Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas

Sociological Theories: the Founders - 1st semester

Code

711081052

Academic unit

Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas

Department

Sociologia

Credits

6

Teacher in charge

Helena Serra, João Pedro Nunes

Weekly hours

4

Teaching language

Portuguese

Objectives

1. Knowledge and understanding of the main authors and trends in classical socology;
2. Ability to identify such theoretical trends in substantive theoretical propositions;
3. Understanding of the bearing of classical sociological theory on the debates on contemporary sociology;
4. Ability to comnicate the basics of those authors and sociological trends in a rigorous and significant way.

Prerequisites

Não aplicável

Subject matter

THE CONSTRUCTION OF SOCIOLOGY
1. Founding themes of sociological knowledge
2. The sociological positivism of Auguste Comte
3. Herbert Spencer’s Organic and Super-organic evolution
4. Democracy in Tocqueville
5. The founding fathers: whom, why and how?

KARL MARX (1818-1883) AND FRIEDRICH ENGELS (1820-1895)
1. The roots of Marxist thought
2. Alienation and dialectical and historical materialism
3. Marxist theory on ideology and social classes
4. The political economy of capitalism
5. Marxist theory: critical readings

ÉMILE DURKHEIM (1858-1917)
1. Societies and social fact
2. The origins of collective consciousness
3. The social division of labour
4. Egoism and anomie

MAX WEBER (1864-1920)
1. Economy and social normativity
2. Social action, domination and legitimacy
3. Burocracy
4. Religious rationalities

GEORG SIMMEL (1858-1918
1. Formal sociology
2. The philosophy of money
3. Modernity and metropolises
4. The stranger

Bibliography

Bottomore, T. (1978). “Marxismo e sociologia”. In Bottomore, T. & Nisbet, R. História da análise sociológica. Rio de Janeiro: Zahar, pp. 166-204.
Connell, R.W. (1997). “Why is classical theory classical?”. Am. Jour. of Soc. 102, pp. 1511-1557.
Durkheim, É. (1995). As Regras do método sociológico. Lisboa: Editorial Presença.
Marx, K. & Engels, F. (1995). “A ideologia alemã”. In Cruz, M.B. (org) Teorias sociológicas: Os fundadores e os clássicos. Lisboa: Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, pp. 11-60.
Shils, E. (1980). “Tradition, ecology, and institution in the history of sociology”. In The calling of sociology and other essays on the pursuit of learning. Chicago: University of Chigago Press, pp. 165-257.
Simmel, G. (2004). Fidelidade e gratidão e outros textos. Lisboa: Relógio d’Água.
Turner, B.S. (1999). “The central themes of sociology: an introduction”. In Classical sociology. London: Sage, pp. 3-29.
Weber, Max (1995). Conceitos fundamentais de sociologia. Lisboa: Presença.

Teaching method

Theoretical/practical lectures based on support readings; analysis and discussion of theoretical texts; project research work. Grading will be based on:
- one test written in class (60% of the final grade)
- one written review of one cientific article indicated be the teaching team (40% of the final grade)
In class teaching.

Evaluation method

- one test written in class (60%)
- one written review of one cientific article indicated be the teaching team (40% )

Courses