On teaching “macrosociology” in the past and at present: an invitation to discussion
The analysis of the teaching programs in sociology is a springboard for the examination of the discipline’s current state and development perspectives. This paper presents the syllabus of the course ‘Sociology of Social Structure – Macrosociology’ for undergraduate students of sociology at the Insti...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Instytut Filozofii i Socjologii PAN, Komitet Socjologii PAN, Wydział Filozofii i Socjologii UW
2020-04-01
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| Series: | Studia Socjologiczne |
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| Online Access: | http://journals.pan.pl/dlibra/publication/132449/edition/115718/content |
| Summary: | The analysis of the teaching programs in sociology is a springboard for the examination of the discipline’s current state and development perspectives. This paper presents the syllabus of the course ‘Sociology of Social Structure – Macrosociology’ for undergraduate students of sociology at the Institute of Sociology, University of Warsaw, in academic year 1989–1990. When this syllabus is compared with current syllabi of macrosociology at selected universities in Poland it surfaces that there are fewer topics covered and fewer class-hours allocated to the course, mainly due to the general curriculum reforms in Poland. Yet, the core of this course remains the same as it used to be, with the focus on the mechanisms of raising and maintaining social inequality. The following question arises: Should the course focus on the established substantial knowledge (‘who found what and when’) or rather on the methods of creating new knowledge (‘what are the data sources and how to use them’). Inviting a discussion on this issue, the paper provides the arguments for practice-oriented course in macrosociology. |
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| ISSN: | 0039-3371 2545-2770 |