The purpose of this course
is to introduce students to the ideas of social scientists who made important
contributions to modern social thought. First, we will consider contemporary
theorists whose writings are leading us into the twenty-first century. Then we
will turn to the work of classical social thinkers such as Emile Durkheim, Karl
Marx and Max Weber whose enduring contributions to social thought hold
significance for today's world. We will attempt, together, to draw out some
practical applications and implications underlying the work of major theorists.
Theoretical thinking is not about some distant world from the everyday, ordinary
one in which we live. Rather, it approaches the everyday world in a deeper more
systematic way, giving us a better, wider understanding of how “the world works”
including its effects on us.
Textbooks:
R.P. Cuzzort and Edith W. King, Social Thought into the Twenty-First
Century Sixth Edition (2002), Harcourt College Publishers
Kody Scott, Monster, The Autobiography of an L.A. Gang Member
(1993), Penguin Books