Sociology (SOCI) 437

Overview

The main objective of this course is to show students how social theory may be relevant to their own lives. Social theory can often help us clarify and sharpen our understanding of the social world in which we live. This is because social theory can help us place personal situations and private experiences into a much broader social picture.

Outline

The main themes and key issues of the course are:

• the different ways in which social theories may be conceptualized
• some of the problems to look for when examining social theories
• how social theories may differ in terms of their epistemological, ontological, and ideological assumptions
• the differences between neo-functionalism and more traditional theories of structural functionalism
• the differences between new conflict theory and earlier traditions of conflict theory
• how contemporary schools of Marxism differ from the earlier tradition of historical materialism
• some of the main ideas advanced by contemporary representatives of the tradition of critical theory
• the concept of "system crisis" advanced in the theory of society associated with Jürgen Habermas
• the differences between symbolic interactionism and other microsociological traditions, such as exchange theory and ethnomethodology
• the differences between Erving Goffman's dramaturgical analysis and more established traditions of symbolic interactionism
• how symbolic interactionists differ among themselves over the relative significance of "self" versus "structure"
• the differences between ethnomethodology and other traditions of social theory
• some of the methods of practical reasoning used in everyday life
• how sociobiologists justify their theoretical and empirical contributions to the study of human society
• how feminist theory departs from more traditional theories of society
• how feminist theorists have critiqued and re-evaluated some of the sociological classics
• the generational and ideological differences which distinguish different traditions of feminist theory
• the differences between postmodernism and other traditions of social theory
• the differences between strategic and radical postmodernism
• the difference between social and sociological theory
• the challenge of postmodernism for other traditions of social theory.

Objectives

When you have completed this course, you should be able to:

1. demonstrate familiarity with some of the major traditions of contemporary social theory.
2. analyze each of the major theoretical traditions in terms of its basic assumptions, key concepts, main arguments and major representatives.
3. analyze each of the major theoretical traditions as discourses, polemics, and as guides to action.
4. critically evaluate each of the major theoretical traditions in terms of their interpretive and explanatory strengths and weaknesses.
5. apply some of the key concepts and main arguments of each theoretical tradition to your social worlds and personal life experiences.
6. analyze any social theory in terms of its domain assumptions.
7. take into account the socio-historical background associated with the growth of any particular social theory.
8. trace the intellectual genealogy of the ideas associated with any particular social theory.
9. distinguish some of the openly espoused theories publicly used in our society from the more taken-for-granted theories used in our private lives.
10. show the relevance of social theory to your own life experiences.

Evaluation

To receive credit for SOCI 437, you must submit all the required course assignments and complete them to the satisfaction of your tutor, achieve a grade of "C-" 60 percent or better on the final exam and an obtain an overall course grade of at least "C-" (60 percent).

The final examination for this course must be requested in advance and written under the supervision of an AU-approved exam invigilator. Invigilators include either ProctorU or an approved in-person invigilation centre that can accommodate online exams. Students are responsible for payment of any invigilation fees. Information on exam request deadlines, invigilators, and other exam-related questions, can be found at the Exams and grades section of the Calendar.

To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University’s online Calendar.

Materials

eText

Registration in this course includes an electronic textbook. For more information on electronic textbooks, please refer to our eText Initiative site.

Other Materials

There is a Study Guide consisting of twelve units. Each unit covers a specific topic in the course, identifies learning objectives to be achieved, lists reading assignments, and provides study questions to help students to assess their understanding of the material. Commentary is provided to explain and clarify issues brought forward from the assigned readings.

There are twelve online video lectures—one lecture for each unit.

All assigned readings, other than those from the textbooks, are available online.

Challenge for credit

Overview

The challenge for credit process allows you to demonstrate that you have acquired a command of the general subject matter, knowledge, intellectual and/or other skills that would normally be found in a university-level course.

Full information about challenge for credit can be found in the Undergraduate Calendar.

Evaluation

To receive credit for the SOCI 437 challenge registration, you must achieve a grade of at least C- (60 percent) on the examination. The two-part examinations are to be completed on the same day.

Important links

• Questions about our Program
• Academic advising
• Program planning
• Request assistance
• Support services