SOCIOLOGY 612

 Contemporary Sociology Theory

Sociology 612 is the second half of a two-termed requirement in theory for all graduate students at University of Hawaii at Manoa. Talcott Parsons is taken as the dividing point but depending on the instructors for the two courses, his work may appear in either 611 or 612.

I have a strong preference here as elsewhere to have students read primary materials. Since there are a number of good collections available, this is rather easily managed. Similarly, since it is a requirement for graduate students, for me there is an obligation to cover all the major movements and writers. The best effort is made to present a fair examination of the movements and writers, but there is no pretence that the instructor is neutral regarding these. Use of the internet is required since not only are some of the materials only available there, but with the use of Blackboard software, students are required to appear on the discussion forums as we proceed. As in Soc 611, considerable attention is paid to epistemological and meta-theoretical issues, e.g. problems in empiricism and questions regarding the ontology of society.

There are no exams or large term papers in this course. Rather, a number of papers are assigned, as many as eight or nine, as we proceed through the syllabus. These are meant to provoke reflection on the problems and to encourage students to get straight on what is at issue.

Go to Syllabus