LB385.

OL-Social Theory (Online)

Arcadia University Liberal Arts (7 week format) Dr. Mitra Rokni Office: Virtual Office E-mail: roknim@arcadia.edu I prefer to communicate via email. I will return emails within 24 hours and grade your assignments within a week from their due dates. This course is being delivered in an accelerated format. The reading in this course is very heavy. Since it is 7 weeks be sure to remain on top of the reading and the assignments. If at any time you feel you are falling behind please contact me immediately. Welcome! Welcome to your Arcadia University course, LB 385 Social Theory. This course undertakes a broad review of major sociological theories, their main advocates, and their historical development to the present time. Social Theory is a particularly challenging topic. It forms the foundations for key discussions in many areas of studies in social sciences and liberal arts. While it is often taught in sociology departments, many of its topics are central to other fields of inquiry such as economics, political science, history, religion, anthropology, and philosophy. Required Materials Required Text: Sociological Theory, George Ritzer (8th edition) NOTE: Additional readings (as links) have been and/or will be provided in weekly units as needed. Minimum Technical Skills Expected 1. The ability to use a modern web browser, like Internet Explorer or Firefox, to navigate websites. 2. The ability to use your Arcadia e-mail address to send and receive e-mails.

3. The ability to learn My Arcadia features found in the Tutorials section of the course, as needed. 4. The ability to use word processing software to read, author, edit and save documents. 5. The ability to use a search engine, like Google, to find information on the web. Technical Support If you experience any difficulties with accessing the course or email please contact the IT helpdesk 215.572.2898. If you encounter a problem with an assignment or content in the course please contact me. Resources available In compliance with the Arcadia University policy and equal access laws, appropriate academic accommodations can be made for students eligible for such support. Students are encouraged to register with the Disability Services Office (215-968-8463) to verify their eligibility for appropriate accommodations. Please speak to me about any requests for academic accommodations or other concerns as early in the semester as possible.

Terminal Course Objectives To provide the student with an in-depth understanding of prominent social theorist and their interpretations of their respective social milieus, and the world beyond! To introduce the student to classical, modern, and postmodern social theories and their relevance to contemporary society. To encourage the integration of analytical and evaluative thought process in the explanation of social phenomena. Evaluation

A B C D F

90% to 100% 80% to 89% 70% to 79% 60% to 69% Failure to complete required work

Term Paper I 15% Classical Theories (due by the end of week 3) Term Paper II 15% Modern Theories (due by the end of week 6) Term Paper III 15% Postmodern Theories (due by the end of week 7) Weekly Threaded Discussions Total 55% 100%

Introduction This course is being presented in an online environment. It is important that you login on a regular basis (if possible) and work on a consistent basis to complete your requirements. It is advisable that you login early in the week and effectively participate in the ongoing discussions, by presenting several relevant and in-depth comments, and by participating in the ongoing class discussions. Much, if not most, of our learning comes through high-level analytical class discussions. The course is quite heavy on reading. The subject-matter is also quite demanding. Therefore you will need to be self-motivated and try to stay as organized as possible. Try to read the assigned chapter (s) in its entirety before responding to my question. I also suggest that you login in the beginning of the week and copy all assignments into a Word document. This will allow you to construct a quality answer, spell check, grammar check, and copy and paste into the forum. The Term Papers must be submitted in word documents. Requirements for Discussion Board Sessions 1. All written works in this class, including those in the Discussion Board forums, must follow the basic APA guidelines-specifically in the areas of pagination and in-text citations. You may not copy and paste from external course without properly following the APA guide lines for suck citations. Using long quotes from external sources may negatively affect the quality of the post. In your discussions, you need to be as organized as possible, while incorporating theoretical concepts in your comments.

When quoting the work of another scholar, it is important that you cite the work correctly. In unit 2, you will be introduced to a tool, Citeulike, which will help you format your citations. However, the following are examples of what is expected when referring to the work of another scholar. Example within the context of the posting: "Constructivism is an epistemology, a theory of knowledge used to explain how we know what we know" (Lorsbach, 1997). Example at the end of the posting: Lorsbach, A. (1997). Constructivism as a Referent for Science Teaching. Retrieved January 5, 2006, from http://www.exploratorium.edu/IFI/resources/research/constructivism.html 2. During your weekly activity, you are required to attend the weekly discussion, participate in its activities and attend to any other outstanding class matters. Every new class unit begins on Sunday and ends on the following Saturday. When in the Discussion Forum, you are required to provide an in-depth and substantive answer (minimum of 250 words) to my main discussion question(s) and include in-text citation. You are required to respond to a minimum of 2 students for each Discussion Question (total of 4). I will be looking at the way you analyze the postings and extend the conversation. Please use this opportunity to share your own experiences, but remember to support your assertions with current research findings. At this level we can all learn a great deal by sharing our experiences. You are required to complete all your weekly assignments by no later than Saturday of each week. The first responses to discussion questions should be posted by each Tuesday and the remainder of your discussion comments will have to be posted by the end of weekly unit by every Saturday. It serves the purpose of discussions that you do not bunch-up your weekly comments. Spread them out through the week. 3. Your discussion posts will be evaluated on their timeliness, originality, substance, depth, relevance and accuracy; and are expected to be devoid of major spelling and grammar errors. Simple responses such as I agree are of no value and will not be counted as an acceptable positing. Please try to be succinct and avoid very long statements and direct quotations. Strive to respond at the synthesis or evaluation levels. Grading criteria/rubric for student participation in weekly discussions: Students are required to post their first comment no later than the third day (Tuesday) of the class week. Each student is required to post a direct and comprehensive response to each of the main discussion questions, followed by 4 meaningful interaction with the rest of the class by responding to other students and instructors comments (see above). Student comments and posts are to follow the basic APA guidelines for context and content.

Grading criteria and deadlines for Term Papers: All term papers (see rubric for 3 papers) must follow the basic APA guidelines in their structure and composition. Late assignments will be assessed 10% penalty for each day of delay and will not be accepted after the deadline, or the end of the term, whichever comes first. All Term Papers must be spell checked, grammar checked, and submitted in a Word document. Discussion Etiquette Throughout the course, I encourage the exchange of dialogue and ideas in an open and thoughtful way. You may not always agree with what your classmates have to say, but this diversity is encouraged. Be sure to respect your classmates thoughts and posts. If any of the posts are inappropriate or offensive they will be removed and you will receive no credit for the assignment. When posting please follow these guidelines: If you disagree with someone, respond to the subject, not the person. Never post content that is harmful, abusive, racially, ethnically, or religiously offensive, vulgar or otherwise potentially offensive. Never post, transmit, promote, or distribute content that is known to be illegal. Never post harassing, threatening, or embarrassing comments. Course Calendar Week Week 1 Week 2

Unit 1 Unit 3

Units to complete Unit 2 Unit 4

Week 3

Unit 5

Unit 6

Paper Due

Week 4 Week 5

Unit 7 Unit 9

Unit 8 Unit 10 Paper Due

Week 6 Week 7

Unit 11 Unit 13

Unit 12 Final Week Unit 14 Paper Due

Unit Schedule

NOTE: Additional readings to our textbook (Ritzer) have been and/or will be provided as links in the weekly units as needed.

Unit 1 Objectives To introduce the student to the discipline of sociology in general, and to the field of social theory in particular To review, understand, and being to apply Blooms Taxonomy and critical thinking in class discussions To highlight the significance of biography and history in the development of social theory To comprehend the multidisciplinary nature of social theory To lay the groundwork for further-and more in depth- discussions in the forthcoming units. Unit 1 Readings 1. Read brief historical description of social theory: http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&sqi=2&ved=0 CDsQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fburawoy.berkeley.edu%2Fsyllabus%2F101a.pdf&ei =fH4RUpf7DoHCywHYoIBI&usg=AFQjCNESuZoJl0xJRwHlstGvkUvIWHMfw&bvm=bv.50768961,d.aWc 2. Read excerpts on Blooms Taxonomy: http://ww2.odu.edu/educ/roverbau/Bloom/blooms_taxonomy.htm 3. Read excerpts on Critical Thinking: http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/college-anduniversity-students/799 Unit 1 Assignments: 1. Introduce yourself in the Self Introduction Forum 2. Respond to Discussion Question.

Unit 2 Objectives To highlight the significance of biography and history in the development of social theory. To comprehend the multidisciplinary nature of social theory. To lay the groundwork for further-and more in-depth-discussions in the forthcoming units. To begin discussing the thought processes of some of the main classical social theorist. Unit 2 Readings 1. Read Chapter 1 in Ritzer Unit 2 Assignments 1. Respond to DQ 1 2. Respond to DQ 2 Unit 3 Objectives To explore the evolution of Karl Marxs social thoughts and political actions. To study and understand Marxs assessments of the modern capitalist economy To assess Marxs relevance to modern and postmodern societies. Unit 3 Readings 1. Read Ritzer Chapter 2 2. Read the excerpts from the Young Marx: http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Young_Marx 3. Read the excerpts from the Hegelian Dialects: http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/05/dialectic.htm 4. Read Marxs Theses on Feuerbach http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1845/theses/theses.htm Unit 3 Assignments 1. Respond to DQ 1 2. Respond to DQ2

Unit 4 Objectives To introduce the sociology of Emile Durkheim to the class To study and explore the French society and its effects on the formulation of Durkheims social theories Unit 4 Readings 1. Read Ritzer Chapter 3 2. Read Durkheim In his words: http://www.faculty.rsu.edu/~felwell/Theorists/Durkheim/Words.htm Unit 4 Assignments 1. Respond to DQ 1 2. Respond to DQ 2 Unit 5 Objectives To study the theories of Max Weber To compare and contrast Webers views of those of other theorists-Marx, in particular To explore some of the key concepts and methodologies articulated and promoted by Weber Unit 5 Readings 1. Ritzer Chapter 4 Unit 5 Assignments 1. Respond to DQ 1 2. Respond to DQ 2 Unit 6 Objectives To study the social thoughts and theories of George Simmel To understand the impact of Simmels views and ideas on the formation of American Social Theory

Unit 6 Readings 1. Ritzer Chapter 5 Unit 6 Assignments 1. Respond to DQ 1 2. Respond to DQ 2 3. First Paper (on Classical Theories) is due by Saturday Midnight (ET). Unit 7 Objectives Identify and discuss some of the early American social theory Differentiate between the classical and modern social theories Introduce and discuss some of the more prominent modern and late-modern social theories Unit 7 Readings 1. Ritzer Chapter 6 Unit 7 Assignments 1. Respond to DQ 1 2. Respond to DQ 2 Unit 8 Objectives Discuss Structural Functionalism, Neo-functionalism and Conflict Theory Identify the key functionalist theorist and discuss their contribution to the development of Structural Functionalism Unit 8 Readings 1. Ritzer Chapter 8 Unit 8 Assignments 1. Respond to DQ 1 2. Respond to DQ 2

Unit 9 Objectives Discuss Structural Functionalism, Neo-functionalism and Conflict Theory Identify the key functionalist theorist and discuss their contribution to the development of Structural Functionalism Unit 9 Readings 1. Ritzer Chapter 8 Unit 9 Assignments 1. Respond to DQ 1 2. Respond to DQ 2

Unit 10 Objectives To identify and discuss the basic principles of Symbolic Interactionism theory To define and discuss Ethnomethodology To study Harold Garfinkels contributions to the development of Ethnomethodology Unit 10 Readings 1. Ritzer Chapter 10 (351-390) 2. Ritzer Chapter 11 (391-415) Unit 10 Assignments 1. Respond to DQ 1 2. Respond to DQ 2 3. Second Paper (on Modern Theories) is due by Saturday Midnight (ET). Unit 11 Objectives To discuss Exchange, Network, and Rational Choice Theories

Unit 11 Readings 1. Ritzer Chapter 12 (416-453) Unit 11 Assignments 1. Respond to DQ 1 2. Respond to DQ 2 Unit 12 Objectives To present and evaluate contemporary Feminist theory To propose and discuss an integrative theory of feminism Unit 12 Readings 1. Ritzer Chapter 13 (454-498) Unit 12 Assignments 1. Respond to DQ 1 2. Respond to DQ 2 Unit 13 Objectives To discuss some of the contemporary theories of Modernity To present major contemporary theorist on Globalization Unit 13 Readings 1. Ritzer Chapter 15 (547-573) 2. Ritzer Chapter 16 (574-604) Unit 13 Assignments 1. Respond to DQ 1 2. Respond to DQ 2

Unit 14 Objectives To discuss and evaluate some of the characteristics of Structuralism, Poststructuralism, and Postmodern Social Theory Unit 14 Readings 1. Ritzer Chapter 17 (605-644) Unit 14 Assignments 1. Respond to DQ 1 2. Respond to DQ 2 3. Third Paper (on Postmodern Theories) is due by Saturday Midnight (ET).