The purpose of this module is to introduce students to two essential areas of sociological inquiry: power and politics. Power is a ubiquitous dimension of social life; it is part of nearly all minor and major social relations. Political sociology is the study of social actors, relations, organizations, and institutions as they take part in the constitution of power, authority, and rules that regulate decision-making and social order in a given area of social life. Its distinctive quality emerges from the investigation of politics by looking at the “social bases” of power relations and political life. This module is an upper-level introduction to the sociology of power and political life. Specifically, it focuses on the relations between forms of power and collective rule making as well as rule breaking in society. This is a reading-intensive module.
Sociology represents first and foremost a manner of thinking about the world and our place in it; it is a mode of analysis. I, therefore, consider it more important for students to leave this course with a mastery of the analytical tools used in the sociology of power and politics (as well as the debates among sociologists about these tools) than a list of facts and figures about the political world. Accordingly, I place a premium on critical thinking in this module; lectures and discussions are designed specifically to develop your analytical skills. The good news is that this work is usually more interesting than memorizing definitions for multiple-choice exams. The bad news is that it is usually more difficult.
Learning sociology of power and politics presents particular challenges. We are concerned with vital issues such as representation, authority, rights, forms of government, and who gets to rule. Topic wise, this is as close to real life as it gets. However, power is difficult to define. It is even more difficult to observe empirically. Furthermore, power, its exercise, and political forms related to power structures vary widely. Power relations and political life under the Ming Dynasty are quite different from the Italian city-states and even more different than the advanced democracies. Thus, the study of power tends to be, at first sight, challenging. Students will find that once they acquire a basic grasp of fundamental conceptual issues at stake, sociology of power and politics is one of the most rewarding areas of study.