Time: 1:30pm-2:20pm, Mondays and Wednesdays – Fridays sometimes online, and sometimes in person (see syllabus)

Room: TBA

Understanding classical theory helps us understand the foundations of our field, and forms a window through which to view history.

This course will challenge you to read primary sources and to seriously engage with historically important ideas. Through this practice, you will build a deeper and more grounded understanding of sociology as a discipline, and the origin of modern debates in the field. These ideas aren’t just the beginning of sociology – many of them are still in use today, by a wide range of diverse contemporary thinkers.

Because this might be your first encounter with primary source material (and not all of it is easy to read), lectures will draw out key points from the readings, explain difficult wording, and generally make sense of what the author has said, in addition to taking the broader view of what influence their work has had.

Required texts:

This class does not require a textbook – readings are available through ARES and online. See syllabus for details.