Karl Marx (1818–1883) is a German born philosopher, economist, and social theorist. He is one of the most prominent and divisive thinkers in history. His ideas have permeated philosophy, economics, and sociology and even his critics can’t help but use Marxian terminology when critiquing Marx. His major works are Capital and The Communist Manifesto. Marx has enjoyed a bit of a revival over the last couple of decades with the publishing of Karl Marx Early Writings.
Selecting an Area of Interest for Your Sociology Paper
One of the biggest mistakes undergraduates make when planning a paper is they do not narrow down their topic enough. Make sure to focus a specific area in you paper. Below are some suggestions and some helpful hints.
Marx on Alienation: Always a good subject for undergraduate students. Marx idea of alienation is directly related to capitalism and mass production. Marx believed that capitalism would eventually alienate workers from their work and make them feel less in control of their lives. You can read most of Alienation: Marx's Conception of Man in Capitalist Society by Bertell Ollman through Google Scholar.
Mistakes to Avoid: This is not about your experience of alienation or any other individual. This is about an entire class of people.
Great topic to show where Marx had some good points, but may have over simplified the concept of class. Class struggle for Marx exists between labor and capital. There are really only two classes. Though Marx mentions other minor classes they do not participate in his dialectic. Make sure you understand what he means by dialectic. Go to Google Scholar and preview Marxism and Class Theory: a Bourgeois Critique by Frank Parkin.
Marx on Class Struggle:
A Word of Warning: Might be a good idea to have a basic understanding of Marx’s dialectic materialism and how it is different from Hegel’s idea. But be careful. Including too much of this in your paper is just inviting a mistake. Save this for your papers in graduate school.
Mistakes to Avoid: For Marx there is no such thing as an enduring middle class. Stay away from this language.
Marx on Religion: A great topic for those who love their faith and those who dislike religion. The Internet is full of papers and opinions on the topic. Marx works are available and searchable on gutenbrrg.org. Google Scholar also offers many books.
A Word of Warning: Don’t make this personal. Keep it academic.
Mistakes to Avoid: Marx didn’t hate religion. His opinion is more nuanced than that.
Books and Sources on Marx
Great place to start on your paper is The Original Public Sociologist webpage. So much of Marx work is part of the public domain that it is possible to get full text online of many of his works. The Sociology of Marx by Henri Lefebvre is available online through Google Scholar. Finally The Portable Karl Marx translated and edited by Eugene Kamenka gives the reader a good sampling of Marx’s work. Remember to use text search on Amazon.com to find your topics. If your college gives you access the J-Stor or EBSCO databases there are a number articles that summarize Marx’s work and cites many other sources.
Remember to include some critiques of Marx in your paper.
Best Tools for Writing a Sociology Paper without a Book
The Gutenberg Project has many full text books available and searchable online.
Amazon.com allows you to search many academic books online.
Google Scholar has many books online available for full or limited preview.
Professors love to put many of their class notes, new ideas, and old papers online.
If your college provides you with J-Stor or EBSCO access there are numerous papers available that summarize a thinker’s works and contributions. If you have access to EBSCO Research Starters even better. This site summarizes topics specifically for undergraduates.
One last hint: Talk to your professor about Marx. Marx is the most controversial and reinterpreted figures in social theory. Knowing where you professor stands on Marx will allow you to position your paper in the best possible light.
