Social Structure - Syllabus

Books on Social Structure, Abstracts, Bibliography, Journals

SOCIAL STRUCTURE AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT SYLLABUS - Brown Univ.

Theories of Social Structure - North Carolina State University - Course Objectives: The main objective of this course is to acquaint students with the macro level sociological theorists. Sociology developed in response to the rapid social change accompanying the democratic and industrial revolution that have shaped our modern way of life. We will study the fundamental ideas of social solidarity, class structure, bureaucratization, social institutions, ideology, and etc. We will discuss course materials that are relevant to the contemporary social issues of our time.

Required Text:

George Ritzer. Sociological Theory, 5th Edition. McGraw-Hill, Inc., 2000.

Peter Kivisto. Illuminating Social Life, Second Edition. Pine Forge, 2001.

Lewis Coser and Bernard Rosenberg: Sociological Theory: A book of Reading.

University of California: A Guide to Writing Sociology Paper, 3rd Edition.

Course Requirements:
Exams: There will be two major exams in this class: mid-term and final. Each exam comprises 30% of the final grade. The exams will include multiple choice, short-answer questions, and essay questions. The exams will include materials from the lectures and readings. They will be aimed more at testing your comprehension and understanding of the material than at rote memorization of detail. To do well on exams you must attend class, take good notes, and do the assigned readings.
There will be no make-up exams except emergencies. To be excused from taking an exam, the student must give prior notice of the emergency and the absence must be approved. You may contact me during the office hour, or contact the secretary and leave your name and phone number where you may be reached.

Schedules and Reading Assignments:

Week 1
Course Introduction Sociological theory and social research

Week 2-4
Chapter 1. A Historical Sketch of Sociological Theory: The Early Years; Chapter 2, Karl Marx (Kivisto: Article 1. Working Longer, Living Less)

Week 5-7
Chapter 3. Emile Durkheim (Kivisto: Article 3. Surfing the Net for Community); Chapter 4. Max Weber (Kivisto: Article 2. The Weberian Theory of Rationalization)

Week 8-9
Chapter 5. Georg Simmel (Kivisto: Article 4. Alcoholi-Related Windows on Simmel’s Social World)

Week 10-11
Chapter 7. Structural Functionalism, Neofunctionalism, and Conflic Theory (Kivisto: Article 5. Criminalizing Transgressing Youth)

Week 12
Chapter 10. Symbolic Interactionism (Kivisto: Article 10. Goffman’s Dramaturgical Sociology)

Week 13
Chapter 12. Exchange, Network, and Rational Choice Theories (Kivisto: Article 6. Why do African Americans Pay More for New Cars?)

Week 14-15
Chapter 16. Contemporary Theories of Modernity (Kivisto: Article 11. The “New” Meaning of Consumption) (Kivisto: Article 12. Globalization and Religious Fundamentalism)

SOCIAL STRUCTURE AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT - Professor Gregory Elliott

This is a course which investigates the relationship between one's place in the social structure and one's own, individual personal growth. We will seek to gain some understanding of the impact of society on the individual. Recognizing that the development of the self is an ongoing dynamic process that does not stop with the onset of adulthood, we will be investigating the social aspects of individual growth and change throughout the life cycle.The basic premise of this course is that people must learn how to be members of society. In that vein, one of society's major functions is to facilitate the assimilation of its constituents. Successful assimilation serves two goals: it encourages the maintenance and growth of the social system, and it gives each person a sense of his or her location within the social structure. In consequence, it is to the advantage of both society and the individual that the latter comes to adopt an understanding of the social system and one's place in it that is shared by all its members; this understanding not only includes asense of personal identity, but also an appreciation of the roles one will take as a participating member of society. Part of our analysis will focus on this socialization process. Beneath this grand design, however is a gnawing awareness that is disquieting: something is basically wrong. As people experience the life course, they realize (even if they do not admit to others) that they have neither a strong sense of personal identity nor a feeling of involvement in their social roles. Although society seems to be progressing in its development, it appears to do so only at the expense of the well-being of many of its members. The remainder of our analysis will examine the proposition that there is something inherent in the structure of our society that causes pain and alienation in people's everyday lives.We will begin by examining some of the theories of personal growth developed by sociologists, including those pertaining to early socialization in childhood. Next, we will examine the development of the individual from infancy through adulthood, concentrating on the impact of family, school, occupation, and social class on personal growth and social opportunities for advancement. Finally, we will study the social antecedents to alienation.

SOCIOLOGICAL THEORIES OF SOCIAL STRUCTURE AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

John P. Hewitt. 1999. Self and Society, Chapters 1-4. (for students who have not taken SO 002)

Peter Berger and Thomas Luckmann. 1966. The Social Construction of Reality, entire book.

Robert K. Merton. 1957. "The role set: Problems in sociological theory," British Journal of Sociology, 8, 106-120.

William J. Goode. 1960. "A theory of role strain," American Sociological Review, 25, 485-496.WEEKS 2-3:

SOCIALIZATION

Frederick Elkin and Gerald Handel. 1989. The Child and Society: The Process of Socialization (fifth edition), entire book.

GENDER AND THE SELF

Judith Lorber. 1994. Paradoxes of Gender, entire book.

Susan Faludi. 1999. Stiffed,Ch. 1: "The son, the moon, and thestars: The promise of postwar manhood," 3-47.

Gregory C. Elliott. 1988. "Gender differences in self-consistency: Evidence from an investigation of self-conceptstructure," Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 17,41-57.

Lawrence A. Kurdek and J. Patrick Schmitt. 1986. "Interaction ofsex role self-concept with relationship quality andrelationship beliefs in married, heterosexual cohabiting,

Nancy Rule Goldberger, Blythe McVicker Clinchy, Mary FieldBelenky, and Jill Mattuck Tarule. 1987. "Women's ways of knowing: On gaining a voice." Pp. 201-228 in P. Shaver and C. Hendrick (eds.),

Sex and Gender. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

FAMILY AND THE SELF

Jerome Kagan. 1988. "The powers and limitations of parents." Pp.393-405, in N.D. Glenn and M. T. Coleman (eds.),

FamilyRelations: A Reader.Chicago, IL: Dorsey Press.

William Damon. 1995. Greater Expectations, entire book.

*Sandra Pipp, Phillip Shaver, Sybillyn Jennings, Susie Lamborn,and Kurt W. Fischer. 1985. "Adolescents' theories about the development of their relationships with parents." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 48,991-1001.

RACE AND THE SELF

Michael Omi and Howard Winant. 1994. Racial Formation in theUnited States, Chs. 1-4.

Margaret Beale Spencer and Carol Markstrom-Adams. 1990."Identity processes among racial and ethnic minoritychildren in America." Child Development, 61, 290-310.

Ronald K. Takaki. 1993. "A different mirror." Pp. 52-65 in M. L.Andersen and P. H. Collins (eds.),

Race, Class and Gender: An Anthology (fourth edition). Belmont, CA:

Wadsworth.Elizabeth Martinez. 1994. "Seeing more than Black and White:Latinos, racism, and the cultural divides." Pp. 108-114 in M. L. Andersen and P. H. Collins (eds.),

Race, Class andGender: An Anthology (fourth edition). Belmont, CA:Wadsworth.

SOCIAL CLASS AND THE SELF

R. D. Hess and Virginia C. Shipman. 1965. "Early experience and the socialization of cognitive modes in children," Child Development, 36, 869-886.

Melvin L. Kohn and Carmi Schooler. 1969. "Class, occupation, andorientation," American Sociological Review, 34, 659-678.

Richard Sennett and Jonathan Cobb. 1972. The Hidden Injuries of Class, entire book.

Morris Rosenberg and Leonard I. Pearlin. 1978. "Social class andself-esteem among children and adults," American Journal ofSociology, 84, 53-77.

SCHOOL AND THE SELF

Ron Suskind. 1998. A Hope in the Unseen, entire book.

Roslyn Arlin Mickelson and Stephen Samuel Smith. 1998. "Caneducation eliminate race, class, and gender inequality?"Pp. 376-388 in L. Andersen and P. H. Collins (eds.),

Race,Class and Gender: An Anthology (fourth edition). Belmont,CA: Wadsworth.*Burton Clark. 1956. "The 'cooling out' function in highereducation," American Journal of Sociology, 65, 569-576.

OCCUPATION AND THE SELF

Studs Terkel. 1974. Working,passim.

Gideon Sjoberg, Richard A. Brymer, and Buford Farris. 1966."Bureaucracy and the lower class," Sociology and Social Research, 50, 325-337.

Richard Sennett. 1998. The Corrosion of Character: The PersonalConsequences of Work in the New Capitalism,entire book.

ALIENATION

Robert K. Merton. 1938. "Social structure and anomie," AmericanSociological Review, 3, 672-682.

Melvin Seeman. 1959. "On the meaning of alienation," American Sociological Review, 24, 783-791.

Kai Erikson. 1986. "On work and alienation," American Sociological Review, 51, 1-8.

Melvin Seeman. 1983. "Alienation motifs in contemporary theorizing: the hidden continuity of classic themes,"Social Psychology Quarterly, 46, 171-184.Philip Slater. 1976. The Pursuit of Loneliness, entire book.

REQUIRED BOOKS

Peter L. Berger and Thomas Luckmann. 1966. The Social Construction of Reality.Doubleday Anchor.

William Damon. 1995. Greater Expectations: Overcoming the Cultureof Indulgence in America's Homes and Schools.Free Press.

Frederick Elkin and Gerald Handel. 1989. The Child and SocietyThe Process of Socialization, (fifth edition). McGraw-Hill.

Judith Lorber. 1994. Paradoxes of Gender. Yale University Press.

Richard Sennett. 1998. The Corrosion of Character: The Personal Consequences of Work in the New Capitalism.

Norton.Richard Sennett and Jonathan Cobb. 1972. The Hidden Injuries of Class.

Norton.Philip Slater. 1976. The Pursuit of Loneliness. Beacon Press.

Ron Suskind. 1998. A Hope in the Unseen. Broadway.Studs Terkel. 1974. Working. New Press.

Social Structure And Personality

Social Structures Of The Economy

Social Structure & Mobility in Economic Development

Drug And Alcohol Consumption As Functions Of Social Structures

Marginality Power and Social Structure

Transition from School to Work

Social Structure and Party Choice

Structures Dynamics and Mechanisms

Social Structure of Postindustrial Societies

Behavior and the Larger Social Environment

Social structures of class and stratification

E-Books