Boston university department of Sociology

BOSTON UNIVERSITY
Department of Sociology


SO701: Classical Sociological Theory

Fall 2014

Stephen Kalberg

Office Hours: TuTh. 11-12; Th. 2:30-3

and by appt. Office: Sociology 255

Tel. and Voice-mail: 358-0632 Class Meetings: Th. 3:30-6:30

E-mail: [e-mail] Classroom: SO 252

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"'No man is an island.' Our values, our attitudes, and our customs derive from our interaction with others and, more generally, from social milieus and our society. Yet milieus and societies differ vastly, and 'proper' behavior in one context may be seen as 'strange' and even 'uncivilized' in another."

Theodor Adorno

This seminar will examine modern societies through the lens of classical works in sociological theory. Major schools of thought in Sociology, as we know them today, originated from the writings of Marx, Weber, Durkheim, and Simmel. The key themes and rigorous modes of analysis of each theorist will be discussed in detail, and many comparisons and contrasts will be offered throughout the semester. Students will become familiar with the "Marxian," "Weberian," "Durkheimian," and "Simmelian" modes of analysis. The many ways in which the classical theorists help us to understand complex societies today will remain our focus.

BOOKS (available at BU B&N):
Required:
Coser, Lewis A., Masters of Sociological Thought (MST)

Durkheim, Emile, Division of Labor in Society

" " , Suicide

Marx, Karl, The Marx-Engels Reader. Edited by R. Tucker (MER)

Weber, Max, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism

with Other Writings on the Rise of the West. Translated and

Introduced by S. Kalberg (PERW)

Weber, Max, Readings and Commentary on Modernity. Edited by

S. Kalberg) (RCM)

Highly Recommended (not at B&N):
Antonio, Robert J., Marx and Modernity. Oxford: Blackwell.

Emirbayer, Mustafa, Emile Durkheim. Oxford: Blackwell.

Hughes, John A., Peter J. Martin, and W.W. Sharrock, Understand-

ing Classical Sociology. London: Sage.

Kalberg, S., "Max Weber." Pp. 305-73 in The Blackwell

Companion to Major Social Theorists, edited by George Ritzer and

Jeffrey Stepnisky. Oxford: Blackwell, 2011 (available on

request).


Books should always be brought to class, as we will occasionally

read selections together.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
In general:
1) Assigned readings should be completed before each meeting in order to facilitate comprehension and discussion.
2) This is a seminar. Short lectures will introduce central themes and direct discussion. Every effort will be made to present difficult and complex theories in an accessible manner.

Many important connections across the various theories will be made only in class; the complicated ideas in this course will not be comprehensible from the readings alone.

Written Work:
A term paper (25-30 pp.) is required. Two theorists must be addressed. Papers should utilize almost exclusively primary sources and should demonstrate a) a command of the theorists and b) offer original interpretations, insights, and/or applications.
The instructor will expect to explore paper topics with each student; writing can commence only after a detailed outline is approved. Although drafts of papers will not be accepted, I am available to discuss papers at all stages of their production.

Two formats are possible:

a) A comparison of two theoretical positions

b) An application of two theoretical positions

If time permits, students will be encouraged to present short summaries of their papers (or sections thereof) in the last few class meetings.

All students are expected to abide by all university and departmental standards on plagiarism and academic conduct. Consult the CAS Academic Conduct Code for clarification of official standards.

Papers must be turned in no later than 6pm on Thursday, December 19. Severe grade reduction penalties will apply if a peper is turned in late.
Please note: Excellent writing and organization are indispensable.

Course Schedule and Reading Assignments

I. Introduction Sept. 4

MST, pp. xvii-xxi

II. Karl Marx Sept. 11--25

Introduction
MST, chapter on Marx
MER, pp. 3-6, 469-500

a) The Materialist Conception of History

MER, pp. 143-64, 172-75, 53-54
b) Stages of History / The Development of the Division of

Labor / The Modes of Production

MER, pp. 172-93 (again), 702-07
c) The Rise of Capitalism, its Nature, and its Internal

Dynamics

MER, pp. 178-86, 469-500 (again), 755-59
d) Alienation

MER, pp. 73-81, 133-35
e) The Crisis of Capitalism

MER, pp. 487, 489-91 (again), 210-17, 278-90, 706-11
f) What Marx Wanted: the Future

MER, pp. 218f, 193-200, 291-93, 542-48
g) The Radical Tradition: Marx
h) Evaluation

III. Max Weber Oct. 2--Oct. 30

Introduction

RCM, pp. 1-48

PERW, pp. vii-xvii, 557-70; MST, pp. 234-60

a) The Protestant Ethic Thesis I: The Protestant Ethic and

the Spirit of Capitalism

PERW, pp. 61-88, 93-123, 141-59

optional: PERW, pp. 3-58, 431-48, 449-54

RCM, pp. 69-71, 107-10, 347-52
b) The Protestant Ethic Thesis II: The Protestant Sects in

America

PERW, pp. 185-204

optional: PERW, pp. 163-79

RCM, pp. 71-73
c) The Political Culture of American Democracy

RCM, pp. 277-89, 142-46

optional: PERW, pp. 179-83

RCM, pp. 273-76, 367-75

Kalberg, S., Searching for the Spirit of

American Democracy (Paradigm)

d) The Uniqueness and Rise of Modern Capitalism

optional: RCM, pp. 27-37 [again]

1) Modern Capitalism's Uniqueness

PERW, pp. 205-20, 400-06, 426-30, 252-56

RCM, pp. 64-67, 130-139

optional: PERW, pp. 183-84, 238-309, 349-69

RCM, pp. 49-52, 121-24, 353-56
2) The Rise of Modern Capitalism

PERW, pp. 397-99, 413-24

RCM, p. 129

optional: PERW, pp. 313-96, 400-12, 424-48

e) The Modern World: Impersonal Relations and the

Disappearance of Compassion

1) Capitalism as a "Grinding Mechanism"

PERW, pp. 157-59 (again)

2) Bureaucratization: the Concentration of Power, the

"Levelling" of Social Differences, and "Passive"

Democracy

RCM, pp. 209-16, 258-62
3) The Modern State and Formal-Rational Law

RCM, pp. 230-44
4) The Sociology of Emotions

Kalberg, "Max Weber's Sociology of Emotions" (available

from author [AFA])
f) The Circumscription of Ethical Action in the Modern World

RCM, pp. 251-58, 260-64

PERW, pp. 426-30 [again].

optional: RCM, pp. 245-50, 357-60

1) Civilized Man's "Meaninglessness," Science, and the

"Disenchantment of the World"

RCM, pp. 321-27, 337-43

optional: S. Kalberg, "Utilizing Max Weber's 'Iron

Cage' to Define the Past, Present, and Future of

the American Political Culture" [AFA])

2) "The Ethic of Conviction" and the "Ethic of

Responsibility" ("Science as a Vocation" and

Politics as a Vocation")

RCM, pp. 265-71

g) Social Science: Weber's Methodology

RCM, pp. 139-41, 315-20; MST, pp. 217-26.

optional: RCM, pp. 8-26, 37-41 [again]

1) Ethical Neutrality and the Aim of Science

RCM, pp. 328-36

2) The Ideal Type

"Objectivity," pp. 89-93 (available from the

instructor [AFI])

Economy and Society, pp. 19-22 [AFI]

3) Subjective Meaning and the Four Types of Action

Economy and Society, pp. 4-7, 22-26 [AFA]

4) "Carrier Strata" and "Ideas"

PERW, pp. 238-43

Optional: Economy and Society, pp. 468-92 [AFA]

S. Kalberg, "The Past and Present Influence of

World Views" [AFA]

h) Familiar and Important Concepts Originating from Max

Weber [time permitting]

1) The Power / Authority Distinction; Inequality

RCM, pp. 179-193

optional: RCM, pp. 173-74

2) Three Types of Authority: Traditional, Charismatic,

and Bureaucratic

RCM, pp. 194-220

optional: RCM, pp. 174-78, 361-66; MST, pp. 230-33

3) The Distinction Between Class and Status

RCM, pp. 151-62

optional: RCM, pp. 147-50; PERW, pp. 361-69;

MST, pp. 228-30
4) "Race" and the Complexity of the Concept of

Ethnicity, and Heredity

RCM, pp. 297-313

optional: RCM, pp. 291-96

RCM, pp. 221-43

i) Evaluation

IV. Emile Durkheim Nov. 6--20

"The Field of Sociology" and "The Science of Morality." Pp.

51-68 and 89-107 in Emile Durkheim: Selected Writings, ed.

by Anthony Giddens [AFI]

The Division of Labor in Society (trans. by W.D. Halls, 1984),

p. 11-87, 149-175, 233-45, 275-79, 291-309, 337-41

The Rules of Sociological Method (ed. by Steven

Lukes and trans. by W.D. Halls, 1982), pp. 31-163 [AFI]

Suicide, pp. 41-53, 145-70, 197-228, 241-76, 297-302, 309-325
Elementary Forms of Religious Life, pp. 37-63, 235-272 [esp.

249-53][AFI]

"The Dualism of Human Nature and its Social Conditions." Pp. 149-63 in Emile Durkheim on Morality and Society, edited by Robert Bellah [AFI]

"Political Sociology" and "The Social Bases of Education."

Pp. 189-218 in Emile Durkheim: Selected Writings, ed. by

Anthony Giddens

V. Georg Simmel Dec. 4
MST, chapter on Simmel
"The Stranger" [AFI]
"The Metropolis and Mental Life" [AFI]

VI. Review and Student Presentations Dec. 4

Secondary Sources (optional; all available at Mugar Library)
Albrow, Martin, Max Weber's Construction of Social Theory

Antonio, Robert A., "Values, History, and Science: The Meta-

theoretic Foundations of the Weber-Marx Dialogue." Pp. 20-45

in A Weber-Marx Dialogue, edited by Antonio and R. Glassman

---"Karl Marx." Pp. 93-131 in The Blackwell Companion to Major

Social Theorists, ed. by Ga. Ritzer.

Bendix, Reinhard, "Inequality and Social Structure: A Comparison

of Marx and Weber." Pp. 307-25 in Lewis A. Coser and Bernard

Rosenberg, eds., Sociological Theory: A Book of Readings (Fifth

Ed.)

---, "Two Sociological Traditions." Pp. 282-98 in Bendix and

Guenther Roth, Scholarship and Partisanship

Birnbaum, Norman, "Conflicting Interpretations of the Rise of

Capitalism: Marx and Weber." Brit. J. of Sociology 4 (June,

1953): 125-41.

Braverman, Harry, Labor and Monopoly Capital

Durkheim, E., "Sociology in France in the Nineteenth Century,"

in Emile Durkheim on Morality and Society, edited by Robert

Bellah

Giddens, Anthony, Capitalism and Modern Social Theory

---, "Marx's Theory of Classes" and "The Weberian Critique." Pp.

23-52 in The Class Structure of Advanced Societies

Jones, Robert Alun, Emile Durkheim

Kaern, Michael, "The World as Human Construction." Pp. 75-98

in Georg Simmel and Contemporary Sociology, edited by Kaern,

Bernard S. Phillips, and Robert Cohen.

Kalberg, Stephen [articles available from author]:

---, Max Weber's Comparative-Historical Sociology (Chicago, 1994)

---, Max Weber's Comparative-Historical Sociology Today (Ashgate, 2012)

---, "On the Neglect of Weber's Protestant Ethic as a Theoretical

Treatise: Demarcating the Parameters of Post-War American

Sociological Theory." Sociological Theory 14, 1 (March 1996):

49-70.

---, "Tocqueville and Weber on the Sociological Origins of

Citizenship: The Political Culture of American Democracy."

Citizenship Studies 1 (July, 1997): 199-222.

Levine, Donald N., "Introduction." Pp. iv-lxv in Georg Simmel

on Individuality and Social Forms, edited by Levine.

Löwith, Karl, "Weber's Interpretation of the Bourgeois

-Capitalistic World in Terms of the Guiding Principle of

'Rationalization.'" Pp. 101-22 in Max Weber, edited by

Dennis Wrong

Lukes, Steven, Emile Durkheim: His Life and Work

Mamelet, Alfred, "[Simmel's] Sociological Relativism." Pp. 64-

73 in Georg Simmel, edited by Lewis A. Coser.

McClellan, David, The Young Hegelians and Karl Marx

Nisbet, Robert, The Sociological Tradition.

Roth, Guenther, "Introduction." Pp. xxvii-xxxiv, lvi-xci in

Economy and Society

Salomon, Albert, "Money and Alienation." Pp. 135-38 in Coser,

ed., Georg Simmel.

Smelser, Neil J., Comparative Methods in the Social Sciences, pp.

38-150.

Tenbruck, F.H., "Formal Sociology." Pp. 61-99 in Kurt Wolff,

ed., Georg Simmel.