SOCI 255 - Bureaucrats, Classes and Democracy: Political Sociology in Three Acts

FC SSCI

4 credits
If modern democratic politics is a theatrical production writ large, it typically features three sets of social actors: state officials, classes bound by their economic interests, and the diverse civic groups and parties that characterize associational life in a democracy. This course aims to introduce students to the sociological study of politics by way of this trinity of social actors as well as the historically defined institutional settings of the political stage. Students will learn and become familiar with sociological theories of bureaucracy, state autonomy and pluralism. We will also investigate the significance of law in modern politics and statecraft.