SCY2101

Sociological theory and methodology

Chris Lloyd

8 points
* 3 hours per week
* First 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, 1992
Ritzer G Sociological theory 4th edn, McGraw-Hill, 1996
Seidman S Contested knowledge: Social theory in the postmodern era Blackwell, 1994