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Dept. Webpage: http://soci.ubc.ca/persons/seth-abrutyn/
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Category Archives: Musings on Sociological Theory
Teaching Sociological Theory Practically
As I’ve written on the topic of teaching classical theory several times previously (here, here, and here – and spoken a bit here and here), this post is devoted to thinking about teaching theory differently. Moving forward, if you will. … Continue reading
So, You Are Assigned Classical Sociological Theory in the Fall…
My best advice: RUN! Of course, this is tongue-in-cheek. This is the first of two essays I am writing on teaching theory. It’s been some time since I put words to paper on this (here, here, and here), and my … Continue reading
Posted in Musings on Sociological Theory, Teaching
Tagged classical sociology, Sociological Theory, sociology, Teaching, theory
2 Comments
Making Sense of Affective Action, Part 1
Besides Charles Cooley and Emile Durkheim, most classical sociological theorists looked askance at emotions. The Cartesian duality that sees rationality, reason, and logic as masculine and emotion and feeling as feminine was alive and well. I’ve tackled the idea that … Continue reading
Posted in Emotion, Musings on Sociological Theory, Uncategorized
Tagged cognitive, psychology, Sociological Theory, sociology
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Sociology, Science, Suicide…and Durkheim (Part 2)
Our first step in thinking about how to teach Durkheim to undergrads and graduate students involves discussing and evaluating his descriptive model (see Part 1 for background context on this essay). Admittedly, there will be times where I have to … Continue reading
Posted in Musings on Sociological Theory, Suicide
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Sociology, Science, Suicide…and Durkheim (Part 1)
It has become fashionable, once again, to argue that sociology is an impossible science (perhaps it is a constant feature of sociology and not a fad at all). The logic, despite being cloaked in a wide range of new ideologically-drenched … Continue reading
Posted in Musings on Sociological Theory, Teaching
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Fear and Loathing in the Summer of Covid
As one of Malthus’ four horsemen of human death, disease (& plague & epi/pandemic) has been a central force in human societies. Besides the obvious illness, death, and general misery diseases bring, despite being hidden in plain sight from humans … Continue reading
Posted in Evolution, Musings on Sociological Theory
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Patrimony and Bureaucracy: Explaining the Age of Trump
And now for something completely different…The Daily Beast recently reported that Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared [Kushner] had been arguing that testing too many people, or ordering too many ventilators, would spook the markets and so we just shouldn’t do it… … Continue reading
Cultural Trauma and Total Social Facts
Since Durkheim, sociology has had the habit of looking at psychological phenomena and attempting to co-opt it in the name of social facts and forces. A promising phenomena, one with some relevance for the current COVID pan-pocalypse we are all … Continue reading
PANIC/GRIEF, or the Pain of Social Distance
Do you feel it? The pain of being stuck inside, apart from the people you love? Apart from the routine movements that fill the rounds of daily life that are blindly taken for granted? The patterns of interaction or exchange … Continue reading
Posted in Emotion, Evolution, Musings on Sociological Theory
3 Comments
What Is the Point of Sociological Theory?
This morning, I will be embarking on graduate contemporary theory for the eighth time in my career. Every year, it has evolved – sometimes quite significantly – making me the guy who won’t commit to a recurring syllabus and, thereby, … Continue reading
Posted in Musings on Sociological Theory, Teaching
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Seth Abrutyn, PhD 