Contemporary Social Theory SG2028 2024/25 Past Paper PDF

Contemporary Social Theory (SG2028) 2024/25 Week 1 Introduction Module Organization 1. Moodle Please read the information provided on Moodle! See teaching material (esp. weekly lecture slides and readings). 2. Teaching Arrangements (a) lectu...

Contemporary Social Theory (SG2028) 2024/25 Week 1 Introduction Module Organization 1. Moodle Please read the information provided on Moodle! See teaching material (esp. weekly lecture slides and readings). 2. Teaching Arrangements (a) lectures, (b) seminars, and (c) office hours. 3. Readings (click here) (a) essential and (b) recommended. 4. Preparation and Attendance Essential !!! 5. Assessment Details about the (on-campus / in-person) exam – see Moodle. 6. Summary of Module Content To check out ‘the menu’, please see Moodle.  Teaching Pattern and Timetable: Term 1: 30 September 2024 – 16 December 2024 (Term dates can be found here.) On-campus seminars will commence in Week 2: Please check your timetable! On-Campus Lectures: Tuesdays, 12.00 noon – 12.50 noon (H101, Geary Lecture Theatre, Centenary Building [H])  Assessment: This module will be assessed on the basis of an unseen (in-person / on-campus) examination. Further details regarding the exam will be provided in due course. Information on this academic year’s assessment periods can be found here. Date, time, and location of the exam: https://studenthub.city.ac.uk/timetabling-term-dates-exams/exams/exam-timetable SG2028 (Contemporary Social Theory) Exam: Date / time: TBC (Duration 02:00 hours) Location: TBC On what to do before your exams, please click here. Important: ‘Q&A on the Exam: Advice and Feedback Session’ Tuesday, 19th November 2024 (5pm–5.50pm) [Oakden Lec Theatre (H201)] 1. You will need to answer TWO out of NINE or TEN questions [TBC] (each answer carries 50% of the total grade). 2. You are strongly advised to revise 3–4 topics in depth (+ 1 additional topic as a backup). 3. In each essay, make sure you answer the question! 4. For each answer, you are strongly advised to develop an essay plan before answering the question. 5. The time limit set for the exam is 2 hours. (You will have to stop writing when 2 hours have passed.) 6. Because this is a timed examination, we do NOT expect you to cite and reference. 7. Make sure each of your two essays is coherently structured: (I) Introduction – (II) Argument – (III) Conclusion [No bibliography will be required!] In Week 8 (i.e. on Tuesday, 19th November 2024), we will provide you with more information (and advice) about the exam.  Essential Reading Simon Susen (2022) ‘Contemporary Social Theory’, in Karim Murji, Sarah Neal, and John Solomos (eds.) An Introduction to Sociology, London: SAGE, pp. 121–141.  I. The Concept of Social Theory  What is ‘social theory’? → Social theory is the attempt to provide a conceptually informed – and, in many cases, empirically substantiated – framework designed to (1) describe, (2) analyse, (3) interpret, (4) explain, and (5) assess the constitution, the functioning, and the development of social reality, or of particular aspects of social reality, in a more or less systematic fashion.  Key Dimensions of ‘the Social’ 1. actions and behaviours (what people do) 2. beliefs and ideologies (what people think) 3. traditions and institutions (relatively solidified forms of sociality) 1. objectivity (‘the’ world of facts) 2. normativity (‘our’ world of conventions, habits, & customs) 3. subjectivity (‘my’ world of experiences, feelings, thoughts, & perceptions) 1. foundational elements (in terms of their specificity, indispensable to the emergence of social order) 2. contingent elements (potentially significant for, but – in terms of their specificity – not indispensable to, the emergence of social order) 3. ephemeral elements (relatively short-lived and – in terms of their specificity – largely irrelevant to the emergence of social order)  II. The Relevance of Social Theory Most social-scientific research – a combination of: 1. empirical → real-world problems and phenomena 2. methodological → how social reality can and/or should be studied 3. epistemological → conceptions of knowledge 4. terminological → vocabularies and conceptual toolboxes 5. theoretical → (a) describe, (b) analyse, (c) interpret, (d) explain, (e) assess  III. The Knowledge-Seeking Spirit of Social Theory  What is ‘Knowledge’? ordinary knowledge (generated and used by laypersons) vs. scientific knowledge (produced and employed by researchers and experts) 3 epistemological options: 1. scientific knowledge > ordinary knowledge 2. scientific knowledge < ordinary knowledge 3. scientific knowledge ↔ ordinary knowledge  IV. Key Dimensions of Social Theory  Reading Social Theory → (1) describing, (2) analysing, (3) interpreting, (4) explaining, and (5) assessing Key dimensions 1. historical context 2. central issues and contributions 3. strengths and weaknesses Sources 1. primary sources 2. secondary sources (commentaries, introductions, etc.) 3. ‘dialogue’: primary sources ↔ secondary sources  V. The Scope of Social Theory  ‘classical’ social theory (19th and early 20th centuries) & ‘contemporary’ social theory (from the mid-20th century onwards) Most of them share two key concerns: relations of power and domination (asymmetries) the historical constitution of social reality (genealogies)  VI. Versions of Social Theory  Classical Social Theory (non-exhaustive): Marxist (‘historical-materialist sociology’) Durkheimian (‘functionalist sociology’) Weberian (‘interpretive sociology’) → ‘methodological collectivism’ [or ‘social holism’] vs. ‘methodological individualism’ [or ‘social atomism’] → paradigm of ‘explanation’ [Erklären] vs. paradigm of ‘understanding’ [Verstehen]  Contemporary Social Theory (non-exhaustive): ‘early’ functionalism structuralism: linguistic, anthropological, sociological, etc.; also: poststructuralism philosophical and sociological pragmatism critical theory (both ‘within and beyond’ the Frankfurt School) micro-sociology and the sociology of everyday life conflict theories rational choice theories, game theories, social exchange theories, and neo-institutionalism social theories of modernity / modernities social theories of late modernity, second modernity, and reflexive modernity social theories of postmodernity / postmodern social theories social theories of globalization social theories of cosmopolitanism social theories of space social theories of gender / feminism social theories of class and stratification social theories of ‘race’ and ethnicity post- and decolonial theories social theories of power and domination science and technology studies / actor-network theories  VII. Trends and Developments in Social Theory The end of ‘system building’? The end of ‘metanarratives’? Enjoy the module!