Course syllabus

SOCIOL 200: Theory and Society

SEMESTER 1, 2019

15 points

Teacher:  Ciara Cremin - c.cremin@auckland.ac.nz

Summary of Course Description:              

Max Horkheimer wrote that critical theory sheds "critical light on present-day society ... under the hope of radically improving human existence". Theory and Society takes this approach. Theory is deployed as a tool to understand and explain the embedded structures and relationships that give form to life and weapon to bring about their transformation.

With Marx we examine why in a free society so much of our time is taken up with getting and maintaining a job. We examine why people act against their own interest by defending the power and privileges of the elites. With Freud and Lacan we plunge deep into our innermost desires and with the help of both Marcuse and Žižek, whose critical theories have drawn on Freud and Lacan respectively, offer an explanation, among other things, for our consumer passions. Foucault helps explain how in everyday life we police one another’s behaviour, including, we can add, in social media where every image and utterance is subject to the gaze of others and their judgements. 

Theory and Society brings the hidden – the unconscious – to light.

Workload and deadlines for submission of coursework:           

The University of Auckland's expectation is that students spend 10 hours per week on a 15-point course, including time in class and personal study. Students should manage their academic workload and other commitments accordingly. Deadlines for coursework are set by course convenors and will be advertised in course material. You should submit your work on time. In extreme circumstances, such as illness, you may seek an extension but you may be required to provide supporting information before the assignment is due. Late assignments without a pre-approved extension may be penalised by loss of marks – check course information for details.