6 ECTS credits
180 h study time

Offer 2 with catalog number 4015398ENR for all students in the 1st semester at a (E) Master - advanced level.

Semester
1st semester
Enrollment based on exam contract
Impossible
Grading method
Grading (scale from 0 to 20)
Can retake in second session
Yes
Enrollment Requirements
Studenten die dit opleidingsonderdeel opnemen, moeten geslaagd zijn voor "Sociaal-wetenschappelijke theorieën en stromingen".
Taught in
Dutch
Faculty
Faculty of Social Sciences & SolvayBusinessSchool
Department
Sociology
Educational team
Dieter Vandebroeck (course titular)
Activities and contact hours

39 contact hours Lecture
7 contact hours Seminar, Exercises or Practicals
142 contact hours Independent or External Form of Study
Course Content

Each year the course ‘Contemporary Sociological Theories’ 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.

Course material
Digital course material (Required) : Hedendaagse sociologische theorieën, Reader
Additional info

The required course material consists of the following:

  • Reader: The reader for his course will consist of a series of selected texts that will be made available through Canvas,
  • Slides: This course will make very sparse use of slides, which will be made available on Canvas,
  • Class notes: Student’s own notes are crucial for a successful completion of this course.
Learning Outcomes

General competencies

After successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

  • Identify the key concepts and central ideas of a key social theorist.
  • Understand the internal development of these concepts and ideas and trace their influence on contemporary sociology.  
  • Process, present and instruct complex types of social theory to their peers.

 

Grading

The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Written Exam determines 70% of the final mark.
Other Exam determines 30% of the final mark.

Within the Written Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:

  • Written Exam with a relative weight of 50 which comprises 50% of the final mark.
  • Paper with a relative weight of 20 which comprises 20% of the final mark.

Within the Other Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:

  • Presentation with a relative weight of 20 which comprises 20% of the final mark.
  • Participation with a relative weight of 10 which comprises 10% of the final mark.

Additional info regarding evaluation

The final grade is composed of the following categories:

  • Written exam (50%): The written exam will consist of a series of open-ended questions which probe insight, the ability to link different aspects of the course and basic knowledge of the key ideas discussed throughout the lectures and in the reader.
  • Paper (20%): Students will write their own project proposal

In case a student fails the written exam or the paper in the first session, the written exam can be redone in the second session.

  • Seminar presentation (20%): Students will prepare and present on one thematic aspect of Bourdieu’s oeuvre and will be graded on the quality of their presentation and lecture.
  • Seminar participation (10%): Students will be evaluated on their overall presence and active participation throughout the semester.

The grades on presentation and participation are specific to the reading seminars and cannot be changed for the second session.
If a student fails/does not participate in paper or exam, s/he will automatically get the code  “absent’. More specific details will be provided in the course’s “study guide”.

 

Allowed unsatisfactory mark
The supplementary Teaching and Examination Regulations of your faculty stipulate whether an allowed unsatisfactory mark for this programme unit is permitted.

Academic context

This offer is part of the following study plans:
Master of Sociology: Standaard traject (only offered in Dutch)
Master of Teaching in Social Sciences: politieke wetenschappen en sociologie (90 ECTS, Etterbeek) (only offered in Dutch)