SOC 323: SOCIAL CHANGE
MW 2:20-3:50 W AS 203
DEPAUW UNIVERSITY
FALL 2008
Professor Thomas Hall
Office:  106 Asbury Hall, x4519, email:  thall
OFFICE HOURS:  MW 1-2, 4-4:30, & by appt.
Syllabus
Last Updated 8-15-08

GOALS:
My goals for this course are to help you develop the sociological skill to analyze and understand social change, both in the short-term and the long-term. I note here, but will discuss more in class I use "social" change as a "cover term," that encompasses cultural, political, economic, and other changes.

In particular, I would like you to be able to think about current and possible future social changes in terms of past patterns of social change. This will empower you to work for changes you want and against ones you do not want. However, I fully expect than all of you DO NOT have the same "wants." Furthermore I also expect your "wants" will change through time for each of you. However, by learning to think about, analyze, and understand processes of social change you can adjust as conditions change. This is especially valuable and useful skill because we live in an era of very rapid social change, which will probably continue, or even accelerate, throughout your lifetimes.

OBJECTIVES:
My key objective is for you to develop and strengthen what sociologist C. Wright Mills called the "sociological imagination," that is, understanding the place of biography in sociology, or in less formal terms understanding your individual roles in much larger social processes.

Closely related to this is coming to understand Karl Marx's famous dicturm:  "men make their own histories, but not any way they please." [Note 'men' in this statement would be replaced by 'humans' today to avoid implied sexism. SEE even language changes!] Again less formally to develop nuanced and subtle understanding how our individual actions shape change, yet how the choices we have, and sometimes even make, are often constrained by processes and conditions beyond our control.

You should also leave this course with a good sense of how it is that human beings, in 10,000 years changed from living in about 100,000 groups of about 100 individuals to living in about 100 or so groups of up to 1, 000,000,000 [100 Billion], with an average of about 100,000,000 [100 Million] today. You will know the general patterns of change, develop a sense of the alternative patterns, and how ways of making a living, and forms of social organization constrain or limit the possibilities of change.

You will also come to see that the way we live today is not "natural" or "normal" [although we all EXPERIENCE it that way]. Rather, our experiences have been shaped to a large extent by social, geographical, and biological processes and conditions.

Finally, I want to equip you with knowledge and ways of analyzing social processes that will help you deal with a rapidly changing future.

A side benefit for sociology majors who take senior seminar with me later, is that this course prepares you very well for writing a senior thesis on any topic of your choosing.

By Social Change I mean long-term, that is, hundreds or thousands of years of social, political, economic, and cultural change. In one sense this course is an extended argument for the value of a long-term perspective on social change. To some extent this course remains somewhat "experimental." The Fall 2008 version of this course is an amalgam of my old Social Change Classes, a course on Colonialism and Development I taught in 1999 at Colgate University, and some new materials on globalization.  Consequently, the Course Schedule may change and shift as the term proceeds. I will announce any changes in class, and put them on the web page and on the Moodle page. So pay attention to the "Last Updated" date on the Course Schedule page. I do not want to move in a lock-step fashion through the readings and discussions. Rather, I want to make sure everyone is following along. However, I will NOT slow down because you have not bothered to keep up with the readings. Since change is a major topic in this course, that is appropriate. Some of the topics of this course are "cutting edge" and some address the oldest and most fundamental problems in the study of human societies and social change. Thus, you will have a good course and learn a lot.

THE BOOKS:
The main texts are [also see the textbooks and reserve readings pages]:
Bodley, John H. 2002.  Power of Scale: A Global History Approach. Armonk, NY: ME Sharpe.

Chew, Sing C. 2001. World Ecological Degradation:  Accumulation, Urbanization, and Deforestation 3000 B.C. - A. D. 2000. Walnut Creek, CA:  Altamira Press.

Huber, Joan. 2007. On the Origins of Gender Inequality. Boulder: Paradigm Publishers.

Ristvet, Lauren. 2007. In the Beginning: World History from Human Evolution to the First States. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Rivoli, Pietra. 2005. The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy: An Economist Examines the Markets, Power, and Politics of World Trade. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Wallerstein, Immanuel. 2004. World-Systems Analysis: An Introduction. Durham, NC:  Duke University Press.

Recommended Books to be used for reaction papers and Reading Reports are:
Champagne, Duane. 2007. Social Change and Cultural Continuity Among Native Nations. Lanham, MD: Altamira Press.

Chew, Sing C. 2007. The Recurring Dark Ages: Ecological Stress, Climate Changes, and System Transformation. Lanham, MD: Altamira Press.

Diamond, Jared. 2005. Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed.. New York: Viking.

We will read the first four books, Bodley, Chew01, Huber, and Risvet in parallel. I KNOW many students prefer reading one book at a time. So why am I antagonizing at least some of you with this strategy? For two reasons. First, all four cover approximately the same material but from different perspectives. In the old story about the blindmen and the elephant, this will allow us to see the whole elephant, nut just the parts. Second, that is the way change happens with many changes shaping and re-shaping each other.

Bodley's book trace human socio-cultural evolution, with a particular focus on the size or scale of societies. Chew's book [2001] traces history of civilizations with an emphasis on ecology. His key argument is that states have ALWAYS caused environmental damage. Recently, however, the damage has been more severe and global.

An extremely important point that has, and will continue to, affect everyone are the different ways all social changes shape gender roles and gender relations. Joan Huber's book discusses these issues in detail.

Risvet provides the briefest and cheapest world history I could find to fill in historical gaps not covered in other books.

Wallerstein provides a summary of the world-systems analysis approach, examining how things are and have been interconnected.

Rivoli's book explores our current world economy by tracing the production of t-shirts from growing cotton, to the reselling of used shirts in Africa.

The recommended readings are available for you to explore as your own interests dictate. I will occasionally assign specific chapters for everyone to read. The rest may be used for reaction papers and reading reports.

Champagne provides a collection of his own essays on social change among Native Americans and some on indigenous peoples generally.

Chew [07] discusses his arguments for how 'dark ages' occur. A key point is that they are a result of human induced environmental damage, and while they are harmful to humans, they actually 'create a space' for the environment to recover.

Diamond's Collapse discusses the collapse of societies. Like Chew he finds the roots of collapse in environmental processes, especially those caused or modified by humans. He uses his analysis to draw lessons for possible futures and how to promote some, and, he hopes, prevent others.

LECTURES, DISCUSSIONS, & QUESTIONS:
My lectures are not intended to be exquisitely ordered to facilitate taking neatly outlined notes. They are designed to clarify, elaborate, critique, correct, contradict, and otherwise comment on various readings. For jazz fans, they are "riffs" on the readings. They are intended to help you understand the topics discussed in the readings. Thus, how much you have read and how much you already know shapes how "new" the lecture material is. Frequently, if you have done no reading what I have to say seems "boring," because you do not understand the discussion. IF you want it to be more lively read in advance, and bring in some questions from the readings. As the term progresses, and as you learn more sociology, I want to hear more from each of you about what the readings mean.

You can also visit me at office hours, or send me email asking a question. Sometimes I reply, "ask that in the next class, please."  I am not trying to duck your question. Rather, I am recognizing that your question is an important one that should be discussed with the entire class.

FORMAT & GRADING: The course will consist of readings, lectures, discussions, and handouts. Lectures are intended to clarify and emphasize the material central to the course. They are NOT intended to be orderly reviews, but are more of a commentary about the material to help you think about the issues. [For jazz fans, they are riffs on readings]. They often will include material not in the texts. Discussions are opportunities to clarify readings or lectures, and explore implications of your studies. Everything is testable. 

There will be a midterm consisting of short answer and short essay questions. Sample questions will be distributed at least one class before the test. The test will be worth 100 points. The final will consist of two parts: [1] and in-class test, structured like the midterm worth 100 points, and [2] a take-home essay that will ask you to synthesize the course material worth 200 points, for a total of 300 points. The final is Monday, December 15 at 1 PM.  The take home part will be due at the beginning of the in class final [or earlier]. By DePauw rules, you may not take the in class final early for any reason, so make your holiday travel plans accordingly.

In addition to the midterm and final there will be three reaction papers worth 100 points each, and 15 reading reports [about one a week] worth a total of 150 points. I will post topics at least a week in advance of when the papers are due. We will spend at least part of one class period discussing these reaction papers.

Starting with the second week of class I will ask each of you to turn in a brief Reading Report on one or more of the readings for that week. Collectively these reading reports will be worth 150 points.

For further details on grading see the page on Grading & Attendance.

Communications with professor Hall:  I urge all of you to use email. That is the best way to communicate with me. Do not phone to tell me you are going to be absent. Similarly, do not "mention" it to me just before or after class. Write it down! (or send email) -- that way we both have a record of your message.  

WHY? Although you have only 4 profs a semester, I have many students. Furthermore, if I get interrupted (as often happens) before I get to my office the message does not get recorded. Protect yourself, write it down.  

Send comments or questions to thall@depauw.edu
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