The Sociology of Culture (Soc
306)
Spring 2005
Professor John Rice
Office: SB 202C; 962-7313
Office Hours: M, W:
(or by appointment)
I. Course
Description
Culture has always been a principal concern in the
discipline of sociology, but the degree of attention it has received and the seriousness
with which it has been treated has historically waxed and waned. The discipline
has periodically "rediscovered" culture over the past
two-hundred-plus years, and the recent renewal of sociological interest in
culture is part of this larger cycle. Unlike previous eras, however, the
current interest shows little signs of abatement: more and more research and
writing is being put out under the rubric of "cultural sociology,"
all the time.
This course is designed to provide an
introduction to key concepts and theories in the sociology of culture, and will
focus on empirical work done within this sub-discipline. The underlying
assumption governing the course is that sociology cannot ignore the realm of
meaning, belief, symbol, ritual, moral order, and the like. The overarching
goals are to provide both an overview of the central, broad issues
involved in doing a sociology of culture, and
to examine these issues in close detail. As such, the course strikes a balance
between the general and the particular, aiming to give students a solid initial
grounding in the sociology of culture, and to provoke their intellectual
curiosity to continue working along these lines.
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II. Texts, Course Requirements
and Grading
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A. There are three required texts for the course.
(I have tried to be selective about which works to require.)
1. A Disease of One’s Own, by John Rice (this is
linked on the course web page)
2. The Overspent American, by Juliet Schor
3. Hope in a Jar, by Kathy Peiss
I also recommend, but will
not require, the selected list of works on the last page of the syllabus (I can
provide you with a more extensive reading list, if you are interested).
B. It will be possible to earn 100 points over the
course of the semester:
25 points each: an early, mid-term,
and final examination (all-essay format)
15 points: a term paper (three points of this will be determined by a prospectus – see below)
10 points: attendance and participation. A successful and
enjoyable class depends to a significant degree upon the active intellectual
involvement of both students and professor. Students are not simply receptacles
into which teachers "pour" information, and learning involves the
ability to actively engage -- wrestle with, think through, challenge -- the
ideas presented in the class. I both encourage and expect that active
intellectual involvement in my classes, and that involvement requires that
students be present in class (both physically and mentally) and that
they be prepared for the class.
a. In the
interests of fairness, I start all student scores on this measure at 80% of the
total points you can earn (for attendance/participation), and either add to or
subtract from those points based upon your in-class performance. Points will be
added for perfect or near-perfect (all but 1 or 2 classes) attendance, and for
positive involvement in the life of the class; they will also be added in the
event that -- for those reluctant to actively participate in discussions --
students take advantage of my office hours to clarify any points about which
they are uncertain or interested. Points will be subtracted for excessive (3-6 unexcused)
absences and/or late arrivals, and for being a negative presence in the class
(disruptions, mentally absent). At the extremes, it is possible to earn all 10
points or to earn no points at all.
The Early semester exam will
be held during class time on February 11th
The Mid-Term will be held during class time on March 18th
The Final Exam will be held on Wednesday,
April 27th from
The term paper (8-12 typed, double-spaced
pages, including the end-notes and appropriate reference sections) should be a
discussion of each student's independent and original research. The research
should be empirical, but theoretically "driven" -- that is, you
should use the empirical material to explore a particular theoretical argument
that has been covered in readings or lectures for the course. The research
project may be either primarily library research or field work of some type
(interviews, participant observation, ethnography). In general, the goal is to
teach yourselves and the rest of the class something interesting and important
about the role of culture in social life.
The prospectus, 3 points: a short, 3-5
pp. description of your term paper will be due in class on Wednesday,
March 23rd.
a. this short paper should
include: the theoretical issue(s) you will address (including an accurate
overview of that theoretical issue) ; the specific research project you
have chosen and a description of how you will conduct the research; and, a bibliography
of the published research that will guide your own work.
4. Late Papers and Missed Exams: The general rule, here,
is do not do either of these things. If you must miss
an exam or turn in a paper late, you will be expected to notify me in advance, and/or be
able to provide some proof of your trouble (obviously, in the case of an
emergency, advance notification may well be impossible). If you are not able to
meet these conditions you will not be allowed to make up the exam or turn the paper in
late.
Make-Up Exams: If you must miss an exam
(and if it is an excused absence), there will be ONE opportunity to make
up that work. The make-up exam will be held on Reading Day at
C. Grading: Your grades for the course will be determined by
the number of points you have earned, divided by the total possible points.
This percentage will convert into letter grades (Note: since the total is 100,
your actual number of points will, of course, be your percentage):
A = 95-100% B+
= 87-89% C+ = 77-79% D =
60-69%
A- = 90-94 B = 83-86 C = 73-76 F
= 59% or less
B- = 80-82 C- = 70-72
THERE WILL BE NO POSSIBILITY FOR EXTRA CREDIT WORK!
YOUR COURSE GRADES WILL DEPEND UPON YOUR PERFORMANCE IN THE REQUIRED COURSE
WORK ONLY!
D. Cheating, Plagiarism: All work – tests, papers
-- must be the product of your own efforts. Plagiarism is defined as
"any
attempt by a student to represent the work of another as his or her own. This
includes copying the answers of another student on an examination or copying or
substantially restating the work of another person or persons in any oral or
written work without citing the appropriate source, and collaborating with
someone else in an academic endeavor without acknowledging his or her
contribution."
YOU ALSO MAY NOT TURN IN THE SAME PAPER FOR
COURSE CREDIT IN MORE THAN ONE CLASS! YOU MAY, WITH BOTH PROFESSORS’ PERMISSION,
USE THE SAME TOPIC IN MORE THAN ONE CLASS, BUT THE THEORETICAL APPROACH MUST
ADHERE TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF EACH COURSE.
Pay close attention to this
definition and these conditions, because any form of
academic dishonesty will result in an “F” for the entire course.
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III. Course Outline
Date Topics
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PART I: Theoretical, Conceptual, and
Methodological Issues
Jan. 5 Overview
of the course
General Themes
Intellectual
Disciplines & Interdisciplinary Work
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Jan. 7-14
Culture in
“Classical” Sociological Theory: Marx, Durkheim, Weber
The Dialectic of
Social Structure & Culture
Social Structures
as Cultural “Carriers”
Internalizing
Culture: Socialization
Film:
Margaret Mead, “Coming of Age”
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Jan. 19-26
A Model of
Culture and Cultural Change: The Dialectic Applied
The Context of
Cultural Production: Societal,
Historical, Cultural
The Process of
Cultural Production: Production, Selection, and Institutionalization
The Content of
Cultural Production: Structure, Symbolism, Action
Culture,
Social Structure, and
the Self-Help Movement
The Rise of “Co-Dependency”
Symbols
& the Analysis of Discourse as a Symbolic System
Types of Discourse & Cultural
Products
Reproduction, Reform,
Revolution
Jan. 31 - Feb. 4
Cultural Change
& Analysis of Discourse (cont’d)
The
12-step subculture, Liberation pyschotherapy & “truth rules”
The
structure of co-dependency discourse
The
“New Theory of Addiction”
Feb. 7-9
Symbolism &
Social Action & Interaction
The Addict
and its Commitments
Conversion
and its Commitments
The Process of
“Recovery”
Review
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Feb. 11
EXAM #1
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Feb. 14-16
Return & Go Over Exams
The Ironies of
Cultural Change
Context, Process, &
Content Revisited
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Feb.
18-25
Consumption as Ritual
The Social
Enactment of Symbolic Meaning
The New Consumerism
Reference
Groups & Relative Deprivation
Symbols of Class Status
Consumption and Identity
The Act of Consumption Presentation of Self
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NO CLASS FEBRUARY 28 – MARCH 4TH
: SPRING BREAK!
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March 7—14
The Cycle of
Competitive Spending
Conflating
Status & Quality
The
Consumer Escalator
Downshifting:
Stepping off the Escalator
Video: “The
Overspent American”
Review
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March 18
EXAM #2
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March 21-30
Note: No Class
on March 25 – Easter Break
Note: Term Papers Due
April 20th
The Beauty Culture (Cont’d)
Context, Process, Content
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April 25
Last Day of Class
Wrap-up, Summary
Review
FINAL TERM PAPERS DUE April 20th at the beginning of
last class.
FINAL EXAM on Wednesday, April 27th
,
Selected
Bibliography
The following
works, comprising a selective list, are among the best studies falling under
the general heading of the sociology of culture. This list by no means exhausts
such works, but any of them will help you get a stronger understanding of the
field.
Durkheimian
Sociology: Cultural Studies, edited by J. Alexander
The
Social Construction of Reality, by Peter Berger and Thomas Luckmann
The Sacred Canopy, by Peter Berger
Distinction, by Pierre Bourdieu
Natural Symbols, by Mary Douglas
Purity and
Danger, by
Mary Douglas
Michel
Foucault: Beyond Structuralism and Hermeneutics, by Hubert Dreyfus and Paul
Rabinow
The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life, by Emile
Durkheim
Wayward Puritans, by Kai Erikson
The Archaeology of Knowledge, by Michel Foucault
Madness and Civilization, by Michel Foucault
Discipline and Punish, by Michel Foucault
Symbolic Crusade, by Joseph Gusfield
Politics,
Culture, and Class in the French Revolution, by Lynn Hunt
Culture Wars, by James Davison Hunter
Abortion and
the Politics of Motherhood, by Kristin Luker
The Foucault Reader, edited by Paul Rabinow
A Disease of One’s Own, by John Steadman Rice
Culture and Practical Reason, by Marshall Sahlins
The Ritual Process: Structure and Anti-Structure, by
Victor Turner
The
Dramas, Fields, and Metaphors: Symbolic Action in Human
Society, by Victor Turner
Meaning and Moral Order, by Robert Wuthnow
Communities of Discourse, by Robert Wuthnow
Pricing the Priceless Child, by Viviana Zelizer
