Universität Wien

230012 UE Theoretical Foundations ("Reading Classics of Sociology") (2023S)

4.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 23 - Soziologie
Continuous assessment of course work
Moodle

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 34 participants
Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

  • Friday 03.03. 08:15 - 09:45 Inst. f. Soziologie, Seminarraum 1, Rooseveltplatz 2, 1.Stock
  • Friday 10.03. 08:15 - 09:45 Inst. f. Soziologie, Seminarraum 1, Rooseveltplatz 2, 1.Stock
  • Friday 17.03. 08:15 - 09:45 Inst. f. Soziologie, Seminarraum 1, Rooseveltplatz 2, 1.Stock
  • Friday 24.03. 08:15 - 09:45 Inst. f. Soziologie, Seminarraum 1, Rooseveltplatz 2, 1.Stock
  • Friday 31.03. 08:15 - 09:45 Inst. f. Soziologie, Seminarraum 1, Rooseveltplatz 2, 1.Stock
  • Friday 21.04. 08:15 - 09:45 Inst. f. Soziologie, Seminarraum 1, Rooseveltplatz 2, 1.Stock
  • Friday 28.04. 08:15 - 09:45 Inst. f. Soziologie, Seminarraum 1, Rooseveltplatz 2, 1.Stock
  • Friday 05.05. 08:15 - 09:45 Inst. f. Soziologie, Seminarraum 1, Rooseveltplatz 2, 1.Stock
  • Friday 12.05. 08:15 - 09:45 Inst. f. Soziologie, Seminarraum 1, Rooseveltplatz 2, 1.Stock
  • Friday 19.05. 08:15 - 09:45 Inst. f. Soziologie, Seminarraum 1, Rooseveltplatz 2, 1.Stock
  • Friday 26.05. 08:15 - 09:45 Inst. f. Soziologie, Seminarraum 1, Rooseveltplatz 2, 1.Stock
  • Friday 02.06. 08:15 - 09:45 Inst. f. Soziologie, Seminarraum 1, Rooseveltplatz 2, 1.Stock
  • Friday 16.06. 08:15 - 09:45 Inst. f. Soziologie, Seminarraum 1, Rooseveltplatz 2, 1.Stock
  • Friday 23.06. 08:15 - 09:45 Inst. f. Soziologie, Seminarraum 1, Rooseveltplatz 2, 1.Stock
  • Friday 30.06. 08:15 - 09:45 Inst. f. Soziologie, Seminarraum 1, Rooseveltplatz 2, 1.Stock

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

In this course, we will read classic sociological texts, bearing in mind that "classic" does not necessarily mean “old”. We will start with the acknowledged classics like Max Weber and Georg Simmel but we should also arrive at Derrida, Baudrillard and other more or less contemporary thinkers. The reading will be focused on one common topic: western modernity. We will discuss modernity, the (arguably) still present condition in which we live, in its most important aspects and effects, including power, organisation, institutions and modern identities. After finishing the course successfully, students will be able to critically discuss the long-term developments and short-term changes in our societies and they will have a basic set of theoretical vocabulary with which they can analyse these changes and seek further understanding of them.

Assessment and permitted materials

There is compulsory attendance at this seminar. Students are expected to read the prescribed texts and participate in seminar discussions. A series of written assignments must be handed in.Note: Attendance at the first meeting (3.3.) is compulsory. If you fail to turn up without a proper excuse, you will be de-registered from the course.Two essays must be handed in throughout the semester, based on common assignments. The essays will be evaluated for both content and form (i.e. the quality, comprehension and conciseness of the argument, as well as references, style and clarity of writing).Important Grading Information:If not explicitly noted otherwise, all requirements mentioned in the grading scheme must be met. If a required task is not fulfilled, this will be considered as a discontinuation of the course. In that case, the course will be graded as ‘fail’ (5), unless there is a major and unpredictable reason for not being able to fulfill the task on the student's side (e.g. a longer illness). In such a case, the student may be de-registered from the course without grading. Whether this exception applies is decided by the lecturer.If any requirement of the course has been fulfilled by fraudulent means, be it for example by cheating at an exam, plagiarizing parts of a written assignment or by faking signatures on an attendance sheet, the student's participation in the course will be discontinued, the entire course will be graded as ‘not assessed’ and will be entered into the electronic exam record as ‘fraudulently obtained’. The plagiarism-detection service (Turnitin in Moodle) can be used in course of the grading: Details will be announced by the lecturer.

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

To pass the course successfully, students must attend every class. Two absences are tolerated. Reading compulsory texts and active participation in class discussions is required. Throughout the semester, students will submit 2 written assignments ("homeworks"). In each homework, they will work with the compulsory texts and refer to them. Failure to meet these criteria may result in de-registration from the course.The final grade will be based on active participation in class (20% of the grade) and the quality of the written assignments (80%).

Examination topics

Reading list

Excerpts from the following books and papers will be used in the seminar:Appelrouth, S. & Desfor Edles, L. 2012. Classical and Contemporary Sociological Theory. Thousand Oaks: Sage. Berger, P. & Luckmann, T. 1966. The social construction of reality: a treatise on the sociology of knowledge. New York: Doubleday.Bourdieu, P. 1996. Distinction. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.Bourdieu, P. 1994. Re-thinking the state. Sociological Theory 12(1): 1-18.Foucault, M. 1977. Discipline and punish. New York: Vintage Books.Merton, R. 1968. Social theory and social structure. New York: The Free Press.Ritzer, G. 2011. Sociological theory. New York: McGraw-Hill.Simmel, G. 1950. The sociology of Georg Simmel. New York: Simon and Schuster.Simmel, G. 1991. Money in modern culture. Theory, culture and society 8: 17-31.

Association in the course directory

in 505: BA T1 UE Klassiker*innen lesen

Last modified: Mo 27.02.2023 12:29