SOC 457-001: Devlpmnt Of Sociol Theory (Spring 2010)

Semester Details: We begin with a basic set of questions: what is sociological theory?  What does it seek to explain?  And, how is sociological theory practiced?  This course provides an introduction to these questions by describing the origins, trajectory, and contemporary elaborations and applications of sociological theory.  We will do so by critically analyzing classical sociological theory texts, and applying these systems of thought to our modern social world.  The class will focus on the following issues: What accounts for the rise of modern society?  What social dimensions structure power and authority?  How is social solidarity possible? How does stratification shape our conceptions of reality?   What is the social nature of religion and ritual?  And, how is the individual and self socially constructed and constituted?