The course will examine major works of modern sociological theorists. Students will be exposed to the major works and contributions by George. H. Mead, Erving Goffman, Peter Blau, Talcott Parsons, Robert K. Merton, C. Wright Mills, R. Dahrendorf, and others. Some major themes will include Social Interaction, Social Structure, Inequality, Change, Modernity, etc.
Students will be expected to learn about several core sociological issues and theoretical traditions. But the fundamental objective is not to memorize key concepts and theoretical assertions – the goal is to encourage critical reflection on the theoretical assumptions that guide our thinking about sociology and social life. By self-consciously developing a theoretical stance, students will become better able to pose and execute theoretically-informed empirical research and will become “critical consumers” of the theoretical and empirical works of others.
- Teacher: Jewry Catle