SOC 468&468S Syllabus

California State University, Northridge: SOC 468&468S: FALL 2009

(Ticket #s: 17777 and 12442&12443)

TIME AND VENUE: SH 280 S 8:00 – 9:40 AM; 9:45 AM - 12:25 PM; 12:30 – 2:10 PM

INSTRUCTOR: STAVROS N. KARAGEORGIS

OFFICE: SN/FOB 334; OFFICE HOURS: F NOON – 3:00 PM and by appointment

PHONE: (818) 677-3594: during office hours; (818) 677-3591: all other times

Instructor E-mail: stavros.karageorgis@csun.edu

URL for Online Syllabus: http://www.csun.edu/~snk1966/468SYLF9.htm

CONTEMPORARY SOCIAL/SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY.

The substantive goals of this demanding course (Lecture and Seminar) are to:

familiarize you with select major social and sociological theoretical perspectives developed, and used by sociologists, in the last 75 years;
alert you to the enabling and constraining effects of theory on research and practice;
make you a sophisticated consumer of sociological theoretical and empirical work; and
help you use social/sociological theory for research and practice.

Course Requirements:

1. Class attendance and constructive class participation.

2. Careful study of the assigned readings.

3. Timely completion of written assignments.

Required Texts:

Scott Appelrouth and Laura Desfor Eddles, Sociological Theory in the Contemporary Era: Text and Readings, Pine Forge Press: 2007 (hereafter: S.T.C.E.) available at the Matador College Bookstore AND ON 2 HOUR RESERVE AT THE OVIATT LIBRARY.

IMPORTANT DATES:

September 5 : NO class (Labor Day Weekend)

September 11 : Last day to register late, add a class, drop a class, or change basis of grading

October 10 : EXAM 1;

November 14 : EXAM 2;

November 28 : NO class (Thanksgiving)

Dec 12 : EXAM 3.

EVALUATION:

1. Grading will follow the scheme:

Class Attendance and Participation : up to 250 points;

Exam 1 : up to 250 points;

Exam 2 : up to 250 points;

Exam 3 : up to 250 points;

_______________________________________________

Total : up to 1000 points.

2. I will assign final letter grades according to the following scheme:

925 to 1000 = A

895 to 924 = A-

875 to 894 = B+

825 to 874 = B

795 to 824 = B-

775 to 794 = C+

725 to 774 = C

695 to 724 = C-

675 to 694 = D+

625 to 674 = D

595 to 624 = D-

000 to 594 = F.

GENERAL REMARKS:

Come to class prepared (orally or in writing) to reconstruct and debate the arguments and claims of the authors in the assigned readings, constructively to comment on those of your colleagues and the Instructor, and to have yours likewise addressed and analyzed.

All exams may have in-class (short-essay, identification-of-author, etc.) and/or take-home (long-essay) components.

NOTE: I will NOT tolerate academic dishonesty (cheating, plagiarizing, etc). The minimum penalty for confirmed academic dishonesty shall be a grade of F (and ZERO points) for the assignment in question. Egregious or repeated offenses may result in a grade of F for the class and/or University disciplinary action referral.

COURSE OUTLINE (subject to revision; please consult the online syllabus and check your @csun.edu e-mail account regularly).

Aug 22 – Aug 29

The Structure and Purposes of Social/Sociological Theory.

Study:

1. S.T.C.E., Ch. 1 Introduction: 1-20.

2. ONLINE: 2.1 A. Harrington: Introduction. What is Social Theory? (Left-click on this and all subsequent online readings to access them)

2.2 Kenneth D. Allan: Imagining Society

*** SEP 5: NO CLASS **

Sep 12 – Oct 10.

Structural-Functional and System Theories.

Study:

1. S.T.C.E., Ch. 2 Structural Functionalism: 21-69;