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Sociology 755 ­ General Sociology
Mgr. Benjamin Vail, M.Sc., Ph.D.
Spring 2009
Credits: 15
Lecture time: Mondays, 12.00-13.30 in room 117
Office hours: Mondays 14.00-15.00 in room 3.59
E-mail: vail@fss.muni.cz
Course Description and Requirements
This course introduces students to the wide range of social theory that has accumulated in the discipline of
Sociology, providing exposure to classical, modern, and contemporary theories. The first half of the course
focuses on this survey of the development of sociological thought, while the second half of the semester
features in-depth study of three books representative of important themes in the field that continue to shape
sociological thinking today. The book The Social Construction of Reality, by Berger and Luckmann,
provides an introduction to a comprehensive conceptual scheme and research program in Sociology.
Bourdieu's book, Practical Reason, theorizes the link between social structure and social action. Giddens'
book, The Consequences of Modernity, discusses the institutional structures of modernity. These three
books, as well as the two general textbooks, are on the required reading list for the final state exam for
students to earn the Masters degree in Sociology. By the end of the semester, students will be fluent in the
history of the development of the field of sociology, understand contemporary themes in sociological
theory and research, and be prepared to use sociological theory in their Master's thesis work.
Evaluation
Success in this course depends in large part on carefully reading several textbooks and other literature,
which serve as the basic material covered in the exams. See the section below for a listing of all the
literature in the course. Students are expected to attend every lecture and are encouraged to ask questions
and offer comments in class. There is a short quiz at the start of each lecture that will cover information in
the required reading for that day. There is one mid-term exam covering information presented in class and
the required readings up to that point; a comprehensive final exam at the end of the semester will test all
information presented during the semester. You will receive a final letter grade (A-F) for the semester
based on the following components:
Final grade components Final grade scale
10% ­ Weekly seminars
20% ­ Weekly quizzes
30% ­ Mid-term exam
40% ­ Final exam
A = 90 ­ 100%
B = 80 ­ 90%
C = 70 ­ 80%
D = 60 ­ 70%
E = 50 ­ 60%
F = <50%
E-mail Policy
Students may contact the instructor at any time by e-mail with questions about the course. I will strive to
reply to your questions within 48 hours of receipt of your e-mail.
Seminar Study Groups
There will be ten meetings of a seminar study group that all students are required to attend. The study
group will meet weekly and will be organized by a student Teaching Assistant. The meetings are intended
to promote understanding of the information presented in the weekly lectures. The graded weekly quizzes
will be returned at the meetings. The study group meetings are an opportunity for students to discuss
sociological concepts in more detail. The meetings will include unstructured time for questions and
discussion and also a thematic program in which students are expected to participate fully. Participation in
the study groups are mandatory and account for 10 percent of your grade for the semester. Details about
the time and place of the meetings will be given in the Interactive Syllabus.
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Academic Honesty
The Faculty of Social Studies at MU expects students to know the study rules and maintain academic
honesty by refraining from plagiarism and from cheating during exams. Plagiarism means that one
presents other peoples' ideas as one's own and does not credit the author. Plagiarism is one of the most
serious breaches of ethical standards in the academic environment, for it denies the mission of the
university and the meaning of studying. From a legal perspective, plagiarism is the stealing of intellectual
property. The official FSS policy on academic honesty is available in the course's interactive syllabus in IS
in English and Czech. Academic dishonesty is not tolerated under any circumstances at FSS. The
minimum penalty for academic dishonesty is expulsion from the course, a grade of F for the semester, and
referral to the Faculty disciplinary committee.
Weekly schedule
(See the online Interactive Syllabus for specific reading assignments.)
Week
Date Lecture topic Required reading
1 February 16
Introduction to Sociology and
Social Theory
Syllabus
Harrington
Charon and Vigilant
Mills
2 February 23 Classical Sociological Theory Ritzer
3 March 2 Modern Sociological Theory Ritzer
4 March 9
Interactionism, Rational Choice,
and Feminist Theories
Ritzer
5 March 16
Micro-Macro, Structure-Agency
Integration
Ritzer
6 March 23 Modernity and Postmodernity Ritzer
7 March 30 Reading Week ­ No Class Study for mid-term exam
8 April 6 Mid-term exam
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9 April 13 No Class ­ National Holiday Berger & Luckmann
10 April 20 Social Construction of Reality Berger & Luckmann
11 April 27 Practical Reason Bourdieu
12 May 4 The Consequences of Modernity Giddens
13 May 11 Review and Conclusion
Literature
No. of
pages
Berger, P. L. and Luckmann, T. 1966. The Social Construction of Reality. London: Penguin 250
Bourdieu, Pierre. 1998. Practical Reason: On the Theory of Action. Stanford: Stanford
University Press
153
Charon, Joel M. and Lee Garth Vigilant. 2002. The Meaning of Sociology, 8th edition. Upper
Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
20
Giddens, Anthony. 2002. Sociology. 4th edition, Cambridge: Polity Press. 768
Giddens, Anthony. 1990. The Consequences of Modernity. Cambridge: Polity Press. 186
Harrington, Austin. 2005. Modern Social Theory: An Introduction. Oxford University Press. 16
Mills, C.W. 2000. The Sociological Imagination. Oxford University Press. 25
Ritzer, G. 2000. Sociological Theory. London. McGraw-Hill Education. 621
Total number of assigned pages of reading: 2039