Syllabus (SOCIOLOGY)
Course Type: MAJ-3
Semester: 3
Course Code: BSOCMAJ03T
Course Title: Theoretical Perspectives
(L-P-Tu): 5-0-1
Credit: 6
Practical/Theory: Theory
Course Objective: The objective of the course is to orient the learners towards some important sociological perspectives. This will help them understand the basic functioning of social system and the inherent play of power that produces and reproduces it.
Learning Outcome: The learners will understand how different schools of thought in sociology have analysed society and its various components and processes. They will also be able to compare between the micro and macro theoretical standpoints and the relationship between t
Contents of the Course
- On the Plurality of Sociological Perspectives: Micro and Macro Perspectives
- Functionalism: Bronislaw Malinowski; A. R. Radcliffe-Brown; Talcott Parsons; Robert K. Merton
- Conflict Theory: Lewis A. Coser and Ralph Dahrendorf
- Critical Theory: Theodor Adorno; Herbert Marcuse; J. Habermas
- Symbolic Interactionism: G. H. Mead and C. H. Cooley
Readings and References
- Elliott, Anthony. 2009. Contemporary Social Theory. Routledge.
- Tyson, L. 2006. Critical Theory Today. Routledge.
- Bottomore, Tom. 2002. The Frankfurt School and its Critics. Routledge.
- Ritzer, G. 2007. Modern Sociological Theory. McGraw-Hill.
- Edgar, A. 2006. Habermas: The Key Concepts. Routledge.
- Adorno, T. 2001. The Culture Industry. Routledge.
- Horkheimer, Max and Adorno, Theodor. 2002. Dialectic of Enlightenment. Philosophical Fragments. Stanford University Press.
- Turner, J. 1987. The Structure of Sociological Theory. Rawat Publications.
- Martin, J. 1973. The Dialectical Imagination. Heinemann.
- White, S. K. (ed.). 1995. The Cambridge Companion to Habermas. Cambridge University Press.
- Habermas, J. 1973. Legitimation Crisis. Polity Press.
- Smelser, N. J. and R. S Warner. 1976. Sociological Theory: Historical and Formal. General Learning Press.
- Wallace, R. A. and Wolf, A. 1980. Contemporary Sociological Theory. Prentice Hall.
- Ritzer, G. 1980. Sociological Theory (8th Ed). McGraw-Hill.
- Fletcher, Ronald. 2010. The Making of Sociology. Rawat Publications.
Basic Features
Undergraduate degree programmes of either 3 or 4-year duration, with multiple entry and exit points and re-entry options, with appropriate certifications such as:
- UG certificate after completing 1 year (2 semesters with 40 Credits + 1 Summer course of 4 credits) of study,
- UG diploma after 2 years (4 semesters with 80 Credits + 1 Summer course of 4 credits) of study,
- Bachelor’s degree after a 3-year (6 semesters with 120 credits) programme of study,
- 4-year bachelor’s degree (Honours) after eight semesters (with 170 Credits) programme of study.
- 4-year bachelor’s degree (Honours with Research) if the student completes a rigorous research project (of 12 Credits) in their major area(s) of study in the 8th semester.
Note: The eligibility condition of doing the UG degree (Honours with Research) is- minimum75% marks to be obtained in the first six semesters.
- The students can make an exit after securing UG Certificate/ UG Diploma and are allowed to re-enter the degree programme within three years and complete the degree programme within the stipulated maximum period of seven years.
