Invitation to American sociology 4219-SH0043

This course is an overview of the most important ideas produced by American sociologists. It is inspired by Peter Berger's 1963 book entitled “Invitation to Sociology." It guides the course listeners through basic sociological concepts.
During the course we will take a closer look at the following issues:
- Structural Functionalism by Talcott Parsons. The changing nature of social institutions on the example of American families: nuclear families, same-sex marriages, single-parent households, blended families.
- Manifest and latent functions by Robert K. Merton. On the example of the War on Drugs policy and mass imprisonment of ethnic groups in the USA we will learn about actions and their consequences.
- Secularization Theory by Peter Berger. We will take a look at the decline of religious influence in modern American society and the change in social norms and values.
- Conflict Theory: Repressive Tolerance by Herbert Marcuse. We will discover that tolerance can be perceived as a tool of oppression on the example of “woke” social phenomenon.
- Social Constructionism and Symbolic interactionism by Peter Berger and Thomas Luckmann. On the example of conspiracy theories we will discover the nature of social realities.
- Definition of a Situation – Thomas’ theorem by William I. Thomas. We will try to look at how people define the setting and context of a given situation before taking an action using various examples from American pop-culture.
- Role Theory by George Herbert Mead and Role distance by Erving Goffman. We will look at how people embody social roles by discussing the controversial Zimbardo’s experiment.
- Ecstasy – We will discover the ways in which one can distance himself from societal standards and modes of control (transformation, withdrawal and manipulation).
- Looking-Glass Self by Charles Horton Cooley. Social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok will serve as a powerful illustration of Cooley's fascinating concept of the looking-glass self.
- Conspicuous Consumption by Thorstein Veblen. The display of wealth through the purchase of luxury items like designer clothing, expensive cars, and exclusive memberships in American society will illustrate the universal human need for social approval and admiration.
- Stigma by Erving Goffman. On the example of the opioid epidemic we will discover the social consequences of being stigmatized.
- Alternation by Peter Berger. Finally, we will take a look at how adopted systems of meaning can be subject to change. On the example of people who have undergone a radical personal transformation like leaving a religious cult or changing their gender identity, we will discover the ever-changing nature of social and psychological reality.

During the classes, we will look at practical examples of these concepts in contemporary American society. We will also learn the basic sociological methods: Survey (quantitative), Interview, Participant observation, Content Analysis, and test some of them during practical exercises.
The classes will consist of:
a) obligatory readings, short films, or other media assigned for every class. Students will be able to actively participate in the selection of the content.
b) a detailed explanation of the basic concepts and ideas followed by discussions.
c) drawing conclusions—a set of practical exercises that will motivate students to notice the phenomena in question in both American society and their everyday environment and teach them the sociological way of thinking.