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Sociology 183 ­ The Sociological Imagination and Contemporary Society
Mgr. Benjamin Vail, M.Sc., Ph.D.
Spring 2010
Credits: 6
Lecture time: Tuesdays 14.00-15.40
Classroom: Aula
Office hours: Tuesdays 10.00-11.00 in room 3.59
E-mail: vail@fss.muni.cz
Course description and requirements
This course introduces many of the major schools of thought and topics of research in the field of
Sociology. We take an historical view of the development of social theory from the 19th
century until
today. The course is based on several textbooks and the classic treatise on sociology by C. Wright Mills
called The Sociological Imagination. Mills believed that the purpose of Sociology is to help you
understand and engage with the world. By the end of the semester, students will be fluent in the history of
the development of the discipline of Sociology. You will understand different social science perspectives
on contemporary society, and you will be able to use these concepts in your studies. You will be able to
explain the concept of the "sociological imagination" and critically assess its meaning for your experiences
both inside and outside the university.
Using the MU Information System
Course resources are available to students through Masaryk University's online Information System (IS).
In the IS you will find an interactive syllabus which contains important general information about the
course and the weekly schedule with links to some of the required course materials ­ including the required
reading and all other information. Please contact the instructor with any questions or concerns about using
the IS. An abridged version of the weekly lecture PowerPoint presentation slides will be available on the
interactive syllabus for up to one week after each lecture. The abridged lecture notes are intended as a
study aid so you can listen carefully to the lecture without having to take notes on every slide during the
lecture presentation. They are not meant to be used to avoid your attendance at the lecture.
Evaluation
Success in this course depends on carefully reading all the assigned literature, which serves as the basis for
the two exams that determine your grade for the semester. Students are expected to attend every lecture,
and information provided in lectures may also be tested in the exams. You will receive a final letter grade
(A-F) for the semester based on the following components:
Final grade components Final grade scale
40% ­ Mid-term exam
60% ­ 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. I usually do not read or respond to e-mail
on weekends or holidays.
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
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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 in this course 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 23
Introduction to Sociology and the
Sociological Imagination
Syllabus
Charon and Vigilant
Giddens
2 March 2 Conflict Theory
Collins
Poggi
Mills
3 March 9 Marxian Theory
Ritzer
Farganis
4 March 16 The Durkheimian Tradition
Collins
Palumbo and Scott
Durkheim
5 March 23 Structural Functionalism
Ritzer
Holmwood
Mills
6 March 30 The Rational/Utilitarian Tradition
Collins
Ritzer
7 April 6 No Lecture ­ Reading Week
Collins
Elwell
Study for mid-term exam
8 April 13 Mid-Term Exam
9 April 20
The Microinteractionist
Tradition and Social
Constructionism
Collins
Outhwaite
Berger and Luckmann
10 April 27 Structure and Agency
King
Ritzer
Mills
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11 May 4 Modernity and Postmodernity
Smart
Delanty
Bauman
Beck
12 May 11 Critical and Feminist Theories
Ashenden
Adkins
Kellner
Held
Mills
13 May 18 The Sociological Imagination
Mills
Aronowitz
Gitlin
Literature
No. of
pages
Aronowitz, Stanley. "A Mills Revival?" 27
Bauman, Zygmunt. 1989. "Modernity and the Holocaust," Pp. 428-447 in Calhoun, Craig, et
al., eds. Contemporary Sociological Theory, 2nd edition. Oxford: Blackwell.
20
Beck, Ulrich. "Risk Society: Toward a New Modernity," Pp. 398-401 in Giddens, Anthony.
2001. Sociology: Introductory Readings. Cambridge: Polity.
4
Berger and Luckmann. "The Social Construction of Reality," Pp. 17-27 in Kauzlarich, David.
2005. Sociological Classics: A Prentice Hall Pocket Reader. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice
Hall.
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Charon, Joel M. and Lee Garth Vigilant. 2002. The Meaning of Sociology, 8th edition. Upper
Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
20
Collins, R. 1994. Four sociological traditions. New York: Oxford University Press. 280
Durkheim, E. "The Rules of the Sociological Method," Pp. 139-157 in Calhoun, Craig, et al.,
eds. Classical Sociological Theory, 2nd edition. Oxford: Blackwell.
9
Elwell, Frank W. 2006. "The Sociology of C. Wright Mills," pp. 1-35 in Macrosociology: Four
Modern Theorists. Boulder: Paradigm Publishers.
36
Farganis, J. 2007. Readings in social theory. New York: McGraw-Hill. 20
Giddens, A. 2002. Sociology. 4th edition, Cambridge. Polity Press 55
Gitlin, Todd. "C. Wright Mills, Free Radical" 16
Harrington, Austin. 2005. Modern Social Theory: An Introduction. Oxford University Press. 285
Held,."Introduction to Habermas," pp. 402-406 in Giddens, A. 2002 Sociology: Introductory
Readings, Oxford: Polity Press.
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Mills, C.W. 2000. The Sociological Imagination. Oxford University Press. 256
Ritzer, G. 2000. Sociological Theory. London. McGraw-Hill Education. 150
Total number of assigned pages of reading: ~1200