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3: Sociological Theories

  • Page ID
    231729

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    The term sociology was first coined in 1780 by the French essayist Emmanuel-Joseph Sieyès (1748–1836) in an unpublished manuscript (Fauré et al. 1999). In 1838, the term was reintroduced by Auguste Comte (1798–1857) who is most often credited with introducing the academic discipline of sociology.

    In this module we will explore key terms such as positivism and anti-positivism, after which you will demonstrate your understanding by sharing ideas about both. You will engage with the key theories that arose in the West as frameworks for understanding the social world and human behavior. You will learn about two sociological theories that arose in Europe in the 19th century: Structural functionalism and Conflict Theory, and one theory that developed in the United States in the mid 20th century, Symbolic Interactionism . We will also explore Social Constructionism, which most often is not included as one of the sociological theories. We will explore it as an influential perspective that has many similarities to Symbolic Interactionism. These are the theories that arose in the West, at a particular historical moment and developed by individuals of a particular social status, as frameworks for understanding the social world and human behavior. The module ends with an assignment in which you will apply these theories to understandings of the police. In module 4 we will explore ideas from social thinkers from other parts of the world whose ideas arose in different time periods. theories.jpg

    References

    Fauré, Christine, Jacques Guilhaumou, Jacques Vallier, and Françoise Weil. 2007 [1999]. Des Manuscrits de Sieyès, 1773–1799, Volumes I and II. Paris: Champion.


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