Syllabus
Revised 16 October

SOCIOLOGY 3700
Section One: T H, 11:00 - 12:15
Section Two: T H, 09:35 - 10:50

Classroom Building, 209 

David Ashley
Ross Hall, 417
Office Hours: T H: 2:30 - 4:00, and by appointment

ashleywy@uwyo.edu

Prerequisite for this Class:  SOC 1000 (Sociological Principles)

If you have a physical, learning, or psychological disability that requires accommodations, please let me know as soon as possible.  You will need to register with, and provide documentation of your disability to, University Disability Support Services (UDSS) in SEO, Room 330 Knight Hall, 766-6189, TTY: 766-3073

This class examines the development of social theory from the period of the U.S. and French revolutions to the Great War of 1914-1918 and the worldwide depression of the 1930s.  We shall study so-called modern or "classical social theory" against the backdrop of the development of modernity in Western Europe and North America. This class will thus contain some European and U.S. social and economic history, some social philosophy, some economics and some political theory.

Few students in this class are sociology majors, so I bear this in mind as I teach the course.  The following are some of the broader questions we shall address this semester:

This may seem an odd admission for a "theorist" to make, but I have never been very interested in "theory," per se.  I am interested in society, social change, social problems, historical events and trends.  "Theory" is a tool that helps us make sense of such things.  If it doesn't help explain anything it's pointless, as far as I am concerned.

Unfortunately, you are not going to see the point of social theory unless you already have thought a little bit about your immediate (and past) social environment.  For instance, if you have never heard of the Enlightenment, the French revolution, the Great War, the New Deal, or that kind of thing, you probably will be at a bit of a loss in this class.

Required Text: David Ashley and David M. Orenstein.
Sociological Theory: Classical Statements, 6th ed.  Allyn and Bacon, 2005

Required Additional Reading

Note:  All these readings can be accessed from this page from the (underlined) links provided below.

 1.  Discussion of (a) Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679), (b) John Locke (1632-1704) and (c) Immanuel Kant (1724-1804)

 2.  U.S. Declaration of Independence

 4.  Emile Durkheim on (a) solidarity, (b) the division of labor, and (c) anomie.

 5.  Emile Durkheim on (a) crime, (b) suicide, and (c) religion

 6.  Georg Hegel's Theory of the Modern State (Avinieri)

 8.  Karl Marx. Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts. Estranged Labor

10.  Read Frank Elwell's "The Sociology of Max Weber"

11.  Max Weber.  From "The Protestant Ethic" (The Uniqueness of the West)

12.  Georg Simmel.  The Metropolis and Modern Life

13.  Arthur Schopenhauer  (Listen to Christopher Janaway)

15.  Psychoanalysis and Sigmund Freud (discussion)

16.  Friedrich Nietzsche.  Genealogy of Morals (extract)

Materials and notes from class will be placed as links in the boxes below

Immanuel Kant (notes)

Man With A Plan.  Herbert Spencer's Theory of Everything

Why We Feel So Poor

Circuit of Capital

Marx's Model of Exploitation

Multiculturalism is a Disaster

The Prince (Machiavelli)

Expectations:

(25 percent of grade each). Deadlines: 16 October and 06 December 

Each paper should be approx. 2,000-2,500 words long, excluding references and bibliography, and should be written tightly. Topics for discussion and more detailed instructions will be given out in class. You can give me early drafts for feedback and critique by 5:00 p.m. up to five days before the deadlines for these papers.

A check-list for discussion papers can be found  below.  Use it.

Note that the links at the end of this syllabus direct you to numerous primary and secondary sources that be used in preparing these papers.  Please consult these first before you ask for additional sources.

Do not plagiarize from the Web.  This is easy to spot and creates significant problems for both of us.

If you need help with the mechanics of writing use the University Writing Center.  Make sure you cite all sources in your papers.  Also, make sure that I can easily identify the PAGE you are citing from (as well as the author, title, book, periodical, or whatever).  If you use the Internet, just cite the Web Page.  You will be downgraded if you do not cite appropriately.

You will receive a letter grade for your discussion paper.

2.  Eight multiple-choice quizzes (worth five percent each).  These quizzes are designed to check whether or not you have done the assigned reading.  If you do not study the assignments expect to fail this class.  The quizzes are intended to be easy.

Quizzes are graded as follows:

15 = A+
12-14 = A
11 = B+
10 = B
9 = C+
8 = D+
7 = D
0-6 = F
 

After the first day of class, I take attendance.  If you are absent and do not have a written university excuse you will be recorded as absent.  If you miss more than seven classes you will receive an automatic "F" grade.  If you miss 5-7 classes, you will be downgraded by one letter.  If you miss 3-4 classes it will almost certainly hurt your grade.

In short, in order to have an excused absence you must:

(1) Obtain a written slip from the Office of Student Life or the Athletic Office, or get a doctor's excuse.
(2) Give me a copy.
(3) Do all this within 30 days of the date you missed class.

There are no make-ups for quizzes.  If you miss a quiz because of an official university excuse your other scores will be averaged.

Discussion papers handed in late will be penalized.

I expect each student to visit me at least once during the term to discuss papers, ask specific questions, make criticisms and suggestions for this class, etc.  Please stop by as soon as possible if you are having problems, or experiencing difficulties and anxieties.  Also, feel free to use E-mail to make appointments or ask questions. I check my E-mail two or three times a day and, usually, I will get right back to you.

Make sure you keep up with the readings and do not miss the deadlines for the response papers and the discussion papers.  Note the importance of participation and discussion in this class. Discussion helps people work through their ideas. It is not a waste of time. The best way to learn is not just to listen and copy what I say but to engage in an active process of argumentation that enables you to test your ideas and preconceptions by forcing you to justify them.

There is no "political correctness" in this class.  I hate all kinds of "political correctness."  Don't be surprised if you are challenged or offended by some of the ideas to which you will be exposed.  If you don't like that kind of thing you might be happier elsewhere.

I probably shouldn't have to say this, but I am not interested in converting you to a particular political, moral or normative point of view.  This class examines different (and conflicting) ideas, all of which, in various ways, have been enormously influential.  We take the ideas seriously; ourselves less so.

So, remember:  except in the most tangential sense, SOC 3700 is not about you and it is not about me.  It's about something else.  

THERE IS NO MIDTERM AND THERE IS NO FINAL EXAM FOR THIS CLASS

Here is some information about some of the videos we shall see in this class:

The Romantics (Part One)

The War on Democracy (John Pilger)

The Power of Nightmares (Part One)

The Protestant Reformation

The Century of the Self (Parts One and Two)

Check list for discussion-paper:

Have I adopted one of the topics given out by the instructor? 
If not, have I clearly explained what my paper is trying to accomplish?

Does my paper have a concluding section?  Does it have a middle and a beginning?

Have I cited ALL sources appropriately (see above for link to Writing Center).

Have I organized my paper in paragraphs?  Do I write in complete sentences?

Have I written tightly?  Have I ruthlessly eliminated ALL  superfluous words and sentences?

Do I use standard English?  Are my spelling and punctuation correct?

Have I proof-read what I have written very carefully?

Did I go back and proof-read my paper a second time?

Have I read enough to write a decent paper?

Have I made an effort to collect and report relevant information and data?

Students and Teachers Working Together
(University Document)

The following document, which describes both your and my duties and responsibilities in this class, is required reading. 

Before you ask me a question, please check to see if the answer is below.

“Civility is not a sign of weakness.” John F. Kennedy

At a good university, good student/teacher relationships come from mutual respect, trust, and honesty. Learning takes place when teachers and students treat each other with politeness and civility, rather than with anger, ridicule, or confrontation. Indeed, a classroom conducive to teaching and learning is the right of all University of Wyoming students and faculty, and it is the responsibility of both parties to achieve and maintain it even though specifics will vary from course to course. This document, Students and Teachers Working Together, provides some guidelines for carrying out that responsibility.

A teacher (that is, anyone who teaches) should do his or her best to provide a disciplined yet comfortable and supportive classroom environment. Teachers’ materials should be well organized, their procedures clear and fair. They should encourage questions and questioning, although students should remember that insight often comes from struggling with a problem rather than being given the answer.

The ultimate responsibility for learning lies with the individual student.  Although faculty members will teach and guide and university staff will assist and encourage, learning is the responsibility of the student.  Learning is hard work, and full-time students should consider “studenting” to be a full-time job.

 Course Syllabus

University Regulations (Unireg 29, http://uwadmnweb.uwyo.edu/legal/Uniregs/ur029.htm) require that a teacher provides a syllabus for each class taught.  A syllabus is a contract between the student and the teacher that makes clear the expectations and requirements the parties are expected to fulfill.

   Attendance

  Classroom Deportment

 Phone and E-Mail

Office Hours

Teachers are required to hold three office hours per week. These should be on two different days.

   Grading and Assessment

It is the teacher’s prerogative to set policies regarding grading and assessment.  Each teacher may have different policies.

It is important to be clear and consistent in grading policies and standards.

 Academic Honesty

Academic honesty is expected, and dishonesty will not be tolerated and can lead to expulsion from the College and the University.  The University Regulation, 802 rev 2, at http://www.uwyo.edu/legal/Uniregs/ur802.htm discusses academic dishonesty in detail. The College of Arts and Sciences procedure guidelines are at http://www.uwyo.edu/a&s/Appeals_Dishonesty/Guidelines_Dishonesty. Students and teachers are strongly advised to read these regulations.