SOC 372
Time and Temporality
Last Offered Spring 2019
Division II
This course is not offered in the current catalog

Class Details

Duration, rhythm, speed, pace, trajectory, sequence, articulation, busyness, boredom, flow–time is one of the most fundamental categories of our experience of reality. Since the founding of the discipline, sociologists have been interested in how time, while seemingly given and natural, is deeply influenced by history and society. This two-part course will introduce students to the sociological analysis of time and temporality. In part one, students will explore the emergence of the so-called “modern western temporal order”–the sense of time that many people take for granted as the way things are. We will excavate the historical roots of schedules, clocks, calendars, and time zones; examine how capitalism and colonial conquest disseminated particular notions of time around the globe; and discuss leading theories of how constructions of time change through history and vary among communities. In part two, we will focus on one of the most frequently lamented and celebrated qualities of modern temporality: acceleration. Is the world speeding up? Why do so many people feel always pressed for time? What are the promises and limits of speed, acceleration, and ceaseless change for building a robust democratic society?
The Class: Format: seminar
Limit: 20
Expected: 15
Class#: 3100
Grading: yes pass/fail option, yes fifth course option
Requirements/Evaluation: participation, time diary analysis (3-5 pages), final paper (10-12 pages)
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment Preferences: Anthropology and Sociology majors
Distributions: Division II

Class Grid

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