Classical Sociological Theories

The roots of modern sociological theory are traced in the social thought of the eighteenth, nineteenth, and early twentieth centuries. Particular emphasis is given to the works of Marx, Durkheim, and Weber. Other theorists studied include G.H. Mead and Simmel. The theorists are examined in terms of their basic images of society, its processes and institutions; their understanding of the relationship of the individual to society; and their definitions of sociology, its methods and goals.