This immensely readable text brings to life the fundamental ideas of classical sociological theory by examining this rich body of work in the context of the lives and times of the theorists who developed it: Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, Max Weber, Georg Simmel, and George H. Mead. Theory isn't conveyed as a set of abstract and inherently difficult ideas but is shown to be a personal response to real social issues that can be understood historically and applied across time to contemporary social life. The book's jargon-free narrative style, its use of biographical detail to make concepts clear and concrete, and its emphasis on the applied dimensions of theory makes this an ideal teaching text for undergraduate courses.
Table of contents:
Preface
The Sources of Human Misery: Karl Marx and the Centrality of Social Class
The Problem of the Social Order: Emile Durkheim and Morality in Modern Societies
A Prophet of Doom: Max Weber and the Spread of Rationality
Impressions of Everyday Life: Georg Simmel and Forms of Interaction
Uniting Self and Society: George Herbert Mead and Symbolic Interaction
Index
Table of contents:
Preface
The Sources of Human Misery: Karl Marx and the Centrality of Social Class
The Problem of the Social Order: Emile Durkheim and Morality in Modern Societies
A Prophet of Doom: Max Weber and the Spread of Rationality
Impressions of Everyday Life: Georg Simmel and Forms of Interaction
Uniting Self and Society: George Herbert Mead and Symbolic Interaction
Index