| Course Type | Course Code | No. Of Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Foundation Core | SLS3SC301 | 4 |
Semester and Year Offered: Monsoon Semester
Course Coordinator and Team: RukminiSen and NiharikaBanerjea
Email of course coordinator: rukmini[at]aud[dot]ac[dot]in
Pre-requisites: None
Aim: This course intends to discuss some key concepts, issues, and ideas in sociological theorizing. The course is designed keeping in view that the research scholars will think through some of these key concepts to shape their work. Structured in a seminar format, intensive reading and collective discussion inform the course pedagogy.
Course Outcomes:At the end of the course the PhD students will be equipped with:
Brief description of modules/ Main modules:
Module 1: Sociological theorizing, theorizing sociology
By engaging with individual; social change; self; crisis, this module intends to introduce the discipline through the project of and critique about Western Enlightenment and ask whether there is an emergent sociology in India?
Module 2: Sociological categories and concepts
Through critically exploring the concepts culture; community; citizen, other/outsider; this module engages with the foundational concepts in sociology while taking into consideration the contemporary challenges that the political and legal order makes to the everyday social realities
Module 3: Intersectionality
Identity and experience form the two main concepts through which this module is understood. The fluidity and interconnectivity of identities in which everyday lives are lead and the consequent experiences of these intersectional living. Race, caste, gender and sexuality form the perspectives through which this module explores intersectionality through interdisciplinary readings on critical race theory, feminism, sexuality studies and dalit assertions.
Module 4:Space
Breaking away from a binary understanding of space—public v private or rural v urban this module discusses how space is constantly forming in the local; cities, domesticity, nation, borders, or virtual. What kind of networks gets formed as a result of these ever emerging and transforming spaces in which individuals and groups live?
Module 5: Governmentality
This module makes a deep engagement with state, governmentality, power, bio-politics,
development, and empowerment. By doing this it traverses the political sociology trajectory from state to governmentality and also the critique of it through bio-power. The connected question of the political economy of development and the multiple meanings of empowerment within and outside of the governmentality discourse is briefly discussed in this module
Module 6: Ethical Sociology
This module underlines the importance of an ethical practice of sociology though discussions on sociology and ethics, public sociology, ethics as practice. Questions of ethics and praxis both are very important in the discipline of sociology and the way it is learned and practiced.
Assessment Details with weights:
Assessments
The assessment structure of this course aims in understanding the ways through which the course outcomes have been met by the students. Each student is asked to conceptualize a theme, which they would explore in their PhD research. They are expected to understand the theme through the concepts and theoretical discussions that this course engages with.
Reading List
