Sociological theory

For your second paper, you have the choice of responding to one of the following three prompts:

1) Marx and DuBois. In the Communist Manifesto Marx and Engels lay out their theory of class antagonism under capitalism, as well as their more general theory of historical materialism. But they make only brief mentions of race and racialized slavery. DuBois, by contrast, takes this as the central problematic of his work, Black Reconstruction, yet also uses explicitly Marxist terminology to describe American race relations such as “proletariat,” “bourgeoisie,” etc. Please provide concise descriptions of each author’s arguments and answer the following question: to what extent can the insights of each be combined to theorize a single system of racial-capitalism or must they remain separate as distinct theories of race, on the one hand, and capitalism on the other?

2) “Alienation,” “Iron Cage,” and “Anomie.” Marx, Weber and Durkheim all identify similar social pathologies under industrial capitalism but they give them different names. In your essay, compare and contrast these three conceptions and the respective theories (historical materialism, interpretive sociology, and structural-functionalism) from which they derive. In the end, make an argument for which conception you think is most accurate. Please make use of at least four outside scholarly sources to flesh out your analysis.

3) Weber and DuBois: Calvinism and American capitalism. Weber argues that Calvinist Christianity led to a unique form of “worldly asceticism” that engendered capitalist behavior. Though the Calvinism’s judgmental aspects are often emphasized, it is also true that the non-slave-owning North was far more influenced by it than the slave-owning South. The Abolitionist movement, emphasized by DuBois as a force that helped end slavery, had strong Calvinist influences. In your essay, trace the history of Calvinism in the rise of American capitalism through the nineteenth century, drawing on at least four outside scholarly sources. Did this religious ideology play a relatively progressive (increasing democracy) or reactionary (decreasing democracy) role?

Your paper should be 4-5 double-spaced pages long. That’s Times New Roman, 12-point font. It should include in-depth referencing of the texts read in class as well as at least 4 outside scholarly sources (i.e. two for each theorist) that should guide your analysis of their theories. Your final compare-and-contrast, however, should be your own thoughts and argumentation