Modern Social Theory

3 credits · Graduate

This course is a continuation of our required graduate theory course. We separate modern and classical social theory by considering modern social theory to consist of works published after World War II. Modern sociological theory uses classical social theory both as a source and a foil. There have been continuities in social thought whereby more contemporary theorists view themselves as using elements of classical social theory, sometimes in combination and at other times to understand different kinds of phenomena, such as micro-interaction or gender relations. Contemporary theory has also been critical of classical theory. This has caused different theorists to construct entirely new ideas or rely on new sources for their theories. The course considers a wide variety of authors and perspectives to illustrate the current breadth of social thought.