Classical and Contemporary Social Theory: Investigation and Application

The second edition of Classical and Contemporary Social Theory provides wraparound coverage of the classical social theorists and influential sociological schools of thought in the contemporary period. Explained carefully and clearly throughout, Tim Delaney reviews the key concepts and contributions from brilliant classical social thinkers and recent sociological thought, spanning over 500 years of source material. He weaves together profiles of leading theorists, thorough descriptions of major academic and intellectual perspectives, and discussion of prevailing themes of interest that have concerned theorists and sociologists throughout time and will likely continue to do so in the future. The book emphasizes methods of investigation and application in its overview of the field by challenging readers to think about problems critically and in relation to key sociological theories and to also apply their sociological understanding to real, everyday events. In this new edition, Delaney revisits the classical period and highlights the special contributions of American social theorists and their impact on the diversity of thought leading into the contemporary era. He attends to later schools of thought and weaves in important updates related to critical race theory and globalization. With updated context and further applications, the second edition of Classical and Contemporary Social Theory is a perfect addition to combined courses in social theory.

Table of Contents:
Part I. The Classical Period of Sociological Theory 1. The Early Roots of Sociological Theory 2. Karl Marx 3. Émile Durkheim 4. Georg Simmel 5. Max Weber 6. Contributions from Women to Classical Social Theory 7. George Herbert Mead 8. Growing Diversity in American Sociological Theory: Lester Frank Ward, Thorstein Veblen and W.E.B. Du Bois Part II. The Contemporary Period of Sociological Theory 9. Structural Functionalism and Neofunctionalism 10. Conflict Theory 11. Symbolic Interactionism 12. Social Exchange Theory and Network Analysis 13. Ethnomethodology and Phenomenology 14. Feminist Theory 15. Critical Theory 16. Postmodernism, Structuralism, Poststructuralism, Colonialism, Postcolonialism and Globalization Part III. Consistent and Significant Themes in Sociological Theory Chapter 17. Five Centuries of Social Theory

About the Author :
Tim Delaney is Professor of Sociology at the State University of New York at Oswego, specializing in social theory. A classically trained sociologist, Delaney has written and published 23 books, numerous book chapters in edited works, journal and encyclopedia articles, and a variety of other academic publications throughout his career. Among his most recent books are The Diversity of Darkness and Shameful Behaviors and new editions of Beyond Sustainability: A Thriving Environment and The Sociology of Sports: An Introduction (both co-authored with Tim Madigan).