Sociological Theory
George Ritzer, Douglas J. Goodman
Written by one of the foremost authorities in the world on sociological theory and a junior colleague (and former student) who specializes, and has already published widely, in theory, this market-leading text gives readers a comprehensive overview of the major classical theorists and contemporary schools of sociological thought. It spans the history of sociological theory from its inception to the latest theoretical developments. Key theories are integrated with biographical sketches of the lives of theorists to place readings in their personal and historical context for students. This book provides students with the context to understand the original works of classical authors as well as the framework to compare and contrast the newest substantive theories that they have learned in other sociology courses. The sixth edition has been thoroughly updated and revised to reflect current debates in sociology and includes completely new sections on Actor-Network theory, neo-Marxian theories of space, chaos in social theory and theories of globalization.
George Ritzer is Distinguished University Professor at the University of Maryland where he has also been a Distinguished Scholar-Teacher and won a Teaching Excellence Award. He was awarded the 2000 Distinguished Contributions to Teaching Award by the American Sociological Association. He has served as Chair of two Sections of the American Sociological Association- Organizations and Occupations and Theoretical Sociology. In addition to The McDonaldization of Society (1993, 1996, 2000; translated into a dozen languages), his other efforts to apply social theory to the everyday realms of the economy and consumption include Expressing America: A Critique of the Global Credit Card Society (1995), The McDonaldization Thesis: Explorations and Extensions (1998), and Enchanting a Disenchanted World: Revolutionizing the Means of Consumption (1999). At the other end of the spectrum, his contributions to metatheorizing include Sociology: A Multiple Paradigm Science (1975), Toward an Integrated Sociological Paradigm (1981), and Metatheorizing in Sociology (1991). He has recently edited The Blackwell Companion to Major Social Theorists (2000), as well as The Handbook of Social Theory (with Barry Smart), and is co-founding editor (with Don Slater) of the Journal of Consumer Culture. In 2001 Sage of England published two volumes of his collected works- Explorations in Social Theory: From Metatheorizing to Rationalization and Explorations in the Sociology of Consumption: Fast Food Restaurants, Credit Cards and Casinos. Among his forthcoming works are the Handbook of International Social Problems and the two-volume Encyclopedia of Social Theory. His next original book, The Globalization of Nothing: So Many Making So Much of So Little will be published in 2003. In 2002 McGraw-Hill published Ritzer’s Contemporary Sociological Theory and Its Classical Roots: The Basics. Douglas J. Goodman is an Assistant Professor at the University of Puget Sound in the Department of Comparative Sociology. He was given a Mellon Post-Doctoral Fellowship at Wellesley College and an Excellence in Teaching award at the University of Maryland. His publications can be divided into three areas. First are those related to communicating theory to students. These include, "Postmodern Theory," (with G. Ritzer) Handbook of Sociological Theory (2002); "Habermas's Social Theory," (with R. Brown) Handbook of Social Theory (2000); "A Sociological Approach to Social Problems," (with C. Calhoun & G. Ritzer) Primus Social Problem (2000); "The Study of Social Problems," (with G. Ritzer) Primus Social Problems. (2000); and "Jacques Lacan: The Imaginary, the Symbolic, the Real," in Postmodern Social Theory (1997). Second, are those works on theory addressed more to other theorists and general intellectuals. These include "Dream Kitsch and the Debris of History: An Interview with Martin Jay," Journal of Consumer Culture (forthcoming); "Defending the Liberal Arts from the Law," Law and the Liberal Arts (forthcoming); "What Collins' The Sociology of Philosophies Says About Sociological Theory," Sociological Theory (2001); and his dissertation, A Sociology of Freedom. Finally there are the publications relating to consumer culture. These include, Consumer Culture (forthcoming); "Consumption as a Social Problem," International Handbook of Social Problems (forthcoming); and "Theories of Consumption," (with G. Ritzer & W. Wiedenhoft) Handbook of Social Theory (2000).

Contemporary Sociological Theory (Blackwell Readers in Sociology)
Edition May 2002 by Craig Calhoun (Editor), Joseph Gerteis (Editor), James Moody (Editor), Steven Pfaff (Editor), Kathryn Schmidt (Editor), Indermohan Virk (Editor)

This thorough collection of contemporary sociological theory is the definitive guide to current perspectives and approaches in the field. Organized by theme, the volume includes the most representative material available on topics such as symbolic interactionism, phenomenology, structuralism, network theory, critical theory, feminist theory, and the current debates over modernity and postmodernity. The theories of Foucault, Giddens, and Bourdieu also appear in longer sections, enabling students and scholars to examine the work in greater depth.

Editorial introductions put these readings into theoretical perspective, making this an authoritative and compact survey of contemporary sociological theory. This book in conjunction with its complement, Classical Sociological Theory, offers readers a complete overview of sociological theory.

Sociological Theory: Classical Statements (5th Edition)
by David Ashley, David Michael Orenstein

Ideology and the Development of Sociological Theory (7th Edition)
by Irving M. Zeitlin
This book provides complete, systematic expositions of the classical sociological thinkers, theories, and concepts--from the 18th-century Enlightenment to the 20th century. It features broad, extended, and balanced coverage of both the European theorists of Social Structure as well as the Classical American Theorists of Social Psychology. Covers Montesquieu; Rousseau; Mary Wollstonecraft; Bonald and Maistre; Saint-Simon; Auguste Comte; Alexis de Tocqueville; Harriet Martineau; Harriet Taylor and John Stuart Mill; Karl Marx; Frederick Engels; Max Weber; Gaitano Mosca; Robert Michels); Émile Durkheim; Karl Mannheim; Charles Sanders Peirce; William James; John Dewey; George Herbert Mead. For anyone interested in Classical Social Theory and Classical Principles of Social Psychology.

Structure of Sociological Theory
by Jonathan H. Turner
This text covers new and emerging aspects of sociological theory and examines the significant contributions of both modern and founding theorists. Seven sections present detailed analyses of key theories and paradigms, including functionalism, evolutionary theory, conflict theory, critical theory, exchange theory, interactionist theory, and structuralism. The Seventh Edition is a less encyclopedic text than the Sixth Edition; despite the in-depth discussions of theorists and their contributions to the field, the text is concise and focused and is appropriate for use in nine- and ten-week courses.

Modern Sociological Theory (August-14, 2003) by George Ritzer, Douglas J. Goodman
Written by one of the foremost authorities in the world on sociological theory and a junior colleague (and former student) who specializes, and has already published widely, in theory, this market-leading text gives readers a comprehensive overview of the major contemporary schools of sociological thought. This text begins with a synopsis of the formative years and concludes with the emergence of postmodern (and even post-post modern) social theory. Key theories are integrated with biographical sketches of the lives of theorists to place readings in their personal and historical context for students. This book provides students with the context to understand the diversity of contemporary theory as well as the framework to compare and contrast the newest substantive theories that they have been exposed to in other sociology courses. The sixth edition has been thoroughly updated and revised to reflect current debates in sociology and includes completely new sections on Actor-Network theory, neo-Marxian theories of space, chaos in social theory and theories of globalization.

Explorations in Classical Sociological Theory: Seeing the Social World (January 12, 2005) Kenneth Allan
Thinking theoretically and understanding social theories can be hard work. Theory represents one of the deepest forms of thinking; it is generally pretty abstract, filled with specialized terms, and requires us to think differently than we normally do. Rather than a work of theory itself, Explorations in Classical Sociological Theory: Seeing the Social World is an insightful work that invites students to think creatively, reflexively, and critically about their social worlds.
Written in a conversational tone that lifts the veil of theoretical jargon, Explorations in Classical Sociological Theory introduces students to the major classical theorists, including Marx, Spencer, Durkheim, Weber, Simmel, Mead, Schutz, Gilman, and Du Bois. This text focuses on the individual perspective of each theorist rather than schools of thought, and uses the provocative ideas of modernity and postmodernity to help students understand how the theoretical, historical perspectives apply to their own time period.
Emphasizes theory as a constructive, thinking enterprise by including chapters devoted to teaching students how to think theoretically
Presents the individual perspective of each theorist "as is" without altering it to fit a particular mold, yet provides students with a categorical scheme to analyze each theorist
Introduces the power and poetry of theory through extensive use of original source material from the theorists’ writings
Uses modernity and postmodernity as a framework to encourage readers to see the social world as epical, suggesting that we are living in an era of change
Challenges students to synthesize theory around key themes such as social change and stability, religion and culture, oppression and equality, and power and economic relations
Includes pedagogical features such as a comprehensive glossary, extensive use of selected quotations, end-of-chapter summaries, discussion questions, student exercises, and related Web sites and readings
Explorations in Classical Sociological Theory is a comprehensive, accessible textbook for undergraduate students studying sociological theory.
Kenneth Allan is Associate Professor (Ph.D., University of California at Riverside, 1995). Most recent teaching is in the areas of: Sociological Theory, Social Psychology, and Sociology of Culture. He has published numerous articles in theory, and a book in 1998, The Meaning of Culture, explicating cultural theory. He also contributed to Turner’s last two editions of The Structure of Sociological Theory. Over the past eight years He has taught well over 30 courses in social theory.

Sociological Theory in the Classical Era : Text and Readings (August-10-2004)
Laura Desfor Edles, Scott Appelrouth
“Edles and Appelrouth's new book is a major contribution for those striving to help students understand the essential place of theory in the sociological enterprise. It skillfully demonstrates the contemporary relevance of classical theory, elucidates the complex interplay of empirical research and sociological theory, and makes crystal clear that good theory must always be more than idle speculation. The authors are to be commended for how they interweave biographical sketches, background influences, core ideas, and theoretical orientations, on the one hand, with their inclusion of pivotal primary sources. This book will likely be template that future texts in theory will try to emulate.”
- Edward Lehman, New York University
"Sociological Theory in the Classical Era is an ambitious and successful attempt to revitalize the teaching of sociological theory. The scope of primary readings is wide and inclusive. Their introductory materials are clear and helpful. Their new organizing framework will allow students to clarify the similarities and differences among the wealth of classical readings."
- Jeffrey Alexander, Yale University
“This is one of the best classical theory texts I've come across. Most undergraduates are unprepared for a serious encounter with the writings of the classical theorists. Rather than respond to this problem with a textbook full of pat summaries, Edles and Appelrouth ingeniously combine the best of the reader and textbook formats. Their exegeses of the major themes and arguments of each theorist -- written with a rare combination of theoretical acumen, clarity, and the sure-footed use of examples -- will help students make sense of the well chosen excerpts. The book thus serves a double purpose: not only will it expose students to the ideas of the classical theorists; it will also help them learn what it really means to read.”
- Neil Gross, Harvard University
Sociological Theory in the Classical Era is a highly-acclaimed new text which utilizes the unique and increasingly popular text/reader approach. The book presents major readings by sociology’s key classical theorists, including Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, Max Weber, Charlotte Perkins-Gilman, Georg Simmel, W.E.B. Du Bois, and George Herbert Mead. The corresponding text written by Laura Edles and Scott Appelrouth gives students the analytical framework necessary for them to develop a more critical and gratifying understanding of the ideas advanced by these theorists.
The theoretical concepts addressed in the book, while classical, still resonate with contemporary concerns. Topics include the nature of capitalism, the basis of social solidarity of cohesion, the role of authority in social life, the benefits and dangers posed by modern bureaucracies, the dynamics of gender and racial oppression, and the nature of “self” to name but a few.
Key Features
“Student-friendly” text/reader approach provides an overarching scaffolding which students can use to examine, compare, and contrast each theorists’ major themes and concepts through primary and secondary source materials
Connects classical theorists and their writings to contemporary concerns.
Photos of theorists, the social milieu during which their theories were developed, as well as photos that illustrate theories’ applications to modern life
Charts and figures summarize key concepts, illuminate complex ideas, and provoke student interest
Discussion questions at the end of each chapter aid student comprehension
Sociological Theory in the Classical Era is intended for use as the core text in upper-level Classical Sociological Theory courses, or in combined Classical/Contemporary Sociological Theory courses.
Laura Desfor Edles is the author of Symbol and Ritual in the New Spain (1998) and Cultural Sociology in Practice (2002). She has been teaching theory courses at both the graduate and undergraduate level for over ten years. She has also given numerous presentations at conferences on her particular method of teaching theory. Professor Edles received her Ph.D. from UCLA in 1990.
Scott Appelrouth is Assistant Professor of Sociology at California State University, Northridge. He received his Ph.D. from New York University in 2000. He has taught classical and contemporary theory at both the graduate and undergraduate levels, and has published several articles in research- and teaching-oriented journals.

Sociological Theory
by Bert N. Adams, R. A. Sydie
Put simply, although the theory instructor has the paramount responsibility of acquainting her students with major perspectives/concepts, the academic figures responsible for constructing them and the intellectual and social conditions under which they theorized, she needs a good deal of help. Adams and Sydie’s Sociological Theory is one of those books that provide such prop—a good one for that.

Contemporary Sociological Theory and Its Classical Roots: The Basics
by George Ritzer
This is the first textbook for sociological theory that is modeled after the texts routinely available for introductory sociology courses. It is concise (although it covers a lot of ground), written in a highly accessible fashion, and includes much of the pedagogy that one expects to find in an introductory text. The book stems from the need of some instructors for a short text to be used in one-semester courses in contemporary sociological theory, or sociological theory more generally. At least some students (and their instructors) have found other texts too long, too dense and too complex. This volume is not only short, but comparatively light (but not lightweight) and less technical.
George Ritzer is Distinguished University Professor at the University of Maryland where he has also been a Distinguished Scholar-Teacher and won a Teaching Excellence Award. He was awarded the 2000 Distinguished Contributions to Teaching Award by the American Sociological Association. He has served as Chair of two Sections of the American Sociological Association- Organizations and Occupations and Theoretical Sociology.

Trust: A Sociological Theory (Cambridge Cultural Social Studies)
by Piotr Sztompka, Jeffrey C. Alexander (Series Editor), Steven Seidman
Piotr Sztompka presents a comprehensive theoretical account of trust as a fundamental component of human actions. Professor Sztompka's detailed and systematic study takes account of the rich evolving research on trust, and explains its meaning, foundations and functions. He illustrates and supports his claims with statistical data and his own impressive empirical study of trust, carried out in Poland after the collapse of communism. This conceptually creative and elegant work will be of interest to scholars and students of sociology, political science and social philosophy.

The Emergence of Sociological Theory by Jonathan H. Turner, Leonard Beeghley, Charles H. Powers
This scholarly text covers the first one hundred years of sociological theorizing, from 1830-1930, focusing primarily on Comte, Spencer, Marx, Weber, Simmel, Durkheim, Pareto, and Mead. The text provides an in-depth examination of these early sociological theorists with biographical background, analysis of key works, major influences, critical insights, and also answers the question, "What do these ideas tell us about the basic forces that shape the social world?" Posing this question for each theorist adds a unique perspective to the text and distinguishes it from other sociological theory books. In addition, this edition includes material on the enduring models and principles of the theorists' work that continue to inform sociological theory today.
Jonathan Turner is Distinguished Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Riverside.