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BSc2 Sociology en
BSc2 Sociology en
Principles of Sociology
Lecturer: Olga E. Kuzina
Class teachers: Olga E. Kuzina, Elena N. Danilova
Course description
Principles of Sociology is a two-semester course for the second year students
designed to prepare students for the external examination of UoL. Through-
out first semester, students will deal with questions relating to the nature of
sociology; the methods which sociologists use; methodology and the major so-
ciological perspectives. The key aspects in relation to individuals and society
are examined through the concepts of role, socialisation and identity. Second
semester material builds on and reinforces the knowledge received in the first
semester. Two main topics will be covered in second semester are ‘Power in
society’ and ‘Globalisation and social change’. The assessment of the students
will be by the University of London (UoL) examinations at the end of the forth
semester or by internal examination (ICEF). Principles of Sociology is a supple-
mentary discipline under world standards. It forms the basis of further studies
in disciplines such as: economic sociology of popular finance, management,
political science, etc. The course is taught in English.
Prerequisites
Students are supposed to be familiar with Principles of Statistics, Intellectual
history of Europe, and English for academic writing.
Teaching objectives
This course helps students to be critical of the information they receive and
encourages them to think logically and consistently. By the end of the unit
students will have gained knowledge and learnt some important skills:
• to be critical of any data and theories that they read or hear about and,
of course, to be critical of their own work
• to be creative and able to link ideas from this unit and the other disciplines
they are studying to create new ways of thinking about social phenomena
Teaching methods
In addition to the lectures, there are seminars. Participation in both is obliga-
tory. During the seminars, it is expected that students come prepared to discuss
a particular topic. Reading of the required material should be completed before
the seminar. Short written assignments will be given on every seminar.
The main purpose of the seminars is the discussion of the reading material.
Self study will be the main method of work in this course. Students must
conduct one and a half hours of self study per each hour of lecture. Required
readings are indicated below. However, student will be expected to read at least
one major Russian newspaper (such as Izvestia, Kommersant, Vedomosti, etc)
as well as a weekly journal (Itogi, Expert, etc.) and develop their sociological
imagination by looking at current social problems.
Assessment
This syllabus is designed based on the belief that far from being divorced from
each other, testing and teaching are closely interrelated. A test is seen as a
natural extension of classroom work, providing teacher and student with useful
information that can serve as a basis for improvement.
During both semesters, students will be tested 4 times:
• MOCK (November) Exam — 90 min
Grade determination
Final grade for the Russian curriculum will be composed of three parts:
• University of London External Program Exam or Final ICEF Exam —
50%
• First semester final — 35%
– 20% — Seminars
– 30% — MOCK
– 50% — Term
• Second semester final — 15%
– 10% — Seminars
– 90% — MOCK
Main reading
1. Fulcher, J and J. Scott Sociology. (Oxford: Oxford University Press,
2003) second edition
2. Giddens, A. Sociology. (Cambridge: Polity Press, 2001) fourth edition
3. Macionis, J. and K. Plummer Sociology: a Global Introduction. (Harlow:
Prentice Hall, 2005)
4. Cuff, E., W.W. Sharrock and D.W. Francis Perspectives in Sociology.
(London: Routledge, 1998) fourth edition
5. Lee, D. and H. Newby The Problem of Sociology. (London: Routledge,
2000)
6. Waters, M. Globalization. (London: Routledge, 2001) second edition
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Course outline
Sociological Research and Methodology
1. What this unit is about
What skills students will learn from studying this unit. The structure of
the unit. Reading advice and other resources. Hours of study and use of the
subject guide. The examination and examination advice.
2. Introduction to sociology
What is Sociology? In what respect sociology is different from other social
disciplines? Is sociology a science or a commonsense?
Subject guide, pp. 14–23; Fulcher&Scott Ch. 1; Sociology: Issues and
Debates, pp. 2–5
PRINCIPLES OF SOCIOLOGY 5
9. Research Methods I
Primary and secondary data. Questionnaires. Interviews: structured and
unstructured.
Subject guide pp. 63–74; Marsh, I (ed.) Theory and Practice in Sociology,
pp. 48–54; pp. 54–58
12. Methodology
What is methodology? Epistemology. Positivism. Interpretivism. Realism.
Subject guide, pp. 73–90; Fulcher&Scott, pp. 14–17, 24–25; Macionis and
Plummer (2005) pp. 44–50.
Bryman, A. Social Research Methods. Part 1; Marsh, I. (ed.) Theory and
Practice in Sociology. Chapter 1. pp. 9–25.
14. Marx
Marx’s influences: Georg Hegel, Ludwig Feuerbach. A Materialist Social
Ontology. Historical Materialism.The Critique of Capitalism. Class as a Social
Relation. The State and Politics.
Subject guide, pp. 102–108; Fulcher&Scott, pp. 28–32
15. Durkheim
Biological analogy. Explanation of reality. Scientific methodology. The
relationship between the Individual and Society. Functionalist method of ex-
planation. Three Studies of Social Solidarity.
Subject guide, pp. 109–113; Fulcher&Scott, pp. 33–39; Giddens (2001)
Chapter 1; Macionis and Plummer (2002: p.84) (2005: p. 92)
PRINCIPLES OF SOCIOLOGY 7
16. Weber
Action approach in sociology. Social action. Methodological individualism.
Objectivity in social sciences. Ideal types. The relationship between religion
and economy. The disenchantment of the world and the rationalisation of life.
Suject guide, pp. 113–120; Fulcher&Scott, pp. 39–43; Macionis and Plum-
mer (2002: pp. 80–83) (2005: pp. 88–91)
17. Structural functionalism and Parsons
Functional approach in sociology. ‘Functional prerequisites’. ‘Soft’ ver-
sus ‘hard’ (normative) versions of structural functionalism. Parsons’ sociology:
Social action and social system, moving equilibrium, status roles, social insti-
tutions, pattern variables. Merton’s ideas: “middle range theories”, manifest
and latent functions: intended and unintended outcomes, positively functional
/dysfunctional / non-functional levels of society, structural alternatives.
Subject guide pp. 120–129; Fulcher&Scott, pp. 45–52; Cuff, Sharrock and
Francis (1998), Perspectives in Sociology, pp. 87–114; Lee and Newby (2000),
pp. 238–245
18. Bringing the individual back in
Social interactionism, symbolic interactionism and ethnomethodology. Thomas
Theorem. Taking the role of the other. The self is a process. Phenomenological
approach. Labelling theory. A self-fulfilling prophecy. The Social Construc-
tion of Reality. ‘Breaching experiments’. Structure or action? Structuration
threories.
Subject guide pp. 129–139; Fulcher&Scott, pp. 52–57, 133–36
19. Postmodernity and Sociology
Modernity versus postmodernity. Information Society. Knowledge class.
Consumerism. Postmodern sociological theory. The Enlightenment as Modern
Project. The reconstruction of the image of natural sciences in postmodern
theory. ‘Grand naratives’. Cultural analysis.
Subject guide pp. 139–146; Fulcher&Scott, pp. 65–67, 387–88; or Giddens
(2001) pp. 674–75; or Macionis and Plummer (2002 edition) pp. 31–32 and
662–63;
Macionis and Plummer (2005 edition) pp. 33–34, 686–88; Cuff, E., W.
Sharrock and D. Francis Perspectives in Sociology. (1998) pp. 291–305
Power in Society
20. Introduction: power, modernity and sociology
Different understandings of this term. Power as coercion. Power as domi-
nation. Power as influence. The problem of ‘power’.
Subject guide, pp. 285–291; Held D. Democracy: From City-States to a
Cosmopolitan Order, pp. 13–15
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Distribution of hours