Classical Theory

SOAN 2111/2112 -Full Year Course

Section 01 and Section 02

Fall 2025/Winter 2026

Instructor: Dr. Linda Hunter

Office Hours: TBA

Email: lehunter@uoguelph.ca

BRIEF COURSE OUTLINE

Course Objectives

This course will explore the origins and early development of sociological theory in its classical and very early contemporary tradition. The intention of study is to enhance our understanding and assessment of classical sociological theorists by carefully considering and critically evaluating their theoretical views. Further, by applying the ideas of classical sociological theorists, we will critically reflect on culture, social relations and social structures in order to develop a broader and deeper understanding of social problems.

A full-year course in sociological classical theory allows an in-depth examination of the subject matter and also gives us the opportunity to revisit earlier material as it resurfaces with theorists we will explore later on in the course. We will begin with an overview of the subject matter, along with a general introduction to some major theoretical approaches and major social theorists. We will examine social thought prior to and during the emergence of the scientific method in the seventeenth century. We will consider the ideas of social science throughout the eighteenth-century Enlightenment period when people were striving to live in a better society (liberty, equality, fraternity). We will then move on to a discussion of sociological theorists who made significant contributions into the nineteenth and early twentieth century.

Required Readings

PLEASE NOTE: The University of Guelph Bookstore will ship textbooks if necessary and standard shipping rates will apply.

To access the ARES list for this course, go to the library’s home page and choose Course Reserves, or go directly to this link: https://www.lib.uoguelph.ca/find/course-reserves-ares [1]

Zeitlin, Irving. 2019. Classical Sociological Theory. Toronto: Canadian Scholars.

Students Purchase this Text, in e-book or print format, from the University of Guelph Bookstore or Campus Co-op Bookstore, and the text will be shipped to you.

Current price of this Text (Prices Subject to Change)

Print format $91.50

Digital format $79

McDonald, Lynn.1996. Women Founders of the Social Sciences. Ottawa: Carleton University Press. Free for students - e-book available on ARES, Library.

SOAN 2111/2 Online Readings Through ARES consisting of original works of theorists including Marx, Durkheim, and Weber. Also, additional readings from an older edition of the Zeitlin textbook will be available online through ARES. Full bibliographical references of these original sources are included. Free for students on ARES, Library. Weekly readings in addition to those from the required texts are grouped by Week number at the top of the ARES list.

Evaluation of Work: Course Assessments

The Fall Semester SOAN*2111 accounts for 50% for total grade of the full year course. The Winter Semester SOAN*2112 will account for the remaining 50% of the full year course grade.

The grade distribution for this course can be viewed below. When you select ‘Content’ in the CourseLink navigation bar you will be able to locate a full description of the expectations for each assessment.

Course Assessment SOAN*2111 Fall Semester

Assessment	Weight
Midterm 1, October 20, 2025 (to be written in class and covers material up until today)	15%
Midterm 2, November 17, 2025 (to be written in class and includes material covered since Midterm 1 - up to and including lecture on Wednesday Nov 12)	15%
Assignment-Letter to the Editor due Monday Nov 24 (Week 12)	20%
Total	50%

Evaluation of Winter Term Work

Winter Term Assessments will be a very similar format to the Fall Term, with two midterms worth 15% each and a Term Paper worth 20%. There is no Final Exam