Examining Social Theory

′This book is not an encyclopaedic survey of the most influential or important sociological theories of the 20th century; nor is it an institutional history of sociological theory; it is not a textbook, a distillation of the accumulated knowledge of a particular discipline; nor is it a crib, a set of ready-made and easily-remembered answers to imagined examination questions. It is more of a reader′s guide, a series of hints and suggestions for those who, whether students or teachers, believe that sociology is a profession and a discipline but also something more...′ - Charles Turner in the introduction to ′Investigating Sociological Theory′ This is an accessible, enlivening introductory book that provides a shot in the arm for all those who maintain the relevance of sociology for understanding the modern world. It will inspire discussion in classes, and provide teachers with an opportunity to discuss the big questions in theory, history, social order and social change. Turner provides a wealth of concrete examples which demonstrate what a sociological perspective can do to unpack and illuminate everyday life. The book allows students to understand sociological theory from the inside. It moves effortlessly beyond the mere parade of great names and core ideas to introduce concepts that can be used to understand the social world in which we live, where this world has come from and where it might be heading. Original, informed, and deftly written with the needs of students in mind this book is an antidote to arid theorising and the dull recitation of the grand sociological tradition.

MySearchLab provides students with a complete understanding of the research process so they can complete research projects confidently and efficiently. Students and instructors with an internet connection can visit www.MySearchLab.com and receive immediate access to thousands of full articles from the EBSCO ContentSelect database. In addition, MySearchLab offers extensive content on the research process itself–including tips on how to navigate and maximize time in the campus library, a step-by-step guide on writing a research paper, and instructions on how to finish an academic assignment with endnotes and bibliography. Offering an excellent overview of approximately 400 years of social theory with a concentration on sociological thought, this book reflects the convergence of social science, natural science, philosophy, and history. It features a concise review of each major theorist¿s biography, the influences on their works, and a review of their major contributions. KEY TOPICS Individual chapters examine the lives and thoughts of Auguste Comte, Herbert Spencer, Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, Georg Simmel, Max Weber, Charles Cooley, George Herbert Mead, Thorstein Veblen, Karl Mannheim, Talcott Parsons, and George Homans. A concluding chapter provides a comprehensive review of the many contributions from women. For individuals interested in the study of social theory with an appreciation for synthetic thought and for history.

This edition examines the implications of recent developments, challenges and disputes that have become important to debates in social theory including new commentaries on key authors. It also explores the extent to which how we situate social theory may need re-examining.

Social theory has undergone dramatic changes over the past fifteen years. The aim of this book is to provide a comprehensive survey of those changes, and an authoritative statement on current trends of development in social thought. The contents of the book range in a systematic way across the major traditions of social theory prominent today. Among the topics covered are the relationships between modern social theory and the 'classics' of the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries; the connections between social theory and mathematical social science; and the logical status of generalizations in the social sciences. Traditions of thought discussed include: behaviourism; symbolic interactionism; Parsonian theory; analytical theory; structuralism and post-structuralism; ethnomethodology; structuration theory; world systems theory; Marxism and critical theory.

"This text begins with an examination of the major schools of thought of social theory and provides an in-depth analysis of its relevance to society in general. Each of the chapters on the major schools of thought review the basic principles along with a discussion of some of the major theorists, their influences, and their contributions to social theory. Each of these chapters concludes with a section which serves as a review and critical examination of the theory."--Pub. desc.

Lively, direct, readable, and clear, this is an introductory textbook designed to introduce students at a basic level to social theory, concentrating on the founding thinkers of sociology. To contemporary students, the thought of Marx, Weber, Durkheim, and Simmel may seem out of date and irrelevant compared to the more pressing questions posed by issues of race, gender, and the environment, but in this book Ian Craib compellingly shows the value of studying these classic thinkers.Providing an account of their key ideas, Dr Craib establishes their contemporary relevance and enduring significance in terms of their contribution to understanding contemporary problems. Indispensably for an introductory textbook, this is a jargon-free read, written in a direct, personal style making it easy to understand and empathise with. A thematic structure aids comprehension and encourages readers to compare the theorists more systematically. Students will also appreciate thebook-by-book approach, where Ian Craib plays close attention to each of the thinkers' key texts, quoting long passages and devoting subsections to unpacking various texts in a stratightforward way. Other student-friendly features include biographical details and an elementary overview of the work of Marx, Weber, Durkheim, and Simmel; a Dramatis Personae at the end of the book, with brief details of the life and thought of other relvevant thinkers; and a Glossary covering important terms andphrases used in the text.

Social influence network theory presents a mathematical formalization of the social process of attitude changes that unfolds in a social network of interpersonal influences. This book brings the theory to bear on lines of research in the domain of small group dynamics concerned with changes of group members' positions on an issue, including the formation of consensus and of settled disagreement, via endogenous interpersonal influences, in which group members are responding to the displayed positions of the members of the group. Social influence network theory advances a dynamic social cognition mechanism, in which individuals are weighing and combining their own and others' positions on an issue in the revision of their own positions. The influence network construct of the theory is the social structure of the endogenous interpersonal influences that are involved in this mechanism. With this theory, the authors seek to lay the foundation for a better formal integration of classical and current lines of work on small groups in psychological and sociological social psychology.

The revised edition of this widely acclaimed textbook provides a clear, accessible and comprehensive introduction to modern social theory.As with the first edition, the book is based around the themes of structure and action. After the introductory chapters which examine the nature of theory and its role in the social world, the book then turns to theories of action and the inability of those theories to comprehend social structures in a coherent way.Part 1 covers: Parson's structural-functionalism and the development of conlict theory and neofunctionalism; rational choice theory; symbolic interactionism; ethnomethodology and structuration theory.Part 2 looks at structuralism, structuralist Marxism, and the development of post-structuralist and postmodernist theory.Part 3 examines Critical Theory and the work of Jurgen Habermas.In conclusion, Ian Craib discusses current trends in theory and what might be expected in the future.This second edition has been revised throughout. There are new chapters on rational choice theory and structuration theory and existing chapters have been extended to deal with the development of neofunctionalism, postmodernism and the recent works of Habermas as well as recent developments in other approaches.Throughout, the aim of the book is to demystify a diffcult subject area, emphasising the practical and everyday nature of theoretical thinking in the context of making sense of a rapidly changing world. The late Ian Craib was Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Essex.

What can sociological theory tell us about the basic forces that shape our world? With clarity and authority, Theoretical Sociology: A Concise Introduction to Twelve Sociological Theories, by leading theorist Jonathan H. Turner, seeks to answer this question through a brief, yet in-depth examination of twelve major sociological theories. Readers are given an opportunity to explore the foundational premise of each theory and key elements that make it distinctive. The book draws on biographical background, analysis of important works, historical influences, and other critical insights to help readers make the important connections between these monumental sociological theories and the social world in which we live. This concise resource is a perfect complement to any course that seeks to examine both classic and contemporary sociological theory.

This text, first published in 2006, presents the most important and influential social psychological theories and research programs in contemporary sociology. Original chapters by the scholars who initiated and developed these theoretical perspectives provide full descriptions of each theory and its background, development, and future. This second edition has been revised and updated to reflect developments within each theory, and in the field of social psychology more broadly. The opening chapters of Contemporary Social Psychological Theories cover general approaches, organized around fundamental principles and issues: symbolic interaction, social exchange, and distributive justice. Following chapters focus on specific research programs and theories, examining identity, affect, comparison processes, power and dependence, status construction, and legitimacy. A new, original piece examines the state and trajectory of social network theory. A mainstay in teaching social psychology, this revised and updated edition offers a valuable survey of the field.