Contemporary Theory in Sociological Analysis (406-3-20)

Instructors

katrina quisumbing king
kqk@northwestern.edu
Professor Quisumbing King's research and teaching interests lie in topics related to empire, race and ethnicity, citizenship and migration, law, and political and historical sociology.

Meeting Info

Parkes Hall 222: Thurs 9:00AM - 11:50AM

Overview of class

This course fulfills the second requirement in theory courses for PhD students in Sociology. Unlike "Classical Theory"—where most students read at least Marx, Weber, Durkheim and now DuBois—there is less consensus about what belongs on a syllabus for contemporary theory.

This graduate seminar provides an overview of how different thinkers have conceived of modernity, the conditions under which society became "modern," as well as modernity's constituent parts, related processes, and alternatives. It puts theories of modernity in conversation with post, anti-, and de-colonial critiques and the Black Radical Tradition. This course engages with theory produced from different standpoints and social conditions. We will consider the context in which different theories developed, how they have described the social world, their limits, debates about their scope, and how they have developed over time. We will grapple with how the choices we make for our theoretical foundations shape our work.

Registration Requirements

Sociology graduate students are given priority in registration.

Learning Objectives

1. Evaluate key concepts and theoretical approaches in contemporary sociology
2. Gain theoretical and analytical tools to describe and critically reflect on modernity and its related processes
3. Trace genealogies of the concept of modernity, including sociology's role in defining the concept
4. Understand how debates about modernity have shaped contemporary social thought
5. Evaluate the relationship of authors' claims and how they use evidence
6. Improve writing and presentation skills

Teaching Method

Discussion

Evaluation Method

Attendance/participation, memos, leading discussion, final paper

Class Materials (Required)

This course will have required books/other materials.

The class will use a combination of readings on Canvas and books.

Bauman, Zygmunt. 2013 [1989]. Modernity and the Holocaust. John Wiley & Sons.
Foucault, Michel. 1995 [1975]. Discipline & Punish: The Birth of the Prison. Vintage.

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: Sociology/MORS-Soc PhD Students