The aim of this module is to provide an introduction to the sociological perspective and to offer theoretical tools for understanding the modern world.

A theory, speaking most simply, is an idea that guides and explains observations of the world. Every empirical discipline – from astronomy to zoology – has theories that both guide observation (that is, tell the observer about what to look for and what ‘counts’ as data or knowledge) and provide explanations. In sociology, we observe and explain ‘social things’ or ‘social facts’ – the phenomena, character, and dynamics of the social world. When I was taught sociology in early 2000s at Jagiellonian University in Kraków, our classics were Durkheim, Max and Weber. All male, all white, all European, and undeniably – all dead. In this module I want you to understand that these ‘classical sociologists’ became ‘classics’ given our cultural milieu, and the fact that sociological textbooks were at that time written by other white, European (and middle-class) men.

Thankfully, sociology, as a social science is much more varied than that. The history of social theory is not a linear history of some imaginable Western progress. The European social theory is only part what social theorising in sociology is about, and ‘colonised and peripheral societies produce social thought about the modern world which has as much intellectual power as metropolitan social thought, and more political relevance’ (Connell 2007: 231).

This 15-credit, Term 1 module will cover the following topics, which may be subject to variation depending on developments in academic research and the interests of the class:

What is social theory?
	Post-colonialism
	Race
	Gender
	Social Solidarity
	Class and social conflict
Teaching Delivery

The teaching will take place through 1-hour long lectures and 1-hour long small-group seminars. Every week you will be expected to prepare for the seminars by doing compulsory readings listed in the Module Syllabus and by writing a short memo.

This is a compulsory module for the Politics and Sociology UG students.

By the end of the module, you should be able to:

Understand the historical and geo-political foundations of social theory
	Critically reflect on theoretical concepts and employ them for your research
	Reflect on how the social theory canon is a social construct
	Demonstrate the different sources of sociological knowledge