Introduction to Sociology

Bachelor 2022/2023

Category 'Best Course for Broadening Horizons and Diversity of Knowledge and Skills'

Category 'Best Course for New Knowledge and Skills'

Type: Compulsory course (International Bachelor's Programme in World Politics)

Area of studies: International Relations

Delivered by: Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs

Where: Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs

When: 1 year, 3 module

Mode of studies: distance learning

Online hours: 20

Open to: students of one campus

Instructors: Ivan Pavlyutkin

Language: English

ECTS credits: 4

Contact hours: 60

Full Syllabus Ask Question

Abstract

The course is aimed at giving theoretical and methodological resources to reflect on various social and economic phenomena which bind traditional, modern and (post)modern society. The emergence of the ‘sociology of modern society’ was recognized as a break with tradition. At the same time, there is a strong debate on whether this break was intellectually fruitful especially after the turn to a (post)modern state. For example, the growing interest in the artifacts of traditional society, such as gift giving, bazaars, and communities, realizes the need towards the resocialization of economy and society based on new technologies. Social sciences have accumulated rich theoretical and empirical resources which could be applied to conceptualize and objectify present-day challenges of human coexistence. During the course, we will rely on these resources to discuss the agenda of contemporary society. This introductory course exposes the structure of social sciences and the relationships between subfields to provide the polemics between several disciplines – sociology, demography, anthropology, and economic science. It is divided into several sessions which represent main spheres of sociological investigation: gift exchange, market exchange, capitalism, family, religion, social networks, organizations, and state. Lectures in each session rely on the theoretical debates, local cases, and comparative data which represent various countries.

Learning Objectives

Students are expected to acquire a fair understanding of the relationships between social and economic sciences and their role in contemporary world.
Social-scientific knowledge is organized in texts which require specific techniques of reading.
Students will learn to read and decipher the social-scientific texts, but also to develop their own judgments and express them in written academic texts.

Expected Learning Outcomes

Familiarity with the critics of the modern state and the origins of the informal economy.
Familiarity with the difference between economic and sociological theories of markets.
Familiarity with the difference between institutions and organizations; with the old and new institutional theory in organizational analysis, with the difference between the notions of organizational efficiency and legitimacy.
Familiarity with the grand distinction between public and private religion, measures of religiosity.
Familiarity with the main arguments and critics of the first and second demographic transition theories.
Familiarity with the main concepts and schools in social theory, with the context of the development of modern social thought.
Familiarity with the main concepts and schools in social theory, with the context of the development of modern social thought.
Familiarity with the main concepts of gift and sharing economy.
Familiarity with the main concepts of Marx's theory of Capital and Capitalism.
Familiarity with the main concepts of stratification theory: class, status, inequality, forms of capital & conversion of capitals.
Familiarity with the main issues of modern social thought.
Familiarity with the main sociological theories and concepts of religion.
Familiarity with the main sociological theories of marriage and family formation.
Familiarity with the main theories of formal organization and the notion of bureaucratic-professional conflict.
Familiarity with the origins of modern capitalism and Weber's argument in "The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism".
Familiarity with the sociological distinctions of market analysis related to knowledge and evaluation.
Familiarity with the theories of state formation and the relationship between state and economy.
Familiarity with the two meanings of the 'economical' and grand debate between K. Polanyi and L. Robins.

Course Contents

Introduction to Sociology. Course overview.
Community and Society
The transition to modern society as a sociological problem.
Capital and Capitalism. Marx.
Social Stratification and Inequality.
Market and Alternative Forms of Economic Integration
Anthropology and Sociology of the Gift.
Sociology of Religion I. Elementary forms of religious life.
Sociology of Religion II. Public and private religion.
Sociology of family I. Marriage and the construction of social reality.
Sociology of family II. Childbirth and Theories of Demographic Transition.
Sociology of markets I. The social construction of a perfect market.
Sociology of Markets II. Knowledge and valuation in markets.
Sociology of Organizations I. The analysis of bureaucratic-professional conflict.
Sociology of Organizations II. Collective rationality and institutional isomorphism in organizational fields.
Theories of state formation. The autonomous power of the state.
Seeing like a State. State Simplifications.
The origins of modern capitalism. Weber.

Assessment Elements

Group tasks in Sociology
Involevement in class discussion around delivered readings
Reading seminars are devoted to the discussion (questions, comments) of readings. Readings are shared at the beginning of the course. Students are expected to use the platform for the collective reading of texts - Perusall (https://www.perusall.com/). The platform provides opportunities for students to exchange comments and questions concerning the reading. They can create an account and join the reading group created by the instructor. Instructor appoints the deadlines for reading assignments on the platform. Assignment for reading could be accessed through Perusall. Please, leave your comments and questions there while reading the paper. They can address: The main idea or research problem formulated in the reading; Key concepts and important distinctions suggested in the text; The main argument of the author; Critical evaluation of the paper. To prepare for the seminar you need to create your account at www.perusall.com and enter the access code.
Essay in class
Midterm assessment
The first test is carried out after the first part of the course. It includes multiple choice and open questions. 15% of the final grade. The second test is carried out at the end of the course. It includes multiple choice and open questions. 15% of the final grade.

Interim Assessment

2022/2023 3rd module
0.2 * Essay in class + 0.25 * Involevement in class discussion around delivered readings + 0.25 * Group tasks in Sociology + 0.3 * Midterm assessment

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

Aries, P. (1980). Two Successive Motivations for the Declining Birth Rate in the West. Population & Development Review, 6(4), 645–650. https://doi.org/10.2307/1972930
Chaves, M. (1995). Public Religions in the Modern World. By Jose Casanova. University of Chicago Press, 1994. 320 pp. Cloth, $49.95; paper, $17.95. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsbas&AN=edsbas.CA69CBC3
DiMaggio, P. (1982). Cultural Capital and School Success: The Impact of Status Culture Participation on the Grades of U.S.High School Students. American Sociological Review, 47(2), 189–201. https://doi.org/10.2307/2094962
DiMaggio, P. J., & Powell, W. W. (1983). The Iron Cage Revisited: Institutional Isomorphism and Collective Rationality in Organizational Fields. American Sociological Review, 48(2), 147–160. https://doi.org/10.2307/2095101
Duranton, G., Rodríguez-Pose, A., & Sandall, R. (2009). Family Types and the Persistence of Regional Disparities in Europe. Economic Geography, 85(1), 23–47. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1944-8287.2008.01002.x
Emile Durkheim. (2013). The Elementary Forms of Religious Life. [N.p.]: Digireads.com Publishing. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1537440
Karl Marx, & Friedrich Engels. (2019). The Communist Manifesto. [N.p.]: Vintage. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=2156462
M.-F. Garcia. (2010). The Social Construction of a Perfect Market: The Strawberry Auction at Fontaines-en-Sologne. VOPROSY ECONOMIKI. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsrep&AN=edsrep.a.nos.voprec.2010.08.5
Mauss, M., Parry, J. P., Bloch, M., & Guyer, J. I. (2015). The Gift : Expanded Edition. Chicago: HAU. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1891862
Patrik Aspers. (2009). Knowledge and valuation in markets. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsbas&AN=edsbas.AD64EF43
Perrow, C. (1991). A society of organizations. Theory & Society, 20(6), 725–762. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00678095
Polanyi, K. (2010). Article - “Our Obsolete Market Mentality.” Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsbas&AN=edsbas.DA7BA4CC
Scott, J. C. (2014). State Simplifications: Nature, Space and People. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsbas&AN=edsbas.AEBD727A
Simmel, G. (1913). How is Society Possible? History of Economic Thought Articles. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsrep&AN=edsrep.a.hay.hetart.simmel.1913
Weber, M., & Parsons, T. (2013). The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. Mineola, N.Y.: Dover Publications. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1152478
Yudin, G. (2016). Sociology as a Naïve Science: Alfred Schütz and the Phenomenological Theory of Attitudes. Human Studies, 39(4), 547–568. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10746-016-9401-9
Дюркгейм, Э., & Юдин, Г. (2013). The dualism of human nature and its social conditions ; Дуализм человеческой природы и его социальные условия. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsbas&AN=edsbas.C7CD953A
Флигстин, Н. (2010). States, Markets, and Economic Growth ; Государство, рынки и экономической рост. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsbas&AN=edsbas.87CFB831

Recommended Additional Bibliography

SCHOR, J. (2016). Debating the Sharing Economy. Journal of Self-Governance & Management Economics, 4(3), 7–22. https://doi.org/10.22381/jsme4320161

Authors

PAVLYUTKIN IVAN VLADIMIROVICH

Course Syllabus