Part I: Introduction 1. What's wrong with theory and why we still need it
2. Cutting a path through the jungle Part II: Theories of Social Action
Introduction 3. Parsons: Theory as a filing system 4. Rational choice
theory: 'The price of everything... 5. Symbolic interactionism: Society as
conversation 6. Society as a conspiracy: Phenomenological sociology and
ethnomethodology 7. Structuration theory: There is no such thing as
society; there is such a thing as society Part III: From Action to
Structure Introduction 8. The world as a logical pattern: An Introduction
to structuralism 9. Structuralist Marxism: The world as a puppet theatre
10. Post-structuralism and postmodernism: The world gone mad Part IV: From
Structure or Action to Structure and Action 11. The Frankfurt School: There
must be some way out of here 12. Jürgen Habermas: Back to the filing
cabinet Conclusion: Playing with ideas
