Impact of Modernity on Social Theory

Lecture 3

Gaudí, La Sagrada Familia

Classical Sociology

(Auguste Compte)

Positivism

Émile Durkheim(1858-1917)

Functionalism

Max Weber(1864-1920)

Hermeneutics

Karl Marx(1818-83)

Historicism

Marxism

(Hegel) (Schleiermacher)

Sociological Theory Map

Theories of Social Action

The Object of Sociological Study

Sociology is the systematic study of human societies

Two opposing views of what constitutes a human society

A society is an autonomousstructure, a system of insti-tutions into which individu-als are born, and which con-strain their activities

A society is not a thing in itself, but just a collectionof indivuals, defined by their actions and activities.

Functionalism, marxism Various (inter)action theories

The Methods of Sociological Study

Sociology is the systematic study of human societies

Two opposing views of what constitutes systematic study

Sociology is concerned withthe empirical study of social facts, how they are interrel-ated (structure) and how theyfunction relative to each other

Sociology is concerned withthe interpretation of human ac-tions in a social context. Social facts are created by human ac-tions.

Functionalism, marxism Various (inter)action theories

Giddens’ Notion of Sociology

• Social Theory theory pertaining to all social sciences

• Sociology the branch of social theory that focusses on

the study of modern societies

Individual and Society

Agent

Society Patient

Social structure

Action-oriented Functionalist/Structuralist

Structuration …

Society

Individual

>>

>>

… leading to …

Society

Individual

ActionResponse

>>

>>

… Social Practice

Social Reality

Knowledgeable agent

ActionResponse

>>

>>

Practical vs. discursive knowledge

Social Reality

Practical andDiscursiveknowledge

ActionResponse

Motivation and action

>>

>>

Social Reality

KnowledgeableAgent

Motivated andUnmotivated conse-quences of action

Response

System vs. Structure

>>

>>

System vs.

Structure

KnowledgeableAgent

ActionResponse

Regulation and rationalization

>>

>>

Social Reality

KnowledgeableAgent

ActionRegulation andrationalizationof action

Links to Sociology

http://www.mcmaster.ca/socscidocs/w3virtsoclib/theories.htm

http://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/Quad/5889/socialth.htm

http://www.hewett.norfolk.sch.uk/curric/soc/theory.htm