32603

SoSe 19: Sociology of Culture

Min Kyung Yoo

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In this seminar, we will take a session in the Introduction to Sociology course (32600) dedicated to sociology of culture and go more in-depth by paying special attention to building and writing a research paper. “What is sociology of culture? How is it different from cultural sociology?” Every session will start by discussing the assigned readings and case study introduced by the instructor or presenters. First few sessions will be a lecture, but starting fifth week, each individuals will present their research topics and writing progress. ----- For those who will be taking the Introduction to Sociology class, this seminar will help you to design and conduct a case study and review different methodologies that could be used in your independent research. Although some themes can be repetitive, the focus for this course will be in coming up with your own research questions within the scope of sociology of culture and writing a strong and convincing paper. Participants must have at least one sociology module completed, as this course requires preliminary knowledge on theories and methods of analysis. This seminar pays special attention to writing, and will require several response papers throughout the semester. Most importantly, the students must have their research question for their final paper by the fifth week. ----- Main texts for this course are as follows: Alexander, J. (2003). The Meanings of Social Life. Oxford: Oxford. ----- Bennett, A. (2000). Popular Music and Youth Culture. Basingstoke: Macmillan. ----- Becker, Penny. 1999. Congregations in Conflict: Cultural Models of Local Religious Life. New York: Cambridge University Press. ----- Bourdieu, P. (2007). Distinction. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press. ----- Crane, D. (1994). Sociology of Culture: Emerging Theoretical Perspectives (1st ed., pp. 1-21). Cambridge: Blackwell Publishers. ----- Lizardo, Omar. 2006. "How Cultural Tastes Shape Personal Networks." American Sociological Review 71: 778–807. ----- Ogasawara, Yuko. 1998. Office Ladies and Salaried Men: Power, Gender, and Work in Japanese Companies. Berkeley: University of California Press. ----- "Rethinking Classical Theory: The Sociological Vision of Pierre Bourdieu Author(s): Rogers Brubaker." Source: Theory and Society, Vol. 14, No. 6 (Nov., 1985), pp. 745-775. ----- Schudson, Michael. 2002. "How Culture Works: Perspectives from Media Studies on the Efficacy of Symbols." Pp. 141 - 148 in Spillman, Cultural Sociology. ----- Tepper, S., & Ivey, B. (2012). Engaging Art: The Next Great Transformation of America's Cultural Life. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis. (273-306). close