McGill University (MCGILLU) • sociology

These are detailed student notes for Lecture 6 of Political Sociology, focusing on the impacts of colonialism on gender, Weber’s theory of bureaucracy, and Michels’ “iron law of oligarchy.” The notes are rewritten in plain, student-friendly language with examples and exam tips included. Topics covered: Pre-colonial Indigenous societies and the powerful roles women held in politics and agriculture How colonialism imposed patriarchy, excluding women from leadership and land owners...

These are detailed student notes for Lecture 5 of Political Sociology, focusing on gender inequality, patriarchy, and democracy. The notes are rewritten in clear, easy-to-follow language, with examples and exam tips included. Topics covered: Application of Dahl’s requirements for democracy to gender inequality Explanations for women’s underrepresentation: supply-side, demand-side, and cultural The concept of patriarchy as a social (not biological) system of male dominance Hist...

These are detailed student notes for Lecture 4 of Political Sociology, focusing on the theories of Michel Foucault and Robert Dahl. The notes are rewritten in clear, student-friendly language with examples and exam tips, making complex concepts easier to grasp. Topics included: Foucault’s theory of discourse and how language shapes reality The link between knowledge and power in institutions like schools and hospitals The concept of the episteme and how what counts as “truth” c...

These are detailed student notes for Lecture 3 of Political Sociology, covering the foundational perspectives of Émile Durkheim and W.E.B. Du Bois. The notes are rewritten in clear, simple language with examples and exam tips, making abstract theories easier to understand. Topics included: Durkheim’s concept of society as more than individuals (social facts) How rituals, symbols, and collective identity create social cohesion The importance of civil society and its role in support...

These are detailed student notes for Lecture 2 of Political Sociology, covering the foundational theories of Karl Marx and Max Weber. The notes are rewritten in clear, simple language with examples and exam tips, making complex theories easier to understand. Topics included: Marx’s materialism and the role of the economic base in shaping society Dialectical change and stages of history (feudalism → capitalism → beyond) Marx’s theory of the state and class conflict Critique...