ISF 100A Introduction to Social Theory and Cultural Analysis
This course engages and analyzes the selected foundational texts of social theory from its classical roots to its contemporary branches. Through an examination of works of the “classical roots,” by Marx, Weber, Durkheim, and Simmel, and of the “contemporary branches,” by Foucault, Bourdieu, Goffman, Edward Said, Herbert Marcuse, and David Harvey, we will explore central issues in contemporary debates concerning the nature of the socio-economic order, the modalities of power, and the process of cultural production. We will examine selected original sources in depth. In addition, we will explore some reflections, elaborations and criticisms of this work in the context of significant contemporary issues.
I framed the course to engage with and to analyze the selected foundational texts of social theories from their classical roots to their contemporary branches. My teaching through this class focused on how ideas relate to the social and intellectual contexts in which they were produced. More importantly, I guided students to consider those theories’ relevance to ongoing issues we face today such as social inequality, bureaucracy, orientalism, and urban redevelopment, to name a few.
Assignment/Exam Example
For the midterm, instead of a closed-book, closed-note exam that requires memorization of theorists and their contributions to various schools of thoughts, I showed the 2016 Palme d'Or winning film, I, Daniel Blake by the British director Ken Loach. The film is a social-realist drama about a disabled carpenter struggling with the austerity policies and red tape of the British benefits system. The midterm exam asked students to use at least two theorists’ work to interpret the poignant reality depicted in the film. The open-note, open-book setting reduced anxiety among students, who in general found the course readings dense, and at the same time allowed and encouraged them to engage more with the application of the theories to contemporary society.
What Students Say
“Professor Xu is incredible. She explains extremely complex concepts in a simple way, using real–world and current examples to explain rather dense ideas. She not only encourages student discussion but facilitates it amazingly –– she doesn’t “fish” for answers –– all answers given are woven seamlessly and seriously taken into consideration. She really makes every student's contribution feel valued, and that is very rare in my opinion.” — Spring 2020
“She also was very thorough in lecture and made them very fun to follow along with. I really enjoyed how she was open to hearing different perspectives and interpretations of the theories being taught.” — Spring 2022
“Prof Xu is one of the best instructors I've had at Berkeley thus far. She puts a lot of preparation into the slides and material, and her lectures are thorough and engaging. I especially appreciated how she related the course material to current global issues and included prompts for group discussion and class engagement during lectures.” — Spring 2022