social context.
Learning outcomes
Knowledge of the basic analytical apparatus of contemporary theoretical sociology. Ability to critically interpret and apply articles published in academic journals for own research. Ability to employ relevant analytical apparatus for explaining various social phenomena.
Key topics
      18.02. Knowledge and Meaning
      Reed, Isaac. 2011. Interpretation and Social Knowledge: On the Use of Theory in the
      Human Sciences. Chicago: Chicago University Press. (pp. 1-38, 89-121)
      25.02. Interpretation Explanation
      Reed, Isaac. 2011. Interpretation and Social Knowledge: On the Use of Theory in the
      Human Sciences. Chicago: Chicago University Press. (pp. 123-171)
      04.03. Culturally Responsive Sociology
      Geertz, Clifford: “Thick Description: Toward an Interpretive Theory of Culture”. In:
      Geertz, Clifford. 1973. Interpretation of cultures. New York: Basic Books, Inc.,
      Publishers. (pp. 3-30)
      11.03. Actor-Network Theory
      Latour, Bruno. 2005. Reassembling the Social: An Introduction to Actor-Network
      Theory. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. (pp. 141-156, 1-42, 159-164, 247-262)
      18.03. Pragmatic sociology and regimes of entitlement
      Boltanski, Luc & Thévenot, Laurent. 1999. “The Sociology of Critical Capacity”. In:
      European Journal of Social Theory 2(3): 359–377.
      25.03. The nature of objectivity in the social sciences
      Weber, Max: “Objectivity of Social Science and Social Policy”. In: Weber, Max. 1949.
      On the Methodology of the Social Sciences. Glencoe, Il: The Free Press. (pp. 50-112)
      01.04. Reading week, no classes – studying a longer text by Peter Wagner
      08.04. Original modernizations
      Wagner, Peter. 1994. A Sociology of Modernity: Liberty and Discipline. London:
      Routledge. (pp. 3-69)
      15.04. Crises and Fashions of Modernity
      Wagner, Peter. 1994. A Sociology of Modernity: Liberty and Discipline. London:
      Routledge. (pp. 73-193)
      22.04. Faculty Day – no classes
      29.04. Network Society and Algorithmic Formatting of the Social World
      Castells, Manuel. 2000. “Toward a Sociology of the Network Society”. In:
      Contemporary Sociology, Vol. 29, No. 5, pp. 693-699.
      Wittel, Andreas. 2001. “Toward a Network Sociality”. In: Theory, Culture & Society
      Vol. 18(6): 51–76
      Brubaker, Rogers. 2020. “Digital hyperconnectivity and the self”. In: Theory and
      Society, vol 49: 771–801
      06.05. Human Sciences in Biological Age
      Rose, Nikolas. 2013. “The Human Sciences in Biological Age”. In: Theory, Culture &
      Society, 30(1): 3–34
Study resources and literature
    required literature
  • Burrell, Jenna & Fourcade, Marion. 2021. “The Society of Algorithms”. In: Annual Review of Sociology, 2021, 47, 213-237.
  • Biler, Stanislav. 2020. „Lékařům potlesk, miliardářům miliardy a dětem spálenou zemi.“ In: Alarm, 18. 5. 2020 (https://a2larm.cz/2020/05/lekarum- potlesk-miliardarum-miliardy-a-detem-spalenou-zemi/)
  • Rose, Nikolas & Abi-Rached, Joelle. 2014. "Governing through the Brain. Neuropolitics, Neuroscience and Subjectivity". In: Cambridge Anthropology, 32(1), Spring 2014: 3-23.
  • Slaby, Jan & Mühlhoff, Rainer & Wüschner, Philipp. 2017. “Affective Arrangements”. In: Emotion Review, 1 –10. https://doi.org/10.1177/1754073917722214
  • Latour, Bruno. 1988. “The Politics of Explanation: An Alternative.” In: S. Woolgar, Steve (Ed.). 1988. Knowledge and Reflexivity: New Frontiers in the Sociology of Knowledge. London: Sage.
  • REED, Isaac. Interpretation and social knowledge : on the use of theory in the human sciences. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2011, 194 s. ISBN 9780226706740. info
  • GEERTZ, Clifford. Interpretace kultur : vybrané eseje. Translated by Hana Červinková - Václav Hubinger - Hedvika Humlíčková. Vydání první. Praha: Sociologické nakladatelství, 2000, 565 stran. ISBN 8085850893. info
  • WAGNER, Peter. A sociology of modernity : liberty and discipline. London: Routledge, 1994, xv, 267. ISBN 0415081866. info
Approaches, practices, and methods used in teaching
Lectures, seminar discussions, essays.
Method of verifying learning outcomes and course completion requirements

Conditions for successful completion of the course


Regular active participation in classes


Participation in seminars is important for basic orientation in the prescribed texts. It equips students for independent study of professional sociological literature of a theoretical nature in general.


During the seminars, all topics or arguments that are the subject of test questions in the final exam will be discussed in detail. The maximum number of absences without further penalty is two. If there are more than four absences, the course is assessed as incomplete.


Written preparations


Students will prepare a written preparation for each prescribed study text. Its structure is determined by the template included in the Organizational Instructions folder. This document also contains detailed instructions that will be further specified during the first seminar.


The preparation must be submitted to the appropriate drop-off point before 4:00 p.m. on the day of the seminar (Wednesday).


Final Exam and Scoring/Rating Scale


It consists of a battery of closed-ended questions, lasts 40 minutes, and is held in one of the computer labs.


It is graded on a 100-point scale. The questions are formulated to test understanding of the argument or problem, not knowledge of factual details.


A (100-89 points), B (88-80 points), C (79-72 points), D (71-66 points), E (65-60 points), F (59 and less points.

Language of instruction
Czech
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
General note: Předmět je určen pro studující od Imatr. ročníku 2025/26.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
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