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POL 215 - Political Sociology

Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences · Sociology (English 30%) · Undergraduate

ECTS: 5 T+P+L: 3+0+0 Compulsory
Coordinator: Prof. Dr. Zeyneb ÇAĞLIYAN İÇENER

Course Objective

The objective of this course is to familiarize students with the history and main theoretical approaches as well as the key themes in political sociology.

Course Content

The principal lines of political sociology and the meaning of central concepts and theories in political sociology will be covered. The main subjects to be covered are: Economy and Politics; States and Societies; Civil Society and Politics; Politics, Law and Morality of Markets; Basic Forms of Political Authority; Power and Authority in the Metropolis; Political Parties; Social Movements; Transnational Movements and Globalization; Mass Media; Political Participation and Pursuit of Democracy.

Course Learning Outcomes

  1. 1-Students will be able to make definitions and certain analysis on the basic concepts of social structure and politics; such as “power”, “democracy”, “state”, “bureaucracy”, “legitimacy”, “political behaviour”, “electrol system”and “political participation” etc.
  2. 2-Students will be able to analyze and compare different ways of political participation
  3. 3-Students will be able to analyze the change in the definition of the concept “citizenship” through out history. They will also grasp and elaborate the basic responsibilities and rights of “citizen”.
  4. 4-They will gain an awareness of the negative outcomes of neo-liberalization and globalization on individual and society. They will also gain a basis to take part in related social projects.

Core Area Distribution

(22) Humanities%100

Teaching Methods

ExpressionQuestion-AnswerDiscussion

Assessment & Evaluation

Testing (Essay / Tests: True-Falls, multiple-choice, short answer, matching)

ECTS / Workload

ActivityQuantityDuration (h)Total Workload
Course Duration (Including Exam Week)000
Out of Class Study Period000
Midterm000
Quiz000
Assignment000
Practice000
Final000

Course Schedule

WeekSubjectPreparation
1Introduction: Political Sociology and its place between sociology and political science.Introduce the field of subject, different arguments and key concepts used in the field.
2The Emergence of Political SociologyProvide literature on seminar topics, like articles, book chapters and books.
3Content of political sociologyOffer some reading list on the seminar topics before the class
4Changing definitions of politics and power: The Marxist Tradition of Political Sociology.Suggest some important sources, articles and books chapters on different experiences and application of Political Sociology
5Changing definitions of politics and power: The Weberian Tradition of Political SociologyGive some reading materials
6Changing definitions of politics and power: Focauldian Definitions of Power and PoliticsProvide soma articles for reading
7Changing definitions of politics and power: Cultural PoliticsHand out some important literature about the seminar topic
8Mid-term ExamPreparation and Make Exam
9Politics in a Small World: We are the World?Articles and books chapters
10New Social Movement Theory: Conflict and CultureArticles and books chapters on seminar topics
11Toward a Synthesis: the Definition of “Social Movement”N/A
12Behind the Official StoryN/A
13The Public Transcript as a Respectable PerformanceN/A
14A Saturnalia of Power: The First Public Declaration of the Hidden TranscriptN/A
15Final ExamN/A
16Final ExamPreparation for and Make Exam