Sociological theory and methodology
C Lloyd
8 points
* 3 hours per week
* Second semester
* Caulfield
*
Prerequisites: First-year SCY sequence or equivalent
Objectives Students should acquire an overview of the historical development of sociological theory; an increased understanding of the central debates in contemporary sociological theory; an awareness of sociological theorising as a process and a socially embedded production; the ability to identify and discriminate between different approaches to theorising in sociology; an enhanced ability to analyse, evaluate and apply theoretical reasoning in sociology.
Synopsis Theoretical thinking in sociology and the politics of knowledge production. A brief overview of the development of sociological theory. The `classical' theorists: Marx, Durkheim, Simmel and Weber. The rise and fall of structural functionalism. The sociology of everyday life: symbolic interactionism and phenomenology. Recent developments in sociological theory: the debate over poststructuralism and postmodernism. The challenges of feminist theorising in sociology.
Assessment One seminar paper (2500 words): 40%
* Two critical
reviews (750 words each): 15% each
* Test (2 hours): 30%.
Recommended texts
Craib I Modern social theory 2nd edn, St Martins Press, 1992
Ritzer G Sociological theory 3rd edn, McGraw-Hill, 1992
Seidman S Contested knowledge: Social theory in the postmodern era Blackwell, 1994
| Published by Monash University, Clayton, Victoria
3168 Copyright © Monash University 1996 - All Rights Reserved - Caution Authorised by the Academic Registrar December 1996 |