Modern Sociological Theory
This course gives an overview of modern sociological theory and a deeper understanding of some modern sociological theorists and perspektives.
The aim of this course is to give an overview of modern sociological theory and a deeper understanding of some modern sociological perspectives. With ”modern sociological theory” is understood the period after the decline of functionalism around 1960 and until today.
To the most prominent theoretical sociologists in the latter half of the 20th century belong Pierre Bourdieu, Michel Foucault, Anthony Giddens, Erving Goffman and Jürgen Habermas.
The list is made up of male sociologists and reflects the male dominance we have seen in sociology until recently. Among the more significant developments in modern sociological theory has been the rise of feminist perspectives to challenge this male dominance. Other important fields and perspectives in recent sociology are cultural theory, rational choie and structural analysis.
Information for admitted students spring 2025
Congratulations! You have been admitted at Stockholm University and we hope that you will enjoy your studies with us.
In order to ensure that your studies begin as smoothly as possible we have compiled a short checklist for the beginning of the semester.
Follow the instructions on whether you have to reply to your offer or not.
universityadmissions.se
Checklist for admitted students
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Activate your university account
The first step in being able to register and gain access to all the university's IT services.
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Register at your department
Registration can be done in different ways. Read the instructions from your department below.
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Read all the information on this page
Here you will find what you need to know before your course or programme starts.
IMPORTANT
Your seat may be withdrawn if you do not register according to the instructions provided by your department.
Information from the department - courses
Register to the course and activate your University account.
Before you can start the course you need to register. You can do it online at Ladok for students between 7-12 January. It's important that you register othervise you'll lose your place.
If you are having problem with the registration please contact master@sociology.su.se
Activate your University account
If new at Stockholm University you need to activate your university account. Your university account gives you access to IT services. Once you have activated your account you will be able to order your university card and get access to the library resources, printing and scanning. You will also be assigned an email address. To ensure that you do not miss any important information from the university or your department, you are advised to use that specific email address via Office 365 for students. Alternatively, you can register an active forwarding address, that will then be linked to your university account. More information can be found here.
Activate your University account here
Students on waiting list
If we have places left students on waiting list will be contacted by email closer to the start of the course.
Athena -the learning platform
Athena is the learning platform at Stockholm University. At Athena you’ll have access to all information about the course such as schedule, schedule changes, course material and more. Before you can log in to Athena you need to activate your university account and register to your course.
More information about Athena here.
Please note that to get notification about important information from the course you need to change the settings and activate notification to your email-address. You can do that in Settings that you find under your name in the right top corner.
Athena has a mobile app that you can use. The name of that app is itslearning. The app is free of charge and you can download it via an app store. To get notification about important information from the course you need to change the settings to allow the app to send you notification.
More information
Please see the webpage of the Department of sociology or contact master@sociology.su.se
Welcome activities
Stockholm University organises a series of welcome activities that stretch over a few weeks at the beginning of each semester. The programme is voluntary (attendance is optional) and includes Arrival Service at the airport and an Orientation Day, see more details about these events below.
Your department may also organise activities for welcoming international students. More information will be provided by your specific department.
Find your way on campus
Stockholm University's main campus is in the Frescati area, north of the city centre. While most of our departments and offices are located here, there are also campus areas in other parts of the city.
Read more
For new international students
The aim of this course is to give an overview of modern sociological theory and a deeper understanding of some modern sociological perspectives. With ”modern sociological theory” is understood the period after the decline of functionalism around 1960 and until today.
To the most prominent theoretical sociologists in the latter half of the 20th century belong Pierre Bourdieu, Michel Foucault, Anthony Giddens, Erving Goffman and Jürgen Habermas.
The list is made up of male sociologists and reflects the male dominance we have seen in sociology until recently. Among the more significant developments in modern sociological theory has been the rise of feminist perspectives to challenge this male dominance. Other important fields and perspectives in recent sociology are cultural theory, rational choie and structural analysis.
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Course structure
The course is provided at half-time basis over 10 weeks. The instructor will give a lecture the first class, but the remaining classes will primarily be based on student presentations and discussions. During these classes, a group of student will give a presentation of aspects in the course readings (first hour), followed by a discussion of the course readings based on questions provided by another group of students (second hour). The structure of the last hour will vary, but generally include in-class assignments, discussions, and/or concluding remarks from the instructor.
Course PM - all you need to know
Modern sociological theory 2025 (386 Kb)
Modern sociological theory for doctoral students 2025 (365 Kb)
Teaching format
The classes rely on active student participation. Attendance is required for all classes and absence must be compensated by assignments.
Assessment
To pass, students are required to participate actively during the discussion, participate in the evaluation of a group presentation and together with the group, provide questions for one class. Examination is in the form of two assignments: a course paper and an oral presentation
Examiner
Professor Mikaela Sundberg
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Schedule
The schedule will be available no later than one month before the start of the course. We do not recommend print-outs as changes can occur. At the start of the course, your department will advise where you can find your schedule during the course. -
Course literature
Note that the course literature can be changed up to two months before the start of the course. -
Course reports
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Contact
Directors of studies, all levels
Questions about all master's courses/programmes at the Department of Sociology: master@sociology.su.se
