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POLS1151 - Seminar: Thinking the social
[2 Q. • 4 ECTS - credits]
| Lecturers :
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Pezeril Charlotte, Lenel Emmanuelle, Majastre Christophe, Zitouni Benedikte, Rodriguez Lopez Julie |
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| Language of instruction :
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French |
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| Learning outcomes :
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The seminar is part of the set of seminars that, throughout the first cycle, aim to build a solid academic knowledge in human sciences, based on the reading and analysis of classical and contemporary texts.
In this context, the seminar pursues a triple ambition: epistemological, methodological and theoretical.
From an epistemological point of view, the seminar aims to enable students to acquire a number of keys to develop the “how to think in social sciences” skill through the study of how classic and contemporary authors create objects of reflection (contextualisation of the problem, reference to a meaningful whole, historicisation), position themselves in relation to them (analytical and normative registers) and argue the developed perspective (intellectual construction, development of hypotheses, administration of proof). The study and practice of this attitude specific to scientific thought in general and to social sciences in particular, is of the utmost importance in the “thinking the social” seminar.
From a methodological point of view, the aims are:
- The implementation of methodological skills acquired during the first term seminar of Principles and Methods in Social Sciences (bibliography, work layout...);
- Learning in depth reading of works (lexicon, contextualisation, text structure, theses and argumentation...);
- Learning analytical synthesis (identifying important elements of a text, detecting of a line of argumentation...);
- Learning comparison (similarities and / or differences and / or complementarities between registers, objects, present theses, arguments, methods...)
- Learning to write short texts (structuring of ideas, accuracy, clarity and concision, structure of sentences...)
- Learning to draft a final work of synthesis and comparison of thoughts, complying with the norms of scientific output in social sciences.
These skills should be considered as mastered by the end of the seminar.
Finally, from the theoretical point of view, the seminar focuses on three main issues related to the epistemological ambition developed above:
- How was society established in its own “reality”, as specific scientific object of thought and analysis?
- What are the main, potentially competing, images of the social (paradigms and registers)?
- How has reflection on the social helped to understand the specifics of Western societies compared to other societies?
These three objectives will be pursued through the reading of texts by the “founding fathers” or important authors of reflection in social sciences.
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| Prerequisites :
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- Principles and methods in social sciences seminar;
- Introductory courses to sociology and philosophy.
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| Course contents :
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The first session will be devoted to the presentation of the objectives of the seminar and its proceedings. Then, from an extract from M. Weber's text “Science, profession and vocation”, we will explore some oppositions that have structured the sociological debate: the opposition between “descriptive” and “normative” registers, between the “holistic” and “individualistic” paradigms, between the explanations that favour “struggle” or “stability” within a society.
The following sessions will emphasize how the Founding Fathers simultaneously created ?? objects and perspectives of research. Specifically, we will highlight certain cleavages that run through approaches in social sciences: approach by the whole or by parties, by solidarity or by coercion, by conflict or by cooperation, etc.
Texts and authors are the following:
- Emile Durkheim, the definition of social fact and its theoretical implications in an excerpt from the book “Texts I. Elements of a social theory”;
- Max Weber, the development of a comprehensive perspective in a chapter from “Economy and Society”;
- Georg Simmel, the proposal of a formalist analysis in the text “How social forms are maintained”;
- Karl Marx (and Friedrich Engels), the suggestion of a new economic and political perspective in the Communist Manifesto and some other texts;
- Marcel Mauss, the proposal of a new materialist approach to the social in the text “techniques of the body”;
- Karl Polanyi, the proposal of a historical approach of anthropology in a chapter of “The Great Transformation”.
The last session will endeavour to give food for thought on the third fundamental issue addressed by this seminar: what is power and how? More specifically, how can the researcher analyse it and, consequently, engage or not in society? Elements of answers will be found in the texts by Michel Foucault (and Gilles Deleuze): “Society must be defended”, “Intellectuals and power”. |
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| Mode of delivery :
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As this is a seminar, not a lecture, proactive preparation by students of the content of the sessions is required and may be assessed (see below). Before each session, the students must read an excerpt, which will then be analysed and commented in class. This reading should be active: looking up misunderstood words, synthesising the content and understanding the logical argumentation, highlighting the misunderstood or complicated sections in order to address them in class.
To guide the reading and preparation of each session, the students are invited to write a short work intended to develop a personal glossary of key concepts, to answer some questions on the analysed sections or to conduct a comparative analysis. These works will be handed in to the professor and assessed (see below). To enable students to improve their level, several sessions can be devoted in part, to comments from the lecturer on the work carried out, on the presentations, etc. During the sessions, the focus lies on the active participation of the students. We will prefer a U-shape class layout, designed to favour exchanges.
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| Assessment methods and criteria :
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The final score of the seminar is out of 20 points and allocated as follows:
- 10 points for the drafting of a final group work. This work will consist of a summary of a text not studied in class and its relations with authors discussed throughout the seminar;
- 10 points for the individual oral defence of this work in relation with the elements seen in class.
Class attendance, intermediary works, participation and proactive reading of texts will be subject to a continuous assessment. Any major shortcomings (frequent absences, sloppy work or work not handed in??, etc.), may be punished by the removal of 1 to 2 points from the final mark. |
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| Recommended or required reading :
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In viewing order of the seminar:
Max Weber, 2005 (1917), La science, profession & vocation, Paris, Agone, pp. 36-59.
Emile Durkheim, 1975 (1900), Textes, Vol. 1: Eléments d'une théorie sociale, Paris, Minuit, pp. 22-31.
Max Weber, 1995 (posthume 1922), Economie et société, Vol. 1: Les catégories de la société, Paris, Agone, pp. 27-82 (un condensé).
Georg Simmel, 2006 (1897), « Comment les formes sociales se maintiennent » in Georg Simmel, Le problème de la sociologie, et autres textes, pp. 43-93.
Karl Marx et Friedrich Engels, 1972 (1848), « Bourgeois et prolétaires » in Karl Marx et Friedrich Engels, Manifeste du parti communiste, Paris, Editions sociales, pp. 25-52.
Karl Marx, 1973 (1867), « Le secret de l'accumulation primitive » (Chap. 26) et « La tendance historique de l'accumulation capitaliste » (Chap. 32) in Karl Marx, Le Capital, Livre 1: Le développement de la production capitaliste, pp. 153-174 et 203-205.
Karl Marx, 1994 (1845-46), « Langage et lois de l'économie politique » in Karl Marx, Ecrits de jeunesse, Paris, Quai Voltaire, pp. 257-287.
Marcel Mauss, 1991 (1950), « Les techniques du corps » (Partie 6) in Marcel Mauss, Sociologie et anthropologie, Paris, Presses Universitaires de France, pp. 365-386.
Karl Polanyi, 1983 (1944), « Sociétés et systèmes économiques » (Chap. 4) et « Le marché autorégulateur et les marchandises fictives : travail, terre et monnaire » (Chap. 6) in Karl Polanyi, La grande transformation: aux origines politiques et économiques de notre temps, Paris, Gallimard, pp. 71-86, 102-104.
Michel Foucault, 1997 (1976), « Cours du 14 janvier 1976 » in Michel Foucault, « Il faut défendre la société », Cours au Collège de France, 1976, Paris, Gallimard et Seuil, pp. 21-36.
Michel Foucault et Gilles Deleuze, 1994 (1972), « Les intellectuels et le pouvoirs » in Michel Foucault, Dits et écrits 1954-1988, Vol. 2, pp. 306-315. |
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| Other information :
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A reading file including texts to read is available for students at the reprography service. Subsidiary texts may be provided during the seminars (see also iFusl). |
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