SOC 703Social Theory and Enacted Realities: From the Early Greeks to the Present Time

Using a symbolic interactionist/social constructionist frame as the integrating mechanism, this course examines the enduring problem of connecting social theory with human activity. Building on the works of early Greeks (e.g., Protagoras, Plato, Aristotle, Thucydides) and others (e.g., hermeneutic scholars, pragmatists, and contemporary social scientists) who have addressed matters of intersubjectivity and human accomplishment, the emphasis is on articulating theory that is attentive to community life in the making. Focusing on the interlinkages of speech, objects, and activity, particular attention is given to the development of pragmatist thought within rhetoric, poetics, philosophy, history, and the social sciences.