4 classes matched your search criteria.

Fall 2020  |  SOC 3701 Section 001: Social Theory (16396)

Instructor(s)
Class Component:
Lecture
Credits:
4 Credits
Grading Basis:
Student Option
Instructor Consent:
No Special Consent Required
Instruction Mode:
Completely Online
Class Attributes:
Online Course
Times and Locations:
Regular Academic Session
 
09/08/2020 - 12/16/2020
Mon, Wed 09:05AM - 11:00AM
Off Campus
UMN REMOTE
Enrollment Status:
Open (38 of 45 seats filled)
Also Offered:
Course Catalog Description:
This course provides an introductory overview of major social theories ranging from the foundational sociological theories of Marx, Weber and Durkheim to contemporary theories of postmodernism and globalization. We will examine a range of theories with particular attention to their treatments of core sociological questions and concerns. prereq: 1001 recommended; soc majors/minors must register A-F
Class Notes:
This course is completely online in a synchronous format. The course will meet online at the scheduled times. Click this link for more detailed course information: http://classinfo.umn.edu/?tgowan+SOC3701+Fall2020
Class Description:
Social theory helps us to make sense from chaos, revealing core logics of development, change, meaning and domination which structure the bewildering, messiness of human experience. This class works closely with texts by a handful of great theorists who have created particularly illuminating, even world-changing ways of seeing. Reading extracts from Marx, Durkheim, Weber, Gramsci, De Beauvoir, Fanon, Patricia Hill Collins, Dorothy Smith, Debord, Foucault, and Baudrillard we will concentrate on readings around notions of power: economic, racist, colonial, patriarchal, bureaucratic, and discursive. You should improve your ability to think, read, and LIVE critically, able to better recognize and evaluate assumptions underlying "common sense" statements about how societies work. I believe that theoretical competence comes when you learn to enjoy intellectual creativity and risk-taking, and so we will spend considerable class time using debate and role-playing to loosen up those Minnesota inhibitions. Reading will not be extensive in terms of number of pages, but I will expect you to wrestle energetically before class with texts that can sometimes be both dense and abstract. Most of the required reading reports and other assignments will be self published by students on the class blog, which will enrich the depth and scope of class debate.
Who Should Take This Class?:
Anyone interested in social theory and up for grappling with these texts. Artists, scientists, cultural studies students, senior students - all are very welcome.
Learning Objectives:
To understand the theoretical roots of primary scholarly traditions and debates shaping contemporary social sciences and humanities. To gain confidence and skill in reading and expressing abstract thought.
Grading:
Other Grading Information: 40% exams, quizzes. 40% Official Blog Entries. 20% class citizenship and blog citizenship. Each absence after three will decrease your grade by .2. E.g. 3.3 > 3.1 (B+ > B)
Exam Format:
Quotation identification and analysis. Comparison of theories and/or application to historical & contemporary phenomena.
Class Format:
50% Lecture
40% Discussion
10% Small Group Activities
Workload:
Other Workload: 15-30 pages of (difficult) reading per week, 25-30 pages of writing per semester.
Textbooks:
https://bookstores.umn.edu/course-lookup/16396/1209
Instructor Supplied Information Last Updated:
4 May 2019

Fall 2020  |  SOC 3701 Section 002: Social Theory (13561)

Instructor(s)
Class Component:
Lecture
Credits:
4 Credits
Grading Basis:
Student Option
Instructor Consent:
No Special Consent Required
Instruction Mode:
Completely Online
Class Attributes:
Online Course
Times and Locations:
Regular Academic Session
 
09/08/2020 - 12/16/2020
Mon, Wed 12:20PM - 02:00PM
Off Campus
UMN REMOTE
Enrollment Status:
Closed (82 of 80 seats filled)
Also Offered:
Course Catalog Description:
This course provides an introductory overview of major social theories ranging from the foundational sociological theories of Marx, Weber and Durkheim to contemporary theories of postmodernism and globalization. We will examine a range of theories with particular attention to their treatments of core sociological questions and concerns. prereq: 1001 recommended; soc majors/minors must register A-F
Class Notes:
This course is completely online in a synchronous format. The course will meet online at the scheduled times. Click this link for more detailed course information: http://classinfo.umn.edu/?savel001+SOC3701+Fall2020
Class Description:
This course provides an introductory overview of major social theories ranging from the foundational sociological theories of Marx, Weber, and Durkheim to contemporary theories of change, action, identities, and the social self. We will work to understand the social and historical environments in which these theories have developed and focus on how theoretical inquiry can serve as a guide for scientific explanation of human behavior. Some of the questions explored will include: What holds societies together? How do societies reproduce themselves? How does social change take place? How are social identities created, maintained, and transformed? What are features of modern social life and where is society headed in the future?

In Fall 2020, the course will be taught by Professor Savelsberg. He describes his particular emphasis thus: "This class seeks to develop an understanding of sociological theory. Theory, together with empirical methods, is one of the pillars on which our sociological work is based, no matter if we deal with questions of criminology, family and the life course, organizations, social movements and politics, education and whatever other themes sociology addresses. In this course, we focus primarily on the questions and ideas that the classical sociologists have provided us, but we also extend the line of thought to contemporary theory. Crucial questions we will engage with include: What basic changes did societies experience in the modernizing process? What holds society together, in other words: why do things work decently well? Yet, also, why does conflict erupt and how do societies handle it? Where does repression and massive social inequality not result in open conflict? What role do rituals and symbols play when harmony or conflict unfold? What are social roles? Do we identify with social roles or do we just perform them? Does the size of a group matter? Is society something outside ourselves, or do humans build (and change) it through their everyday interactions? Are human pursuits driven by rational action of self-interested individuals or by social norms and solidarity? What role do social networks play in which they are embedded?
Who Should Take This Class?:
Sociology (general and LCD) majors
Learning Objectives:
Understand general sociological theories, apply them to specific sociological issues and see how they help us make sense of the world we live in.
Grading:
(1) 20% based on four short quizzes, consisting of short answer and multiple-choice questions. Each quiz is worth 5% of your final grade. This feature is important as it is especially crucial in this course that you stay on top of the readings and do not procrastinate. Keeping up with the course and succeeding would otherwise be very difficult.

(2) 25% based on a midterm exam, consisting of a mixture of short answer and multiple-choice questions.

(3) 35% based on a cumulative final exam, consisting of a mixture of short answer and multiple-choice questions.
(4) 20% based on writing assignments.

Exam Format:
Short answer; multiple choice
Class Format:
lecture, plenary discussion, small group work, occasional film segments
Workload:
Other Workload: book essay
Textbooks:
https://bookstores.umn.edu/course-lookup/13561/1209
Instructor Supplied Information Last Updated:
4 March 2020

Fall 2020  |  SOC 3701 Section 003: Social Theory (17191)

Instructor(s)
Class Component:
Lecture
Credits:
4 Credits
Grading Basis:
Student Option
Instructor Consent:
No Special Consent Required
Instruction Mode:
Completely Online
Class Attributes:
Online Course
Times and Locations:
Regular Academic Session
 
09/08/2020 - 12/16/2020
Wed 05:30PM - 08:20PM
Off Campus
UMN REMOTE
Enrollment Status:
Open (51 of 55 seats filled)
Also Offered:
Course Catalog Description:
This course provides an introductory overview of major social theories ranging from the foundational sociological theories of Marx, Weber and Durkheim to contemporary theories of postmodernism and globalization. We will examine a range of theories with particular attention to their treatments of core sociological questions and concerns. prereq: 1001 recommended; soc majors/minors must register A-F
Class Notes:
This course is completely online and semi-synchronous. We will meet as a class online during the first 90 minutes of the scheduled time. The second half of the class time will be spent on asynchronous online course work. Click this link for more detailed course information: http://classinfo.umn.edu/?abaer+SOC3701+Fall2020
Class Description:
Social theory formulates responses to core questions and concerns of inequality, power, difference, belonging and integration in modern society. What are the significant features of modernity, and what are the implications of modernity for social life? How are individuals shaped and constrained by the society in which they live? How are social identities created, maintained, and transformed? What are the key sources of social conflict, and how are they resolved or contained? Is the social order shaped mostly by the economic system and how it organizes resources (e.g. capitalism), or is it by ideas, cultural currents, and emotional forces? This course will provide a preliminary survey of theories that have tackled these questions from the mid-19th century to the present. The goal of this course is for students to master this body of knowledge and at the same time develop their analytical skills in order to grapple with such questions in the social world we live in. The assignments, in-class activities, and exams are intended to develop and strengthen the students' ability to do so.
Grading:
2 Midterms (40%)
Final Exam (25%)
Reading Responses (25%)
In-class assignments/Participation (10%)
Exam Format:
All exams will be a combination of essay and short answer and questions. They will cover content from course readings, lectures, films and in-class discussions and activities. Midterm I will cover materials up to Week 5. Midterm II will cover materials from Week 6 to Week 11. The final exam is cumulative and comparative.
Class Format:
Class sessions will consist of lectures complemented by class discussion, video excerpts, and in-class exercises. We will frequently use small-group discussions to give you a chance to discuss the readings in a less structured environment and help you understand the material as we proceed.
Workload:
In addition to weekly reading assignments, students in this class are expected to submit 9 reading responses over the course of the semester. These reading responses are one-page reflections that demonstrate your understanding of the assigned material and help you create the habit of forging connections between various readings and ideas.
Textbooks:
https://bookstores.umn.edu/course-lookup/17191/1209
Instructor Supplied Information Last Updated:
4 November 2019

Fall 2020  |  SOC 3701 Section 301: Social Theory (18225)

Instructor(s)
Class Component:
Lecture
Credits:
4 Credits
Grading Basis:
Student Option
Instructor Consent:
No Special Consent Required
Instruction Mode:
Completely Online
Class Attributes:
College of Continuing Education
Online Course
Pre-Covid
Times and Locations:
Regular Academic Session
 
09/08/2020 - 12/16/2020
Off Campus
Virtual Rooms ONLINEONLY
Enrollment Status:
Open (29 of 30 seats filled)
Also Offered:
Course Catalog Description:
This course provides an introductory overview of major social theories ranging from the foundational sociological theories of Marx, Weber and Durkheim to contemporary theories of postmodernism and globalization. We will examine a range of theories with particular attention to their treatments of core sociological questions and concerns. prereq: 1001 recommended; soc majors/minors must register A-F
Class Notes:
For course details, see https://ccaps.umn.edu/credit-courses/social-theory
Class Description:
This course provides an introductory overview of major social theories ranging from the foundational sociological theories of Marx, Weber, and Durkheim to contemporary theories of change, action, identities, and the social self. We will work to understand the social and historical environments in which these theories have developed and focus on how theoretical inquiry can serve as a guide for scientific explanation of human behavior. Some of the questions explored will include: What holds societies together? How do societies reproduce themselves? How does social change take place? How are social identities created, maintained, and transformed? What are features of modern social life and where is society headed in the future?
Exam Format:
Short answer; essays
Workload:
Other Workload: book essay
Textbooks:
https://bookstores.umn.edu/course-lookup/18225/1209
Instructor Supplied Information Last Updated:
6 July 2015

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