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Sociological Theory Government of the Russian Federation Federal State Autonomous Educational Institution for Higher Professional Education "National Research University — Higher School of Economics" Faculty of Sociology Syllabus Sociological theory An undergraduate course in the discipline #040100.62, «Sociology» Authors: Gofman Alexandr Bentsionovich, Doctor of Sociological Sciences, Prof. [email protected] Nikolayev Vladimir Gennadievich, Candidate of Sociological Sciences, Docent [email protected] Pokrovski Nikita Yevgenievich, Doctor of Sociological Sciences, Prof. [email protected] Simonova Olga Andreyevna, Candidate of Sociological Sciences, Docent [email protected] Approved by the department of General Sociology on 1 November, 2011. Chair ______________________ Recommended by the section of the council for education and methodology in Sociology «___»____________ 2013 г. Chair V. G. Ledyayev _______________________ Approved by the Academic Council of the Faculty of Sociology «___»_____________2013 г. Academic secretary Е.V. Nadezhdina _________________________ Moscow, 2011 This syllabus can not be used by other divisions of the university and other educational institutions without the permission of the developing department. 1 1 Purpose and normative references This syllabus establishes minimum requirements for a student’s knowledge and skills and determines the content and types of educational activities and assessments. The syllabus is designed for instructors, teaching assistants, and students of the course within the 040100.62 discipline, namely “sociological theory.” The syllabus is developed in compliance with: ● The original educational standard of the National Research Institute — Higher School of Economics for sociology. ● Educational curriculum of the discipline #040100.62, Sociology. ● Working curriculum of the NRI—HSE for the discipline #040100.62, Sociology, undergraduate training, ratified in 2011. 2 Objectives of the course The main objective of the course is to introduce the fundamental principles, concepts, and theories of sociology and to help students learn the basic elements of professional culture and sociological reasoning skills used when analyzing various phenomena and events. The course acquaints students with works by reputed sociologists of the past and the present. Additionally, this course prepares students for a further, deeper study of special sociological disciplines and fields of sociological knowledge. 3 Student competences formed as a result of this course As a result of having taken this course a student shall: Know: ● Basic principles and concepts of theoretical sociology; ● Major classical and contemporary sociological theories and schools; ● Theoretical premises of applied sociological disciplines; ● Basic patterns to be observed in complex social processes and the functional mechanisms of basic social units; ● Basic theoretical models and research methods that describe social action, social perception, communication and interaction at macro- and microlevels. Be able to: ● Use acquired skills to analyze facts and real-life events from the standpoint of sociology; ● Use acquired skills to conceptualize and solve social problems. Have had experience of: ● Working with scholarly literature in sociology, including that in foreign languages; ● Performing information search on sociological topics; ● Composing book reviews, essays, surveys, simple academic papers; ● Making oral presentations on a specific topic. Having studied this discipline, a student acquires the following competences: Descriptors – basic signs of Code in Forms and methods of having acquired a competence Competence the FSES teaching helping to form (indicators of meeting an / NRI and develop a competence objective) Ability to perceive, Interprets and evaluates Lectures, seminars, ОК-1 generalize, analyze phenomena and events of social independent work with 2 information (partially life from the standpoint of readings, and writing satisfies) sociological knowledge assignments (an essay, homework) Ability to construct a Uses acquired knowledge and Lectures, seminars, logical, well-substantiated skills to independently study literature study, oral and clear speech, both OK-6 sociological theories and interpret presentations, and writing orally and in written form particular events and processes assignments (partially satisfies) taking place in the society Awareness of the social Demonstrates love for future Lectures, seminars, and importance of one’s future profession and adherence to its independent work profession, high principles and ideals OK-8 motivation for professional activities (partially satisfies) Ability to analyze socially Is skilled in establishing, Preparation of oral significant problems and evaluating, analyzing, and presentations and ОК-10 processes (partially interpreting socially significant participation in seminar satisfies) phenomena discussions Sufficient fluency in Is skilled in reading specialized Lectures by foreign foreign language to foreign literature and oral instructors and reading communicate orally and to comprehension additional literature in search for and analyze OK-15 foreign languages foreign sources of information (partially satisfies) Ability to use in Utilizes sociological concepts and Lectures, seminars, professional activities theories in academic research, independent work, and both general and applied, managerial and writing assignments (an professionally specific pedagogical activities essay, homework) knowledge and skills in ПК-1 the basics of sociological theory and methods of sociological research (partially satisfies) Ability and readiness to Is skilled in applying sociological Seminars and writing use one’s knowledge of theories and concepts to assignments methods and theories of analyzing social reality, writing social sciences and the and presenting reports on ПК-4 humanities in performing sociological topics an appraisal, consultation, or analysis (partially satisfies) Ability to use basic ПК-10 Demonstrates an ability to use Participation in seminar 3 theoretical knowledge and acquired knowledge and skills in discussions and writing practical skills to scientific, analytical, and applied assignments participate in academic activities and applied studies, analysis, and consulting (partially satisfies) Ability to use acquired Has skills of teaching and Seminar discussions and knowledge in teaching communicating with an audience oral presentations sociological disciplines (knowledge of the basics ПК-12 of socio-economic disciplines and the humanities) (partially satisfies) 4 Place of the discipline in the educational curriculum structure For “Sociology” majors, the present course is a mandatory element of their professional training cycle (the foundations). Prerequisites for the present course are: ● High School Social Sciences; ● High School History; ● High School Foreign Language; ● High School Computer Science. In order to succeed in this course, students must have the following knowledge and competences: ● Ability to work with academic readings in the humanities and social sciences; ● Basic computer skills; ● Foreign language reading skills. This course is a prerequisite for the later study of the following: ● Economic sociology ● Demography ● Social and economic anthropology ● Quantitative methods in sociological research ● Modern sociological theories ● Social structure and social stratification ● Sociology of consumption ● Classics of sociology: textual analysis ● Social theory of family and familial relations ● Sociology of politics: resource mobilization ● Sociology of religion ● Sociology of business behavior ● Sociology of fashion ● Principal sociological approaches to analyzing organizations ● Culture in modern European societies: institutional analysis ● Psychoanalysis in sociology ● Contemporary German theories on the society ● Social theories of tourism 4 ● Public opinion sociology ● Sociology of emotions ● The Chicago school of sociology ● Sociology of entrepreneurship ● Sociology of education ● Sociology of culture ● Sociology of science and scientific knowledge ● Ethnosociology ● Sociology of professions ● Socio-political institutions and the establishment of democratic systems: introduction into analysis ● Sociological-psychological studies of urban life ● Globalization theories 5 Thematic plan of the course Name of section/ topic Lecture Seminar Practicum Self-Study Hours Hours Hours Hours 1 Sociology as science 1 3 2 8 2 Prehistory of sociology 1 3 2 8 3 Culture and society 1 2 2 8 4 Social institutions 6 4 8 5 Socialization 1 2 2 8 6 Social groups and 1 3 4 8 organization 5 7 Social parity and disparity 1 3 4 8 5 8 Social processes, changes, 1 2 2 8 and movements 2 9 Mass behavior and mass 1 2 2 8 communities 2 1 Sociology and the Russian 1 4 4 8 0 society 6 1 History of sociology as a 5 1 1 3 field of knowledge 2 Prehistory of sociology: 5 1 1 3 ideological premises of a 5 science about society 3 Sociology of Auguste 1 2 2 6 Comte 0 4 Sociology of Herbert 5 - - 5 Spencer 5 Sociology of Karl Marx 1 2 2 6 6 Naturalism in sociology 5 1 - 4 7 Psychobiological and 5 1 - 4 psychological reductionism 8 Sociology of Ferdinand 9 2 2 5 Tönnies 9 Sociology of Georg 1 2 2 6 Simmel 0 1 Sociology of Emile 1 4 4 8 0 Durkheim 6 1 Sociology of Vilfredo 7 1 - 6 1 Pareto 1 Antipositivism and 3 1 - 2 2 antinaturalism in the social sciences’methodology in the 19th to the first half of the 20th century 1 Sociology of Max Weber 4 4 8 3 1 Empirical social studies of 3 1 - 2 4 the
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