SC 715: Classical Social Theory
Department of Sociology Theory Proseminar I
Fall 2001
O’Neill 255
Monday 3:00-5:30

Syllabus
Section B
Section C
Section D1, D2
Section E
Section F
Section G1, G2
Section H1, H2
Section I
Section J
Section K
Section L
Section M
Other sections will appear as the semester progresses.

Section A
—Theory, Methodology, and Research as a Vocation—
—Central Theoretical Issues in Sociological Theory—
—Theoretical Problematic of Western Social Theory—

Theory may be defined as the intellectual formulation of relationships. As such, theory may be formal or informal, verified (tested) or unverified (tentative). Sociological theory is the formulation of relationships stated in terms of a sociological perspective, that is, having to do with how people behave and think in interaction with other people. Sociological theory is also scientific in at least some minimal sense or, if one wishes, academic. This means that it is the statement of social relationships in the context of an explicit elaboration of the hypothesized relationships and an explicit statement of the data and arguments that support the case for the theory. My view of sociological theory, then, is the explicit elaboration of relationships about behavior and belief in society in a manner open to replication (verification) or falsification by others.

This section of the course introduces a series of considerations on the meaning and content of sociological theory with the purpose of your formulating your own tentative understanding of the nature of sociological theory and the issues entailed in defining it.

I will begin by summarizing my views on the definition of theory and sociological theory, the central theoretical issues of sociological theory, and the theoretical problematic of Western social theory. Theory, Methodology, and Research as a Vocation Research is the process of obtaining insight into how and why the social world works, that is, the discovery of knowledge. The two central tasks in the discovery of knowledge are (1) the formulation and verification of theory and (2) doing so in a systematic way. The first task is that of theory formation; the second task is that of methodology. Research is not about theory; and it is not about methodology. It is about the confluence of the two tasks, as the term "discovery of knowledge" denotes. The theoretical task always entails methodology; the methodological task always revolves around the quest for knowledge. Thus research as the discovery of knowledge is an unending vocation.

From infancy, if not from the womb, we are all at every moment informally carrying out research. Formal research, carries out the discovery of knowledge in an explicit way. Exploring a range of the explicit practices of the discovery of knowledge is, at least for me, the goal of this course.

In our first meeting I hope to accomplish three objectives: (1) set out my understanding of theory and theory formation as the central tasks of social science; (2) indicate a broad understanding of the nature and usefulness of methodology; and (3) suggest the kinds of dispositions surrounding research as a vocation.

Theory may be defined as the intellectual formulation of relationships. As such, theory may be formal or informal, verified (tested) or unverified (hypothetical and tentative). Social theory is the discovery of relationships having to do with how people think, feel, and behave as they engage in the social processes of socialization and social construction.

Formal discovery of knowledge is often spoken of as "scientific" or "academic." In my view, these are fortunate, terms. They emphasize an effort to explain social relationships by means of an explicit elaboration of the hypothesized relationships, an explicit statement of the data and arguments that support the case for the theory, and an explicit set of procedures that are open to being reproduced by others. The root notion of scientia I translate as skillfully obtained knowledge. My view of social theory, then is the explicit elaboration and provisional verification of relationships about behavior, sentiment, and belief in a methodologically explicit manner, that is open to replication (verification) or falsification by others.

This section of the course introduces a series of considerations on the meaning and content of sociological theory with the purpose of your formulating your own tentative understanding of the nature of social theory and social science methodology and the issues entailed in defining it.

During the class meeting I will summarize my views on the process of theory formation, the meaning of the social science perspective, the process of theory formation in sociology, and how to make sense out of the following array of nominally distinct working definitions of the theoretical enterprise in social science:
(1) detailed conceptual elaboration either with or without a corresponding theory;
(2) inductive substantive theories using anecdotal, historical, or observational data to explain how and why certain social phenomena occur;
(3) deductive substantive theories using systematically organized survey data to test, verify, and recast theories specified in the form of hypotheses and propositions;
(4) systematic expositions on the development and nature of sociological theory using existing theories as their data and striving to formulate a more comprehensive or critical theory;
(5) analytical efforts at a higher level of abstraction attempting to explicate the fundamental aspects of consciousness and behavior in society; and
(6) philosophical reflections on the epistemological issues of knowing and truth as it applies both to interpreting the meaning of culture and meaning, on the one hand, and to understanding the stance in regard to truth of the investigator.

It should be noted that few, if any, theoretical writings can be categorized neatly into one of these categories; most, in fact, combine two or more of these six notions of theory. Throughout the course we will examine writings in each of these categories and will accept them as relevant for a course in sociological theory.

Theoretical writings also may be distinguished by their fundamental epistemological stance, the major questions they attempt to answer, the unit of analysis they deem most basic, the social relationships or institutions claimed to set the character of society, their central concepts, and overall organizing perspective or logic of analysis. As we cover the material of the course, be particularly aware of how each theorist treats each of these issues.The central recommended reading for this section are from sections of Bernard Lonergan’s Insight from Robert K. Merton's chapters on sociological theory in his book, On Theoretical Sociology. Lonergan provides the most useful understanding of understanding, as he puts it, I have come across. Merton provides one relatively early definition of sociological theory along with a number of distinctions that remain important today. In contrast to many writings on theory and method, Merton's work appears uncomplicated and, to some, less sophisticated. It does serve the purpose, however, of introducing the central issues as I see them as well as presenting some of the key pieces of an important contemporary theorist.