Sociology 211
Social Problems
Fall 2001
Dr. Scott SchafferWeek 7/8 Discussion Questions - Democracy Against Capitalism, pp. 1-145
Due Date: Th Oct 18 at the start of class.
Note: I have changed the schedule to read as follows:
T Oct 9: NO CLASS - Fall recess.Th Oct 11: DAC pp. 1-48
T Oct 16: DAC pp. 49-107Th Oct 18: Paper 2 handed out and discussed; DAC pp. 107-145 - note that pp. 145-181 are no longer required and date change of paper hand-out
T Oct 23: DAC pp. 181-237Th Oct 25: DAC pp. 238-263
T Oct 30: DAC pp. 264-284Th Nov 1: Paper prep session - no reading
T Nov 6: PAPER 2 and Journals due at start of class - note date change1. Concepts. In your own words, define the following concepts as Wood uses them, and state their importance for the development of her argument.
Historical materialism
Fragmentation
Dialectic
The "economic" and "political" spheres of social life
Base and superstructure
Teleology
Modernism vs. post-modernism
"Class as process" vs. "class as relationship"
Civil society2. Socialism™ vs. socialism. One of Wood"s arguments in this work is that there is a substantial difference between Socialism (that is, the policies of the former Soviet Union) and "socialism" as a practice. What kinds of differences are there? What perceptions do you have of each of these social phenomena? What went into creating your perceptions of Socialism vs. socialism?
3. Base, superstructure, and ideology. Marx"s theory of social life lays out a particular kind of relationship between the economy and the rest of social life. Identify the particulars of this relationship, as well as the ways that Wood attempts to change it. Then, identify the ways in which this relationship would determine how we would understand such things as democracy, patriotism, and the like. To what extent do you think that we should pay attention to how economic matters determine political affairs?
4. Importance of history. What are the two versions of "history" Wood identify in Marx"s work? What kinds of differences do you see between them, and why is it important to pay attention to these elements? How might we pay attention to them (i.e., what kinds of criteria would we use to identify "history type 1" versus "history type 2")?
5. Historical materialism. Wood spends a great deal of time talking about historical materialism " Marx"s method and a political position. Outline the elements of historical materialism and its importance for Wood. Then, use what you know of this method to analyze the last two hours of your existence (including the micro, meso, and macro levels of analysis), paying attention to all the details. What different types of phenomena were you able to observe using a historical materialist method?