Paper #1
As this is a course in Sociological Theory. It will be useful if we start with a consideration of just what that means to you. It is often said that the cornerstones of science are theory and methodology. As a social science Sociology has to take this into account. This is why Sociological Theory and Research Methods are required for the major.
For this paper you are to write a full description of what you believe Sociological Theory is. You should consider both what it is used for (i.e., what its ultimate goal or use value is) and how it is constructed (i.e., how it gets created and integrated into practice). Remember that Sociological theory covers a wide range of theories accounting for such diverse phenomena as how people avoid each other on a crowded sidewalk to how revolutions happen. Try to come up with a single sentence that best defines Sociological Theory to you. The rest of your paper should then be explaining what your one sentence definition means and why you think it is an adequate and appropriate definition.
Paper #2
Paper #2 is based on our discussion of the readings by Emile Durkheim. You should write a paper describing what understanding you get out of the readings and how you feel they apply to modern society. The following questions should help guide you in the key elements you should consider and reflect upon. What was the assumption about society that Durkheim started with and shaped his views on studying society and social structure? What do you feel Durkheim meant by “the Division of Labor”? What is the cause, or source, of social change for Durkheim, and what kinds of changes in society was he interested in explaining? How does Mechanical Solidarity differ from Organic Solidarity? How does each get reflected in the structure of our own modern society? Do you see the abnormal forms reflected in our current society? How? What would this suggest about the stability and future of our society?
Paper #3
Paper #3 is based on our discussion of the readings by Karl Marx and Frederick Engels. As with paper #2 this should be an explanation of your understanding of the theory and writings of the authors, as they apply to modern society. The following questions should help to guide you in exploring the ideas of the authors and how they can be applied to modern society. What is the basis of society? What holds a society together and causes it to function as a body and gives it structure? What is the dialectic and how does it apply to social systems? What is the role of ideas and ideology in this process? What is the nature of social change in society and what causes it? What does Marx and Engels see as the future of modern society? To what degree do their ideas adequately explain things that are happening in modern society? How?
Paper #4
Paper #4 is based on our discussion of the readings by Max Weber. As with papers #2 and #3 it should be a description of your understanding of the ideas of Max Weber and how they apply to modern society. The following questions should provide a guide for some of the ideas you should consider. What does Weber see as the basis for society? What holds society together and gives it structure? What divides society and causes conflict? How do the social institutions in society influence each other and combine to create social structure? What is the role of ideas and ideology in this process? What causes both stability and social change in society? How does culture play a role in the structuring of society? How are these ideas reflected in current events that affect society in the modern world? What does this say about the future stability and change in our society?
Paper #5
Paper #5 is based on your understanding of the work of George Herbert Mead. Unlike the others we have covered, Mead is considered a Social Psychologist focused more on the Micro aspects of man and society. Discuss your understanding of Mead. Consider what makes man different from other species, both as individuals and as societies. Consider the source or cause of this difference and how this difference develops in man and the implications of this for man as an individual and man as a part of society. How does man develop into an individual and what is the role of society in this development? What does this suggest about the stability of human societies and their potential for change. How does this affect social structure and the institutions that shape society? Be sure to discuss what Mead means by social behaviorism, mind, self, and society.
Sample Solution
