Course Syllabus
Sociology 8311: Political Sociology Graduate Seminar
Fall 2001, W 2:30-5:00, Carlson School 1-113
Instructor: Evan Schofer
Office: 1172 Social Sciences
Email: schofer@atlas.socsci.umn.edu
Phone: (612) 624-4075
Office Hours: Wednesday 9:00-11:00
Web Page: http://www.soc.umn.edu/~schofer/2001soc8311/home8311.htm
Introduction
Political sociology is a broad (and growing) field within sociology. It encompasses such varied topics as revolutions, state formation, voting behavior, power, globalization, and many others. This course is designed to provide a general overview of major topics, theories, and research in political sociology. The course will also introduce students to experts from the Minnesota sociology department and their ongoing cutting-edge research in the field.
The course format is a small graduate seminar. This provides an unparalleled opportunity to develop your understanding of sociology, through discussion of readings and ideas with your peers. However, the success of this format depends heavily on the commitment and participation of all involved. Thus, it is critical that you complete reading assignments and participate actively in class.
Requirements
1. Readings. Assigned readings should be read and understood prior to class on the week they are assigned. Completion of reading assignments is critical to learning course material and participating in class discussion.
2. Attendance and Participation. You should attend class regularly and participate actively in class discussion.
3. Assignments. There will be several assignments over the course of the semester. All should be completed by the deadlines specified.
4. Class Discussion Leader. Each member of the class must serve as discussion leader for one class during the semester. The discussion leader will start the weekly discussion by introducing readings and highlighting important questions and issues. Note: this will contribute to your class participation grade.
Assignments
There will be several types of assignments:
1. Reading Reflection Papers. These short papers are an opportunity to write down a summary of readings, as well as your critical reactions. They help you organize your thoughts and encourage you to be an active, critical reader.
2. Research Designs. These short papers require you to develop a possible research design to study a particular issue in political sociology. They develop skill at turning theoretical insights into practical, researchable problems.
3. Research Proposal. You will develop one of your research design papers into a longer, more detailed research proposal. This may help you develop a conference paper project, grant proposal, or even a dissertation topic.
4. Sub-field Summary. You will create a “map” of one sub-field within Political Sociology. This will include identifying major theories and research themes in this sub-field, and creating an annotated bibliography. These will be shared with your classmates. Together, they will provide a useful reference bibliography on political sociology.
Evaluation
Grades (A-F) will be calculated based on the following percentages.
Reflection Papers 20%
Research Designs 20%
Research Proposal 20%
Sub-field Summary 20%
Participation 20%
I will compute grades in a mechanical manner based on the percentages above. Incompletes will not be given, except in unusual circumstances (e.g., medical emergencies, etc).
Policies Regarding Papers, Deadlines, and Extensions
Please type all assignments double spaced (to allow room for comments) using a reasonable font and margins (e.g. times 12). All assignments must be printed. Do not send email attachments or faxes.
Assignment deadlines are specified below. Assignments are due at the start of class unless otherwise specified. Late papers will be penalized one partial grade (i.e., an A becomes an A-, a C+ becomes a C) for every day that the paper is overdue. Note: Partial days are “rounded up” such that a paper less than one day late is still penalized by one partial grade. Plan ahead and start work early to allow time to complete your assignments. Extensions will not be granted simply because people are "busy". Assignment extensions may be arranged for legitimate reasons prior to the due date.
Texts
Sociology 8311 Course Packet
Anderson, Benedict. 1991. Imagined Communities : Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism. Verso Books; ISBN: 0860915468
Gusfield, Joseph R. 1984. The Culture of Public Problems: Drinking-Driving and the Symbolic Order. University of Chicago Press; ISBN: 0226310949
Mcadam, Mccarthy, Zald. Comparative Perspectives on Social Movements : Political Opportunities, Mobilizing Structures, and Cultural Framings. Cambridge Univ Pr (Pap Txt); ISBN: 0521485169
Skocpol and Fiorina. 1999. Civic Engagement in American Democracy. Brookings Institute; ISBN: 0815728093
Tilly, Charles. 1992. Coercion, Capital, and European States, AD 990-1992 (Studies in Social Discontinuity). Blackwell Pub; ISBN: 1557863687
Class Schedule and Reading Assignments:
Week 1 (Sept. 5): Course Introduction: Major Topics and Approaches in Political Sociology
Week 2 (Sept. 12): The Rise of Modern States
Tilly, Charles. Coercion, Capital, and European States, all chapters.
Reading Reflect Paper #1 Due
Week 3 (Sept. 19): Social Movements
Mcadam, McCarthy, and Zald, Intro, Chapters 1, 8
Broadbent, Jeffrey. “Movement in Context: Network Density and Japanese Environmental Protest.” In preparation for Diani, Mario and Doug McAdam. Social Movement Analysis: The Network Perspective. Paper and figures available at: http://www.soc.umn.edu/~schofer/2001soc8311/pub/
Get started on next week’s readings
Visiting Expert: Prof. Jeff Broadbent
Reading Reflection Paper #2 Due
Week 4 (Sept. 26): Social Movements
Mcadam, McCarthy, and Zald, Chapters 2 – 7, 9, 10
Research Design #1 Due
Week 5 (Oct. 3): Social Movements
Mcadam, McCarthy, and Zald, Chapters 11-15
Aminzade, Ron and Doug McAdam. 2001. “Emotions and Contentious Politics.” In Aminzade et al. 2001. Silence and Voice in the Study of Contentious Politics. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Aminzade, Ron and Doug McAdam. 2001. “The Sacred, Religious, and Secular in Contentious Politics: Blurring Boundaries.” In Aminzade et al. 2001. Silence and Voice in the Study of Contentious Politics. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Visiting Expert: Prof. Ron Aminzade
Week 6 (Oct. 10): Class, Race, and Social Movements
Somers, Margaret R. and Gloria D. Gibson. 1994. “Reclaiming the Epistemological ‘Other’: Narrative and the Social Constitution of Identity. Pp. 37-99 (Chapter 2) in Calhoun, Craig (ed.). 1994. Social Theory and the Politics of Identity. Cambridge, MA: Blackwell Publishers, Inc.
Get started on next week’s readings
Visiting Expert: Prof. Joe Gerteis
Week 7 (Oct. 17): Civil Society
Skocpol and Fiorina. Civic Engagement in American Democracy. Chapters 1-4, 9-13
Putnam, Robert. 1995. "Bowling Alone: America's Declining Social Capital." Journal of Democracy, 6.1 (1995) 65-78. Available online at: http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/journal_of_democracy/v006/6.1putnam.html
Research Design #2 Due
Week 8 (Oct. 24): States and State Policy
Grew, Raymond. 1984. "The Nineteenth Century European State", in Bright, Charles and Sandra Harding. 1984. Statemaking and Social Movements. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press.
Pedriana, Nicholas and Robin Stryker. 1997. “Political Culture Wars 1960s Style: Equal Employment Opportunity – Affirmative Action Law and the Philadelphia Plan.” American Journal of Sociology, 99, 4: 847-910.
Scott, James C. 1998. "Nature and Space." Pp. 11-52 (Chapter 1) in Scott, J. C. 1998. Seeing Like a State. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
Stryker, Robin. 1994. “Rules, Resources, and Legitimacy Processes: Some Implications for Social Conflict, Order, and Change.” American Journal of Sociology, 99, 4: 847-910.
Weir, Margaret, Ann Shola Orloff, and Theda Skocpol. 1988. "Introduction: Understanding American Social Politics." pp. 3-35 (Introduction) in Weir, Margaret, Ann Shola Orloff, and Theda Skocpol. The Politics of Social Policy in the United States. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Reading Reflection Paper #3 Due
Week 9 (Oct. 31): Democratization
Huntington, Samuel. P. 1991. The Third Wave: Democratization in the Late 20th Century. Selected Chapters. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press.
Lipset, Seymour M. 1994. “The Social Requisites of Democracy Revisited.” American Sociological Review, 59,1: 1-22.
Get started on next week’s readings
Visiting Expert: Prof. Ann Hironaka
Week 10 (Nov. 7): Nationalism
Andersen, Benedict. Imagined Communities, all chapters
Research Design #3 Due
Week 11 (Nov. 14): Comparative Political Sociology / Perspectives on Punishment
Garland, David. 2000. “The Culture of High Crime Societies: Some Preconditions of Recent 'Law and Order' Policies.” British Journal of Criminology, 2000, 40, 3: 347-375.
Jacobs, David and Ronald E. Helms. 1996. “Toward a Political Model of Incarceration: A Time-Series Examination of Multiple Explanations for Prison Admission Rates.” American Journal of Sociology, 1996, 102, 2, Sept, 323-357. (Optional Reading)
Jepperson, Ronald L. Forthcoming. “Political Modernities: Disentangling Two Underlying Dimensions of Institutional Differentiation.” Sociological Theory, forthcoming 2002. Paper available at: http://www.soc.umn.edu/~schofer/2001soc8311/pub/
Sutton, John R. 2000. “Imprisonment and Social Classification in Five Common-Law Democracies, 1955-1985.” American Journal of Sociology, 106, 2:350-386.
Savelsberg, Joachim. 1994. “Knowledge, Domination, and Criminal Punishment.” American Journal of Sociology, 99, 4: 911-943.
Savelsberg, Joachim. 1999. “Knowledge, Domination and Criminal Punishment Revisited: Incorporating State Socialism.” Punishment and Society, 1, 1: 45-70.
Visiting Expert: Prof. Joachim Savelsberg
Sub-Field Summary Due
Week 12 (Nov 21): Globalization: Economic and Neo-Institutional Views
Meyer, John W., John Boli, George Thomas, and Francisco O. Ramirez. 1997a. "World Society and the Nation State". American Journal of Sociology. Vol 103, 1 (July 1997): 144-181.
Frank, David J., Ann Hironaka, and Evan Schofer. 2000. "The Nation-State and the Environment, 1900-95." American Sociological Review, 65 (1): 96-116.
Milner, Helen V. and Robert O. Keohane. 1996. "Internationalization and Domestic Politics: An Introduction," Pp. 3-24 (Chapter 1) in Keohane, Robert O. and Helen V. Milner. Internationalization and Domestic Politics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. (22 pages)
Holton, Robert J. 1998. "Is the Nation-State Finished? The Challenge of Globalization." Pp. 80-107 (Chapter 4) in Holton, Robert J. 1998. Globalization and the Nation-State. New York: St. Martin's Press, Inc.
Research Design #4 Due
Week 13 (Nov. 28): Globalization, NGOs, and Culture
Boli, John. 1999. “Conclusion: World Authority Structures and Legitimations.” In Boli, John and George Thomas. 1999. Constructing World Culture: International Non-Governmental Organization Since 1875. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
Boyle, Elizabeth H. forthcoming. Female Genital Cutting: Legal Responses. Johns Hopkins University Press. Selected chapters available at: http://www.soc.umn.edu/~schofer/2001soc8311/pub/
Silliman, Jael. 1999. “Expanding Civil Society: Shrinking Political Spaces – The Case of Women’s Nongovernmental Organizations.” Social Politics, 6:23-53.
Get started on next week’s readings
Week 14 (Dec. 5): Culture and Politics
Gusfield, The Culture of Public Problems, all chapters
Visiting Expert: Prof. Doug Hartman
Research Proposal Due
Week 15 (Dec. 12): Course Conclusion
No New Readings!!!