6 ECTS credits
180 u studietijd
Aanbieding 1 met studiegidsnummer 1021419CER voor alle studenten in het 1e semester met een gespecialiseerd bachelor niveau.
Each year the course ‘Key Perspectives in Social Theory’ is devoted to an in-depth engagement with the work of a single author who has fundamentally contributed to the contemporary state of the social sciences. This semester the course delves into the oeuvre of one of the most influential sociologists of the past decades, namely Pierre Bourdieu. Few bodies of work have had a more lasting impact in shaping social theory and social research than the writings of this French sociologist. However, few bodies of work have also been subjected to more partial readings, selective appropriations and outright misunderstandings than that of Bourdieu. This class aims to provide a thorough introduction to the core concepts and key writings of this French master of social thought.
After a series of introductory lectures that address Bourdieu’s intellectual biography and core concepts of ‘habitus’, ‘field’ and ‘capital’, students will be actively involved in the organization of a series of thematic classes that each address a particular phase of his work. From his ethnographic fieldwork in Algeria, over his sociology of education and his analytic of taste and lifestyle to his sociology of intellectuals and the state, the course provides a systematic overview of Bourdieus’s wide-ranging oeuvre.
By focusing on the work of a single author, rather than providing an encyclopedic overview, this course aims to illustrate the difficulties involved in critically reading and adequately understanding a complex body of social theory. It will help students in tracing the internal development of core conceptual categories and understand their impact on contemporary sociology.
Following course material is required:
Description of expected study load:
Below is a rough approximation of the expected study load of this course. This is an indicative estimate and actual study load will vary per student. The specific contact hours are amenable to change throughout the semester.
Lectures: collective contact-dependent moments during which the lecturer engages with learning materials. 39 hours (13 lectures x 3 hours)
Seminar, Exercises or Practicals (Practical): collective or individual contact-dependent moments during which the students are guided to actively engage with learning materials. These can either take the form of a thematic presentations in which students explain and discuss key aspects of Bourdieu’s oeuvre to each other in a 1-hour presentation or an 8-page paper that examines a contemporary application of Bourdieu's theoretical framework.
Self-study: 142 hours
After successful completion of this course. Students will be able to:
De beoordeling bestaat uit volgende opdrachtcategorieën:
Examen Schriftelijk bepaalt 60% van het eindcijfer
Examen Andere bepaalt 40% van het eindcijfer
Binnen de categorie Examen Schriftelijk dient men volgende opdrachten af te werken:
Binnen de categorie Examen Andere dient men volgende opdrachten af te werken:
The final grade is composed of the following categories:
In case a student fails this course in the first session, the written exam can be redone in the second session. The grades on presentation and participation are specific to the reading seminars and cannot be changed for the second session. A paper can be resubmitted in the second session as well. More specific details will be provided in the course’s “study guide”.
Deze aanbieding maakt deel uit van de volgende studieplannen:
Bachelor of Social Sciences: Sociology (enkel aangeboden in het Engels)