Download or read book Sociological Theory in Transition RLE Social Theory written by Mark L. Wardell and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-08-07 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Current sociological theories appear to have lost their general persuasiveness in part because, unlike the theories of the ‘classical era’, they fail to maintain an integrated stance toward society, and the practical role that sociology plays in society. The authors explore various facets of this failure and possibilities for reconstructing sociological theories as integrated wholes capable of conveying a moral and political immediacy. They discuss the evolution of several concepts (for example, the social, structure, and self) and address the significant disputes (for example, structuralism versus humanism, and individual versus society) that have dominated twentieth-century sociological thought. Their ideas and analyses are directed towards an audience of students and theorists who are coming to terms with the project of sociological theory, and its relationship with moral discourses and political practice. The authors of these essays are sociological theorists from the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada. They are all established, but not ‘establishment’ authors. The book contains no orthodoxies, and no answers. However, the essays do contribute to identifying the range of issues that will constitute the agenda for the next generation of sociological theorists.
Download or read book Sociological Theory in Transition written by Mark L. Wardell and published by Allen & Unwin Australia. This book was released on 1986 with total page 183 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Ideas and Intervention RLE Social Theory written by Joe Bailey and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-08-13 with total page 199 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Theorizing in sociology has increasingly become a self-generating and self-fulfilling activity, as sociologists absorb theory as an isolated and formalist part of their discipline. Joe Bailey believes that sociological theory should be a contribution to practical social intervention. His book presents a practical view of social theorizing as an activity at which sociologists are skilled and which they could teach to the interventionist professions. The relation between theory and practice is defined as one in which theory guides practice and makes explicit necessary choices. A description of disciplines and professions is provided as a basis for examining social intervention in three areas – law, social work and urban planning. The author considers some exemplary contributions which sociological theorizing could and should provide, and concludes by proposing a pluralist view of theory as the best strategy for a sociology relevant to practice.
Download or read book Sociological Theory in Use written by Kenneth Menzies and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2015-12-21 with total page 266 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Central to most sociologists' self-image is the claim that their theories are based on research. However, using a random sample of 680 articles appearing in major American, British and Canadian journals, Dr Menzies shows that in some areas of sociology the wide gap between theory and research means that much of sociological theory is virtually untested. He explains how theory is embodied in eight particular types of research, critically examines these research theories, and contrasts them with the positions of modern theorists. The sample of journal articles also permits a comparison of British, American and Canadian sociology. By contrasting on how researchers us theories, Dr Menzies is able to reassess several theories. For instance, symbolic interactionist research uses embedded causal claims and stands in a dialectical relationship to other sociological research, while the research version of conflict theory depends on external causes to explain social change. The implications of using statistical techniques like factor analysis and regression are also considered in relation to the form of explanation.
Download or read book Classical and Contemporary Sociological Theory written by Scott Appelrouth and published by Pine Forge Press. This book was released on 2008 with total page 913 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A unique hybrid of text and readings, this book combines the major writings of sociology′s core classical and contemporary theorists with an historical as well as theoretical framework for understanding them. Laura Desfor Edles and Scott A Appelrouth provide not just a biographical and theoretical summary of each theorist/reading, but an overarching scaffolding which students can use to examine, compare and contrast each theorists′ major themes and concepts. No other theory text combines such student-friendly explanation and analysis with original theoretical works. Key features include: * Pedagogical devices and visual aids - charts, figures and photographs - to help summarize key concepts, illuminate complex ideas and provoke student interest * Chapters on well-known figures, such as Marx, Weber, Durkheim, Parsons and Foucault as well as an in-depth discussion of lesser known voices, such as Charlotte Perkins-Gilman, WEB Du Bois, and Leslie Sklair * Photos of not only the theorists, but of the historical milieu from which the theories arose as well as a glossary at the back
Download or read book Agency and Structure RLE Social Theory written by Piotr Sztompka and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-08-21 with total page 295 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A striking feature of the human condition is its dual, contradictory, inherently split character; on the one hand, autonomy and freedom; on the other, constraint and dependence on social structure. This volume addresses this central problem of the linkage between human action and social structure in sociological and social science theory. Contributions cover several different approaches to the agency-structure problematic, and represent the work of a number of leading international sociologists. Their efforts point to a reorientation of social theory, both on philosophical and methodological levels.
Download or read book Introduction to Sociological Theory written by Michele Dillon and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2024-04-04 with total page 644 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Introduces both classical and contemporary sociological theory in a single comprehensive volume Introduction to Sociological Theory helps undergraduate and graduate students appreciate the diverse perspectives found in sociological analysis, apply theoretical concepts to contemporary issues, and think analytically about everyday occurrences beyond the classroom. Covering a diverse range of theorists and conceptual frameworks, this easily accessible textbook integrates carefully selected primary quotations, extensive discussion of key topics, and a wealth of illustrative empirical examples from around the world. The updated fourth edition of Introduction to Sociological Theory provides new contemporary examples, new discussion of current events, and new material demonstrating the relevance and practical application of sociological concepts in daily life. An entirely new section on posthumanism is accompanied by timely coverage of climate change, COVID-19, social media, post-truth society, the gig economy, ChatGPT, intersectionality, economic and racial inequality, and more. Written in a lively and engaging style, Introduction to Sociological Theory: Illustrates the relevance and real-world application of various sociological concepts and analytical ideas Offers detailed discussion of concepts and ideas found in excerpts from original theoretical writings Helps students apply theoretical concepts to sociological topics such as globalization, inequality, crime, race and gender, political sociology, sexuality, culture, and religion Contains timelines of significant events, analytical photos, chapter glossaries, end-of-chapter review questions, full references, and mini-biographies of important figures Includes access to a companion website with multiple-choice and essay questions, PowerPoint slides, complementary primary readings, a quotation bank, and other background materials Introduction to Sociological Theory: Theorists, Concepts, and their Applicability to the Twenty-First Century, Fourth Edition, remains an ideal textbook for undergraduate and graduate courses on contemporary and classical sociological theory, as well as an excellent supplement for related courses across the social sciences.
Download or read book Sociological Theory in the Contemporary Era written by Scott Appelrouth and published by Pine Forge Press. This book was released on 2010-11-29 with total page 705 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Combines the major writings of sociology's core contemporary theorists with a historical and theoretical framework for understanding these works. This text enables students to compare and contrast core concepts and ideas, stresses contemporary applications and examples, and provides a variety of visuals and pedagogical devices.
Download or read book Baudrillard RLE Social Theory written by Mike Gane and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-08-21 with total page 254 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Baudrillard is widely recognised as a powerful new force in cultural and social criticism, and is often referred to as the ‘High Priest of Postmodernism’. This study presents a detached assessment of his social thought and his reputation, challenging the way his work has been received in postmodernism and proposing a new reading of his contribution to social theory. Using many sources currently available only in French, Mike Gane provides the keys to understanding Baudrillard’s project and reveals the extent and scope of Baudrillard’s challenge to modern social theory and cultural criticism. He looks at the sources of Baudrillard’s ideas, analysing how Baudrillard has turned these sources against themselves. He describes Baudrillard’s dramatic encounter with critical Marxist theory and psychoanalysis, showing how Baudrillard’s post-Marxist writings define, through the exploration of fatal theory, a new episode in cultural history: a period of cultural implosion. This balanced account of Baudrillard’s social theory emphasises the originality of his work and argues that his significance can only be understood by grasping the paradoxes of his project – Baudrillard’s work is poetic, yet, at the same time, critical and fatal.
Download or read book Social Theory written by Berch Berberoglu and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2017-01-06 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Social Theory provides a sophisticated yet highly accessible introduction to classical and contemporary social theories. The author’s concise presentation allows students and instructors to focus on central themes. The text lets theorists speak for themselves, presenting key passages from each theorist’s corpus, bringing theory to life. The approach allows instructors the opportunity to help students learn to unpack sometimes complex prose, just as it offers inroads to class discussion. Chapters on Addams and early feminism, on Habermas and the Frankfurt School, on Foucault, and on globalization and social movements round out contemporary coverage. The book presents and explains key theories, just as it provides an introduction to central debates about them.
Download or read book Contemporary Sociological Theory written by Bert N Adams and published by Pine Forge Press. This book was released on 2002-01-16 with total page 308 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The strengths of this text are the breadth of theories covered; the integration of gender-related topics3⁄4 family, work, religion; the use of substantial quotes from primary texts; the consistent inclusion of methodological issues....I have no doubt that it will find a solid position in the field of theory texts." --Kathleen Slobin, North Dakota State University
Download or read book Social Theory Now written by Claudio E. Benzecry and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2017-08-14 with total page 416 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The landscape of social theory has changed significantly over the three decades since the publication of Anthony Giddens and Jonathan Turner’s seminal Social Theory Today. Sociologists in the twenty-first century desperately need a new agenda centered around central questions of social theory. In Social Theory Now, Claudio E. Benzecry, Monika Krause, and Isaac Ariail Reed set a new course for sociologists, bringing together contributions from the most distinctive?sociological?traditions?in an ambitious survey of where social theory is today and where it might be going. The book?provides a strategic window onto social theory based on current research, examining trends in classical traditions and the cutting edge of more recent approaches. From distinctive theoretical positions, contributors address questions about?how social order is accomplished; the role of materiality, practice, and meaning; as well as the conditions for the knowledge of the social world. The theoretical traditions presented include cultural sociology, microsociologies, world-system theory and post-colonial theory, gender and feminism, actor network and network theory, systems theory, field theory, rational choice, poststructuralism, pragmatism, and the sociology of conventions. Each chapter introduces a tradition and presents an agenda for further theoretical development. Social Theory Now is an essential tool for sociologists. It will be central to the discussion and teaching of contemporary social theory?for years to come.
Download or read book Sociology and Social Research RLE Social Theory written by Geoff Payne and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-08-21 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A social science which has become so remote from the society which pays for its upkeep is ultimately doomed, threatened less by repression than by intellectual contempt and financial neglect. This is the message of the authors of this book in this reassessment of the evolution and present state of British sociology. Their investigation analyses the discipline as a social institution, whose product is inexorably shaped by the everyday circumstances of its producers; it is the concrete outcome of people’s work, rather than a body of abstract ideas. Drawing upon their varied experience as teachers and researchers, they identify three major trends in contemporary sociology. First, that the discipline’s rapid expansion has led to a retreat from rigorous research into Utopian and introspective theorising. Second, that the concept of sociological research is being taught in a totally false way because of this, and encourages ‘research’ within a wholly academic environment. Third, that the current unpopularity of sociology with academics, prospective students and politicians is no coincidence, but a reflection of the conditions under which sociology is now produced and practised. In Sociology and Social Research the authors suggest substantial changes in sociological research, the way in which it is carried out and the conditions under which it is undertaken. Their book is a timely warning to fellow sociologists when the profession is under attack as a result of public expenditure cuts.
Download or read book Frontiers of Social Theory written by George Ritzer and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 1990 with total page 448 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book presents essays reflecting the current state and near-term prospects of sociological theory.
Download or read book Sociological Theory in the Classical Era written by Laura Desfor Edles and published by SAGE Publications. This book was released on 2014-11-18 with total page 465 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Trained at UCLA and at NYU respectively, Laura Desfor Edles and Scott Appelrouth were frustrated by their inability to find a sociological theory text that could inspire enthusiasm in undergraduate students while providing them with analytical tools for understanding theory and exposing them to original writings from pivotal theorists. They developed this widely used text/reader to fill that need. Sociological Theory in the Classical Era introduces students to original major writings from sociology's key classical theorists. It also provides a thorough framework for understanding these challenging readings. For each theorist, the authors give a biographical sketch, discuss intellectual influences and core ideas, and offer contemporary examples and applications of those ideas. Introductions to every reading provide additional background on their structure and significance. This book also makes frequent use of photos, diagrams, tables, and charts to help illustrate important concepts.
Download or read book Sociological Theory written by Keith Dixon and published by London ; Boston : Routledge & K. Paul. This book was released on 1973 with total page 131 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book New Directions in Social Theory written by Kate Reed and published by SAGE. This book was released on 2006-05-18 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This book contributes to the growing debates about social theory and its role through a discussion of the ways in which gender and race contributed to the exclusion of important thinkers from the sociological canon." - John Hughes, Lancaster University Who makes up the ′canon′ of sociology - and who doesn′t? Does sociology need a canon in the first place? Beyond Social Theory offers an innovative and passionate contribution to debates on the history and development of sociology and the exclusion of theorists - who are female, black, or both - from the mainstream of social theorizing. With compelling biographical sketches bringing the dynamics behind the ′canon′ to life, Kate Reed focuses sharp analysis on the exclusion of theorists on race and gender from important debates on inequality. An important contribution to the debate on non-exclusionary theory, this book critically examines existing accounts of the history of the discipline, situating the development of social theory within a wider social and political context.
