Teacher(s)
Language
French
Learning outcomes
At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to : | |
| General aim: The course aims to enable the students to acquire a general sociological culture through an initiation to sociological authors, concepts and approaches. Specific aims: a) To bring the students to situate the main trends or “paradigms” in sociology and to “think” a social issue within one of them. This approach consists of “building up” a sociological object, i.e. to go from a “social issue” to a “sociological issue” or “set of issues”; b) To present some main themes or key-concepts of sociology by illustrating them with “emblematic” researches (i.e. researches which have simultaneously “left their mark on” the discipline, which are representative of some paradigms, and which are enlightening to understand the society in which we live); c) In parallel, each of these themes will lead us to reflect on one of the dimensions of the sociological approach, to elucidate its main “rules”: the construction of the object, the comprehensive approach, the rupture with established categories, taking into account social relations and the historical context of the social structures. |
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Content
1. Introduction: What is sociology? What is the purpose of sociology?
2. Theme 1: The paradigms of sociology: presentation of classical authors (Durkheim, Weber, Marx, Tocqueville). Element of sociological approach: sociology as narrative of modernity;
3. Theme 2: Social classes, contemporary reproduction and transformations (Bourdieu, Lahire). Element of sociological approach: all knowledge starts with self-knowledge;
4. Theme 3: Social control and deviance. Macro- (Foucault, Castel), meso- (Becker) and micro- (Goffman) approaches. Elements of sociological approach: historicise social phenomena, deconstruct the established categories;
5. Theme 4: The ancient (Weber) and new spirit of capitalism (Boltanski and Chiapello). Element of sociological approach: grasp the symbolic dimension of the social;
6. Theme 5: Collective action and social change. Element of sociological approach: society as historical production;
7. Theme 6: A society of individuals? The individual, the subject, the social actor. Element of sociological approach: how to conceive a sociology of the individual and of the subject?
2. Theme 1: The paradigms of sociology: presentation of classical authors (Durkheim, Weber, Marx, Tocqueville). Element of sociological approach: sociology as narrative of modernity;
3. Theme 2: Social classes, contemporary reproduction and transformations (Bourdieu, Lahire). Element of sociological approach: all knowledge starts with self-knowledge;
4. Theme 3: Social control and deviance. Macro- (Foucault, Castel), meso- (Becker) and micro- (Goffman) approaches. Elements of sociological approach: historicise social phenomena, deconstruct the established categories;
5. Theme 4: The ancient (Weber) and new spirit of capitalism (Boltanski and Chiapello). Element of sociological approach: grasp the symbolic dimension of the social;
6. Theme 5: Collective action and social change. Element of sociological approach: society as historical production;
7. Theme 6: A society of individuals? The individual, the subject, the social actor. Element of sociological approach: how to conceive a sociology of the individual and of the subject?
Teaching methods
During the course, the professor presents the common thread, develops illustrations of research works, answers the questions of the students, and shows how the analysis principles can be applied to issues out of the news.
Evaluation methods
The final evaluation is based on two partial exams:
- A written exam covering the material from the first semester in January. This exam is qualifying. In the case of passing (a score of 10 out of 20 or higher), the obtained grade will count for half of the final grade. This exam is held during the January session. Students who do not achieve a minimum score of 10 out of 20 will need to retake this exam during the June and/or August session.
- A written exam covering the material from the second semester. This exam is held during the June and August sessions.
- Questions testing basic knowledge and understanding. These questions aim to verify that the student has a sufficient grasp of the course's fundamental concepts, principles of sociological analysis, and works of authors, without which deeper reflection would lack meaning. The questions can take various forms, such as defining and illustrating a concept, comparing two concepts, explaining and illustrating a key principle of sociological analysis.
- Questions involving the application of sociological reasoning and sociological concepts to a social phenomenon (presented in the course or not), based on a newspaper article or excerpts from interviews.
Other information
A syllabus and a supplementary reading file will be available as a basis of the lecture
Bibliography
Complémentairement au syllabus, l'ouvrage de référence conseillé pour le cours est le livre du Professeur Luc Van Campenhoudt, Introduction à l'analyse des phénomènes sociaux, Dunod, Paris, 2001 ou l'ouvrage Cours de sociologie. Par Luc Van Campenhoudt et Nicolas Marquis. Année : 2020; Pages : 370; Collection : Psycho Sup; Éditeur : Dunod.
Une bibliographie complémentaire par rapport aux différents paradigmes et aux différents thèmes sera distribuée aux étudiants, permettant à ceux qui le souhaitent d'approfondir un ou plusieurs de ceux-ci.
Une bibliographie complémentaire par rapport aux différents paradigmes et aux différents thèmes sera distribuée aux étudiants, permettant à ceux qui le souhaitent d'approfondir un ou plusieurs de ceux-ci.
Faculty or entity
