10722 Contemporary Sociological Theories

Credits: 6 intermediate credits in Sociology & Anthropology

Prerequisites: Introduction to Sociology, one additional course in Sociology and Anthropology, and one in the Humanities or Social Sciences.

Recommended: Classical Sociological Theories

The course is based on a translation (by Y. Sadeh) of Modern Sociological Theory (5th ed.), by G. Ritzer; as well as a collection of articles edited by Yael Enoch and Zeev Soker.

The course examines the main paradigms and theoretical approaches that developed between the early 20th century and up to the present day, and relates to changes that took place in sociological thought toward the end of the 20th and the beginning of the 21st centuries.

It begins with a discussion of developments that stem from classical sociological thought such as functionalism, the conflict, neo-Marxism, and symbolic interaction. The course then deals with later theoretical developments, such as feminism, post-structuralism and post-modernism.