SCLG2601: Semester 1, 2021

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Units SCLG2601 Semester 1 2021 [Normal day]

Unit outline_

SCLG2601: Sociological Theory

Semester 1, 2021 [Normal day] - Remote

Overview

In this unit of study we will examine the main strands of sociological thought and identify the key concepts, debates and issues in the development of sociological theory. It will focus on the writings of leading social theorists and sociologists, their contribution to the development of a distinctly sociological theory, and their continuing impact on current theoretical debates in sociology. Topics covered will include: the origins of sociology; industrialism; classical theorists; sociology of urban society; interactionism and everyday life; psychoanalysis; sociology of knowledge and culture; feminist challenges to sociological paradigms; postmodernity and the future of society. This unit is mandatory for Sociology majors.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	12 credit points at 1000 level in Sociology or 12 credit points of Cultural Studies or 12 credit points of Socio-legal Studies
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	SCLG2001 or SCLG2520
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Craig Browne, craig.browne@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Participation	Participation	10%	Ongoing	n/a
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Essay	40%	Week 10 Due date: 14 May 2021 at 23:59	2000 words
Outcomes assessed:
Tutorial quiz	Critical analysis quiz	25%	Week 13 Due date: 01 Jun 2021 at 14:00 Closing date: 01 Jun 2021	1500 words
Outcomes assessed:
Presentation	Short reading presentations	25%	Weekly Due date: 26 May 2021 at 23:59	1000 words
Outcomes assessed:

Assessment summary

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Presentation: A 10 minutes group presentation analysing and relating a central concept of a weekly topic to a current development using either a newspaper, magazine or journal article, and the set unit and dditional readings. A detailed explanation of the format is provided on the unit’s Canvas site.

Essay: A 2000 words major research essay. The essay will answer a set question requiring extensive research, detailed analysis, knowledge of theoretical perspectives, and rigorous argument.

Quiz: A 2 hours quiz held during the lecture period of the last week. The quiz is 1500 words in length and covers the semester’s weekly topics.

Participation: The participation grade assesses student’s contribution to the tutorial and the depth of understanding displayed in tutorials over the semester. Students should demonstrate knowledge of the readings and lectures, engage in discussions and group tasks, and have prepared answers for the tutorial discussion question that are provided with the weekly topic descriptions.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a High distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a Distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100
Distinction	75 - 84
Credit	65 - 74
Pass	50 - 64
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Introduction - contemporary debates and classical arguments	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 02	Karl Marx	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 03	Emile Durkheim: social reality and social solidarity	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 04	Max Weber: rationality and religion	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 05	Georg Simmel: social relations and social interaction	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 06	George Herbert Mead: Intersubjectivity: self and other	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 07	Michel Foucault: power, subjectivity, discipline	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 08	Critical theory: capitalism, crisis and critique	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 09	Anthony Giddens: structuration theory and late-modernity	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 10	Pierre Bourdieu, habitus, capital and class	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 11	Globalization, risk society, multiple modernities	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 12	Feminist sociological theory	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 13	Critical Analysis Quiz	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 13	Preparation and Review	Tutorial (1 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance: According to Faculty Board Resolutions, students in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences are expected to attend 90% of their classes. If you attend less than 50% of classes, regardless of the reasons, you may be referred to the Examiner’s Board. The Examiner’s Board will decide whether you should pass or fail the unit of study if your attendance falls below this threshold.
Lecture recording: Most lectures (in recording-equipped venues) will be recorded and may be made available to students on the LMS. However, you should not rely on lecture recording to substitute your classroom learning experience.
Preparation: Students should commit to spend approximately three hours’ preparation time (reading, studying, homework, essays, etc.) for every hour of scheduled instruction.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

Required reading: Farganis, James, (ed) 2014 Readings in Social Theory: The Classical Tradition to Postmodernism, 7th edition, New York: McGraw-Hill.
Additional readings for this unit can be accessed through Canvas. The readings will be available either directly from Canvas or the Library eReserve link available on Canvas.

See Canvas for the Farganis text’s purchase options and for possible discount code for the purchase of Farganis, James, (ed) 2014 Readings in Social Theory: The Classical Tradition to Postmodernism, 7th edition, New York: McGraw-Hill.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. gain knowledge of a range of classical and contemporary sociological theories
LO2. demonstrate deep understanding of the history of the discipline of sociology within modernity
LO3. gain knowledge of the limitations of this discipline with respect to its particular cultural bias
LO4. refine your knowledge of the key theoretical and methodological differences in sociological theories
LO5. apply a range of sociological theories to a variety of issues
LO6. think creatively and imaginatively using sociological concepts and theories
LO7. critically evaluate and compare a range of classical and contemporary sociological theories.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

The unit draws on experience gained from the 2020 teaching during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Additional information

Canvas provides more essential information on this unit of study. Please consult the following resources:

* Weekly Topic Schedule – for more detailed information on each of the weekly topics, tutorial discussion questions, and additional readings.

* Short Reading Pesentation Information – explanation of the format of the tutorial presentation, expectations for presentation and written submission.

During the course of the semester:

* The questions and information on the essay

* Critical Analysis Quiz guidelines and instructions

* Key Resources – partiuclarly readings, lecture recordings

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

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