Contemporary Sociological Theory

Sociology 502, Spring, 2002

Southern Illinois University

Dr. Darren E. Sherkat^*

^{Faner Hall 3410. TH 1:00pm-3:30pm.}

Goals

This is a graduate level course in contemporary sociological theory. It will not cover all aspects of sociological theory (no one course could), but will instead take on selected topics that are of particular importance to a number of subdisciplines of the field. I take “contemporary” very seriously, and we will not spend time on historical antecedents. We will also ignore many arenas of scholarship that are often called theory but which have no sociological application or foundation (but are instead moral or social philosophy or social criticism). The primary goal of the course is to make sure that students are exposed to a range of theoretical perspectives that can be applied across a variety of substantive applications in sociology. Theory is not simply esoterica indulged in by cigarette smoking euro-trash in black turtlenecks. If you do not have a background in these diverse perspectives you will not be able to read sociological journals or engage other sociologists in intelligent discussions about their work. That will hinder your ability to get and keep a job. Second, I want students to understand how theories are operationalized into concrete research so that they may be tested. Research without theory is non-sociological. It may provide interesting journalistic descriptions or practical evaluations for applied problems, but journalism and applied research are not sociology. It will not garner you a dissertation in sociology, and it will never get published in a sociological journal.

Course Requirements

Students must prepare a brief outline of each of the 10 sections of the course---these are due in class each week. Outlines should be written as prose—summarizing the major points of each article in a concise fashion. The outlines should be 4 pages, typed, and double spaced. Additionally, students will rotate each week in making initial presentations of the material being covered on that day. Students are expected to have done ALL of the readings for each class, and class leaders for a given reading are expected to have prepared a brief review of the material and questions for discussion. On April 25, I will hand out a final examination. It will be a take home examination with directed questions from several of the substantive sections of the course. The examination will be no more than 20 pages, typed, double spaced. It is due Thursday, May 9 at Noon. The final examination is worth 33% of the grade, with the summaries constituting the other 67%. There will be no incompletes given in this course. Failure to hand in the final examination on time will result in a grade no higher than a D in the course.

Cautionary NOTE: Collaboration on the examination, or on any of the papers will be considered cheating. All borrowed ideas should be cited appropriately, and direct quotations should be clearly demarcated with quotation marks. Failure to cite and use quotation marks is plagiarism, and will be reported to the honor council. I prefer the following style of citation at the end of a sentence containing borrowed ideas: (Finke and Stark, 1989:29-30). This reference should then be indicated in a bibliography, for example:

Finke, Roger, and Rodney Stark. 1989. "How the Upstart Sects Won America: 1776-1850." Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion. 28:27-44.

Readings and Timetable

January 24. Theory Construction and Sociological Theorizing.

Stinchcombe, Arthur. 1968. Constructing Social Theories: Chapter 2

Gibbs, Jack. 1994. A Theory About Control, Appendix.

Smith, Joel. 1991. “A Methodology for the 21^st Century.” Social Forces. 1991. 70:1-17.

Smith-Lovin, Lynn. 1999. “Core Concepts and Common Ground: The Relational Basis of Our Discipline.” Social Forces. 78:1-23.

January 31. Micro-Macro Theorizing.

Collins, Randall. 1981. The Microfoundations of a Macrosociology.” American Journal of Sociology

Granovetter, Mark. 1985. “Economic Action and Social Structure: The Problem of Embeddedness.” American Journal of Sociology. 91; 481-510.

February 7: Foundations Rational Choice Theory:

Hardin, Russell. 1980. Collective Action. Chapter 1-3.

Sen, Amartya. 1973. Behavior and the Concept of Preference. Economica.

Elster, Jon. 1994. “Some Unresolved Problems in the Theory of Rational Behavior.”Acta Sociologica. 36:179-190.

Allison, Paul. 1992. “The cultural evolution of beneficient norms.” Social Forces. 279-301.

February 14. Issues in Rational Choice theory:

Kuran, Timur. Private lies, Public Truths. Chapters TBA.

Friedman, Debra, Carol Diem 1993. “ Feminism and the ....” Chapter 5 in England (ed) Theory on Gender-Feminism on Theory.

February 21. Social Exchange Theories.

Molm, Linda. Coercive Power in Social Exchange. Chapters TBA.

Chapter 14 in England, Theory on Gender-Feminism on Theory.

February 28. Social Network Theories.

Granovetter, Mark. 1973. “The strength of Weak Ties.” American Journal of Sociology.

Smith-Lovin, Lynn and Miller McPherson. Chapter 11 in England. Theory on Gender-Feminism on Theory.

McPherson, Miller, Smith Lovin, Lynn, and James M. Cook. 2001. Birds of a Feather: Homophily in Social Networks. Annual Review of Sociology.

March 7. Organizational Theories.

Poplielarz, Pamela and Miller Mcpherson. 1995. On the Edge or In Between. Niche Position, Niche Overlap and the Duration of Voluntary Organization Memberships.” American Journal of Sociology.

McPherson, Miller and Thomas Rotolo. 1996. “Testing a Dynamic Model of Social Composition: Diversity and Change in Voluntary Groups.” American Sociological Review. 61:179-202.

Carrol, Glenn. 1984. “Organizational Ecology.” Annual Review of Sociology.

Singh, Jitendra and Charles Lumsden. 1990. “Theory and Research in Organizational Ecology.” Annual Review of Sociology.

March 21. Macrostructural Theories.

Ward, Kathy. 1993. “Reconceptualizing World System Theory to include Women.” Chapter 3 in England. Theory on Gender-Feminism on Theory.

Dunn et al. 1993. “Macrostructural Perspectives on Gender Inequality.” Chapter 4 in England. Theory on Gender-Feminism on Theory.

Boswell, Terry and William Dixon. 1990. “Dependency and Rebellion: A Cross national Analysis.” American Sociological Review.

Brown, Cliff and Boswell, Terry. Strikebreaking or Solidarity in the Great Steel Strike of 1919: A Split Labor Market, Game Theoretic, and QCA Analysis. American Journal of Sociology 100:1479-1519.

Wright, Erik Olin, Janeen Baxter, and Elisabeth Gunn Birkeland. 1995. The Gender Gap in Workplace Authority: A Cross National Study. American Sociological Review 1995.

March 28 Intersections between Structure and Culture:

Wacquant, Loic. 1989. “Towards a Reflexive Sociology: A Workshop with Pierre Bourdieu.” Sociological Theory. 26-63.

Bonilla-Silva, Eduardo. 1997. “Rethinking Racism: Toward a Structural Interpretation.” American Sociological Review. 62:465-480..

Hill-Collins, Patricia. 2001. “Like one of the Family: Race, Ethnicity, and the Paradox of U.S. National Identity.” Ethnic and Racial Studies.

Dimaggio, Paul and John Mohr. 1985. “Cultural Capital, Educational Attainment, and Marital Selection.” American Journal of Sociology. 90:1231-1261.

April 4. Structuration Theory.

Giddens, Anthony. 1984. The Constitution of Society.

Sewell, William. 1992. “A Theory of Structure.” American Journal of Sociology.

Sherkat, Darren E. 1998. “Counterculture or Continuity?” Social Forces.

• Dr. Darren E. Sherkat (B.A. Tulsa, 1987; M.A. Duke, 1989; Ph.D. Duke, 1991), Associate Professor of Sociology. Faner Hall, 3422. 453-7619. SHERKAT@SIU.EDU.
• My web site address is below, and it is CASE SENSITIVE:
• http://www.siu.edu/~socio/Sherkat.htm
• Office Hours: Wednesday, 10:00-11:30am; Tuesday 11:00am-12:30pm, or by appointment.
• My theoretical work has focused on constructing a synthesis of rational choice and structuration theories, with substantive applications in the sociology of religion, social movements, and medical sociology. My research focuses on micro level theories of social movement participation. Much of my work uses substantive examples from religious movements and the connection between religious movements and other social movements. Some of my social movements research includes: the political and individual bases of religious change in the Black Church; the ideological foundations of moral crusades against pornography; ideological determinants of environmental activism, participation in protest movements of the 1960s; the consequences of participation in 1960s-era protest movements, and the mobilization of sexuality groups in the U.S. I also have a considerable research agenda in medical sociology focusing on health care costs and race disparities in health. My recent articles appear in American Sociological Review, Social Forces, Annual Review of Sociology, Journal of Aging & Health, Journal of the National Medical Association, Women & Health, Review of Religious Research, and Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion.