Module:                                 SOS305 Political Sociology

Programme:                          BA Political Science and Sociology

Credit value:                          12

Module tutor:                      

General objective 

This module will examine major theoretical questions about power, politics and the state from a sociological perspective. The module will introduce students to the major ideas and debates within the field of political sociology including empirical and theoretical studies of citizenship, power, nationalism, social movements, the state and related themes. It is intended to create awareness of the range and depth of political issues in contemporary society.

Learning outcomes

On completion of the module, learners will be able to:

• Demonstrate a good knowledge of major and emerging concepts relevant to the study of political sociology to inform their future research.

• Evaluate current debates at the intersection of the study of  politics and society through discussions, presentations, and readings.

• Examine the use of power in politics to address social problems.

• Analyze contemporary discourses of concepts like state, citizenship and civil society.

• Explain how social cleavages get expressed politically and affects political outcomes.

• Assess concepts such as political culture and political participation to further understand the dynamics of social issues

• Analyze important social movements in the history and their impacts

Learning and teaching approach

Assessment

A. Written assignment: Portion of final mark: 20%

Following criteria will be used to assess the written assignments:

1. Content - 10 marks
2. Organization – 5 marks
3. Referencing - 5 mark
4. Language - 5 marks

B. Discussion: Portion of the final mark: 15%

Each student will lead a classroom discussion during tutorial session on a key issue associated with the state and the society.

• 3% - Preparation
• 7% - Leading discussion - Question and activities
• 3% - Engaging audience
• 2% - Use of visual aids

C. Mid-term Exam: Portion of the final mark: 15%

The exam will be conducted when 50% of the module content is covered. Students will attempt short and long-answer questions with total marks of 50.

D. Assignment presentation: Portion of final mark: 10%

Each student will present their written assignment in the class for 20 minutes. He/she will provide a precise summary of the assignment by highlighting key issues and explaining the underlying themes. Following criteria will be used to assess the written assignments:

• Content and organization – 10 marks
• Delivery/Preparedness – 5 marks
• Audience engagement/Use of visual aids – 5 marks

E. Semester End Examination: Portion of the final mark: 40%

Overview of the assessment approaches and weighting

Subject matter

Unit I: What is Political Sociology?

• Meaning; Importance;
• Theoretical approaches to Political Sociology: Pluralism, state- centered approach, class analysis, structuralist theory, behavioural approach;
• Historical development of Political Sociology

Unit II: Conceptualizing Power

• The nature of power; three dimensions of power.
• Problems in defining power;
• Rule Making, Rule Breaking and Power

Unit III: State, Citizenship and Civil Society

• Theory of the modern state; Class, pluralist, elitist theories.
• The welfare state: crisis and sustainability;
• State breakdowns; unmaking and remaking of states.
• Citizenship:  Discourses  on  citizenship;  Status,  rights  and Identity;
• Civil Society and the public sphere

Unit IV: Social Cleavages and Politics

• Class cleavage: Social class, class conflicts, voting behavior.
• Cultural divisions: religion, ethnicity, diversity.
• Status differences: Race, gender, caste, ethnic group.

Unit V: Some major topics in political sociology

• Political culture: Meaning, Civic culture, Cultural contradictions; political culture and governance.
• Political participation: Meaning, Theories – democratic elitism, rational  choice  and  participatory  theory;  Political  participation  in liberal democracies.
• Globalization: Economic internationalization, the politics of immigration and national integration.
• Revolution: Meaning, Theoretical approaches – Modernization theory, Marxist theory, State-centered approach. Why do revolutions and revolutionary movements occur? When and where they do?
• Nationalism: Types of nationalism and their implications for political action.

Unit VI: Social movements

• Theories of Social movement; New Social Movement Theory, Value-added theory, Structural-strain theory, Relative deprivation theory, Resource mobilization theory, Mass society theory; Protests movement;
• Nature   and   types   of   social   movement;   The   Alternative, Redemptive,  Reformative,  Revolutionary  Model;  Traditional  vs  new social movements;
• Case study on major social movements

Reading List

Essential Reading

Drake, M. S. (2010).Political sociology for a globalizing world. Cambridge: Polity Press

Faulks, K. (1999). Political sociology: A critical introduction. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press Ltd.

Janoski, T., Alford, R., Hicks, A., & Schwartz, M. A. (2005).The handbook of political   sociology: States,   civil   societies   and   globalization.   Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Jayal,  N.  G.  (2013).  Citizenship  and  its  discontents:  An  Indian  history. Cambridge: Harvard University Press

Nash,  K.  (2010).  Contemporary political  sociology:  Globalization,  politics  and power (2nd eds). UK: Blackwell Publishers Ltd.

Opp,  K.  (2009).   Theories   of  political  protest   and  social   movements:   A multidisciplinary introduction, critique and synthesis. Oxon: Routledge

Press, S. (2011). Theories of social movements. California: SALEM PRESS

Additional Reading

Abowitz, K. K., & Harnish, J. (2006). Contemporary discourses of citizenship. Review of Educational Research, 76(4), 653-690. Available from:http://www.jstor.org/stable/4124417http://www.jstor.org/stable/4124417

Bloemraad, I., Korteweg, A., & Yurdakul, G. (2008). Citizenship and immigration: Multiculturalism, assimilation, and challenges to the nation-state. Annual Review of Sociology, (34), 153-179. Available from:http://www.jstor.org/stable/29737786http://www.jstor.org/stable/29737786

Mann, M. (1993). A theory of the modern state. In The sources of social power (Chapter 3). Retrieved fromhttp://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/soc/faculty/mann/Doc6.pdfhttp://www.sscnet.ucla

.edu/soc/faculty/mann/Doc6.pdf

http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/soc/faculty/mann/Doc6.pdf

The Constitution of the Kingdom of Bhutan 

Tilly, C. (2004). Social movements, 1768-2004. London: Paradigm Publishers

Date: December 2015