Category: Sociological Theories
W.E.B. DuBois: A biography in four voices
Professor Rose Kim recommended this video to me. It is narrated in four parts by four different scholars — Wesley Brown, Thulani Davis, Toni Cade Bambara and Amiri Baraka– that cover the long length of DuBois remarkable life and contributions.
Sociological Theory Video
Sociological Theory
Modern Times — The first 15-20 minutes of this film (available on Kanopy) are excellent for demonstrating the social changes caused by the industrial revolution and illustrating the theories of Mark, Durkheim and Weber. It is also usually available on YouTube (but check the link, as it is regularly taken down and then reposted).
Reading | “The Promise” from The Sociological Imagination by C. Wright Mills
C. Wright Mills’ “The Promise” (Chapter 1 of his 1959 book The Sociological Imagination) is a great introduction to the concept of the sociological imagination and a sociological perspective.
Sociological Theory Readings
Karl Marx, “Manifesto of the Communist Party” (Chapter 1 “Bourgeois and Proletarian” is a good excerpt)
Thought.Co, Major Sociological Theories (by Ashley Crossman) — This is a list of major sociological theories/theoretical approaches with links to ThoughtCo articles on each.
Reading | “The Social Self” by George Herbert Mead
George Herbert Mead, “The Social Self” — This is a short overview of Mead’s concept of the social self and the “I” and “me”.
Readings on Social Interaction
Erving Goffman, “The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life” — This is a classic work by Goffman that gives an overview of his theory of social interaction. This is a link to the whole book, but an excerpt could be assigned.
Erving Goffman, “On Face-Work” — This is a short, fairly accessible piece by Goffman.
Reading | “The McDonaldization of Society” by George Rizter
George Ritzer, “The McDonaldization of Society” (Introduction), a reading about Groups and Organizations
Readings on Deviance and Crime
Emile Durkheim, “The Functions of Crime” — This is a brief overview of the functionalist understanding of crime and deviance.
