Making Sense of Social Theory

Making Sense of Social Theory

Author: Charles H. Powers

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 298

ISBN-13: 9781442201194

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Making Sense of Social Theory opens by carefully exploring what it means to follow the scientific method in a field like sociology. The author goes on to analyze sociology as a genuine science with a body of explanatory insights. It does this by (a) considering the major insights of key thinkers (including Marx, Durkheim, Weber, and Mead, among others), (b) distinguishing different analytical frameworks (especially exchange, symbolic interactionism, conflict, and structural-functionalism) in terms of their underlying assumptions, and (c) revealing compelling social science explanatory insights in the form of predictive principles that can be applied in understanding processes of change at work in the social world (from face-to-face encounters to major historical trends). Sociological theory is applied in ways that make its relevance and power apparent. In reading this book, theory no longer stands divorced from real-world research or practice. Making Sense of Social Theory clearly establishes the pertinence of sociology's great theoretical insights for all social science researches and practitioners. Book jacket.


Book Synopsis Making Sense of Social Theory by : Charles H. Powers

Download or read book Making Sense of Social Theory written by Charles H. Powers and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2010 with total page 298 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Making Sense of Social Theory opens by carefully exploring what it means to follow the scientific method in a field like sociology. The author goes on to analyze sociology as a genuine science with a body of explanatory insights. It does this by (a) considering the major insights of key thinkers (including Marx, Durkheim, Weber, and Mead, among others), (b) distinguishing different analytical frameworks (especially exchange, symbolic interactionism, conflict, and structural-functionalism) in terms of their underlying assumptions, and (c) revealing compelling social science explanatory insights in the form of predictive principles that can be applied in understanding processes of change at work in the social world (from face-to-face encounters to major historical trends). Sociological theory is applied in ways that make its relevance and power apparent. In reading this book, theory no longer stands divorced from real-world research or practice. Making Sense of Social Theory clearly establishes the pertinence of sociology's great theoretical insights for all social science researches and practitioners. Book jacket.


Social Theory for Today

Social Theory for Today

Author: Alex Law

Publisher: SAGE

Published: 2014-12-01

Total Pages: 445

ISBN-13: 1473911141

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This book is distinctive for extending the usual sociological reach, reopening territory that has lain fallow, set aside from the well-ploughed fields of orthodox social theory. In doing so, Law not only produces fresh insight into familiar theorists but guards against collective forgetting of the sociological canon. - Professor Bridget Fowler, University of Glasgow "An excellent book, it will be welcomed and read widely by advanced undergraduates, postgraduates and scholars in sociology, cultural studies, social theory and beyond." - Professor Chris Shilling, University of Kent Social Theory for Today guides students through the ‘turns’ of past and present social theory as it attempts to wrestle with a recurring sense of crisis in social relations and social theory. Drawing on both classical and contemporary sources, Alex Law provides readers with a firm grasp of competing perspectives. Too often social theories attempt to dominate the field by casting rival theorists, past and present, as deluded fools, while the more familiar ‘big names’ in social theory are subject to ever-increasing commentary that runs in ever-decreasing circles. This survey of social theory and crisis lessens the temptation to engage in internal theoretical polemics and esoteric wordplay. Social theory must become practical and specific if it is to become a means of orientation for uncertain times. This is a must-read for upper level undergraduate and postgraduate students looking for a vibrant and extended understanding of social theory.


Book Synopsis Social Theory for Today by : Alex Law

Download or read book Social Theory for Today written by Alex Law and published by SAGE. This book was released on 2014-12-01 with total page 445 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is distinctive for extending the usual sociological reach, reopening territory that has lain fallow, set aside from the well-ploughed fields of orthodox social theory. In doing so, Law not only produces fresh insight into familiar theorists but guards against collective forgetting of the sociological canon. - Professor Bridget Fowler, University of Glasgow "An excellent book, it will be welcomed and read widely by advanced undergraduates, postgraduates and scholars in sociology, cultural studies, social theory and beyond." - Professor Chris Shilling, University of Kent Social Theory for Today guides students through the ‘turns’ of past and present social theory as it attempts to wrestle with a recurring sense of crisis in social relations and social theory. Drawing on both classical and contemporary sources, Alex Law provides readers with a firm grasp of competing perspectives. Too often social theories attempt to dominate the field by casting rival theorists, past and present, as deluded fools, while the more familiar ‘big names’ in social theory are subject to ever-increasing commentary that runs in ever-decreasing circles. This survey of social theory and crisis lessens the temptation to engage in internal theoretical polemics and esoteric wordplay. Social theory must become practical and specific if it is to become a means of orientation for uncertain times. This is a must-read for upper level undergraduate and postgraduate students looking for a vibrant and extended understanding of social theory.


A Good Book, In Theory

A Good Book, In Theory

Author: Alan Sears

Publisher: University of Toronto Press

Published: 2015-03-19

Total Pages: 240

ISBN-13: 1442600977

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This highly original and compelling book offers an introduction to the art and science of social inquiry, including the theoretical and methodological frameworks that support that inquiry. The new edition offers coverage of post-modernism and Indigenous ways of knowing, as well as a discussion of the research process and how to communicate arguments effectively. The result is a book that blends the best of earlier editions with updates that provide a strong foundation in critical thinking, rooted in the social sciences but relevant across disciplines.


Book Synopsis A Good Book, In Theory by : Alan Sears

Download or read book A Good Book, In Theory written by Alan Sears and published by University of Toronto Press. This book was released on 2015-03-19 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This highly original and compelling book offers an introduction to the art and science of social inquiry, including the theoretical and methodological frameworks that support that inquiry. The new edition offers coverage of post-modernism and Indigenous ways of knowing, as well as a discussion of the research process and how to communicate arguments effectively. The result is a book that blends the best of earlier editions with updates that provide a strong foundation in critical thinking, rooted in the social sciences but relevant across disciplines.


Making Sense of Marx

Making Sense of Marx

Author: Jon Elster

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 1985-05-09

Total Pages: 584

ISBN-13: 9780521297059

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A critical examination of the social theories of Karl Marx.


Book Synopsis Making Sense of Marx by : Jon Elster

Download or read book Making Sense of Marx written by Jon Elster and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 1985-05-09 with total page 584 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A critical examination of the social theories of Karl Marx.


Making Sense of Theory and Its Application to Social Work Practice

Making Sense of Theory and Its Application to Social Work Practice

Author: Phil Musson

Publisher:

Published: 2017

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781911106647

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How to understand social work theory and apply it to social work practice


Book Synopsis Making Sense of Theory and Its Application to Social Work Practice by : Phil Musson

Download or read book Making Sense of Theory and Its Application to Social Work Practice written by Phil Musson and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How to understand social work theory and apply it to social work practice


Making Sense of Science

Making Sense of Science

Author: Steven Yearley

Publisher: SAGE

Published: 2005

Total Pages: 230

ISBN-13: 9780803986923

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This volume demystifies science studies and bridges the divide between social theory and the sociology of science.


Book Synopsis Making Sense of Science by : Steven Yearley

Download or read book Making Sense of Science written by Steven Yearley and published by SAGE. This book was released on 2005 with total page 230 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume demystifies science studies and bridges the divide between social theory and the sociology of science.


Making Sense of Society

Making Sense of Society

Author: Alex Khasnabish

Publisher: Fernwood Publishing

Published: 2022-05-30T00:00:00Z

Total Pages: 273

ISBN-13: 1773635387

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Grounded in the sister disciplines of sociology and anthropology, this textbook is an accessible and critical introduction to contemporary social research. Alex Khasnabish eschews the common disciplinary silos in favour of an integrated approach to understanding and practising critical social research. Situated in the North American context, the text draws on cross-cultural examples to give readers a clear sense of the diversity in human social relations. It is organized thematically in a way that introduces readers to the core areas of social research and social organization and takes an unapologetically radical approach in identifying the relations of oppression and exploitation that give rise to what most corporate textbooks euphemistically identify as “social problems.” Focusing on key dynamics and processes at the heart of so many contemporary issues and public conversations, this text highlights the ways in which critical social research can contribute to exploring, understanding and forging alternatives to an increasingly bankrupt, violent, unstable and unjust status quo.


Book Synopsis Making Sense of Society by : Alex Khasnabish

Download or read book Making Sense of Society written by Alex Khasnabish and published by Fernwood Publishing. This book was released on 2022-05-30T00:00:00Z with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Grounded in the sister disciplines of sociology and anthropology, this textbook is an accessible and critical introduction to contemporary social research. Alex Khasnabish eschews the common disciplinary silos in favour of an integrated approach to understanding and practising critical social research. Situated in the North American context, the text draws on cross-cultural examples to give readers a clear sense of the diversity in human social relations. It is organized thematically in a way that introduces readers to the core areas of social research and social organization and takes an unapologetically radical approach in identifying the relations of oppression and exploitation that give rise to what most corporate textbooks euphemistically identify as “social problems.” Focusing on key dynamics and processes at the heart of so many contemporary issues and public conversations, this text highlights the ways in which critical social research can contribute to exploring, understanding and forging alternatives to an increasingly bankrupt, violent, unstable and unjust status quo.


Making Sense of Social Research

Making Sense of Social Research

Author: Malcolm Williams

Publisher: SAGE

Published: 2003-02-24

Total Pages: 236

ISBN-13: 9780761964223

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This accessible, well-judged text provides students with a matchless introduction to generic research skills.


Book Synopsis Making Sense of Social Research by : Malcolm Williams

Download or read book Making Sense of Social Research written by Malcolm Williams and published by SAGE. This book was released on 2003-02-24 with total page 236 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This accessible, well-judged text provides students with a matchless introduction to generic research skills.


Making Sense, Making Worlds

Making Sense, Making Worlds

Author: Nicholas Onuf

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-05-07

Total Pages: 280

ISBN-13: 1136219463

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Nicholas Onuf is a leading scholar in international relations and introduced constructivism to international relations, coining the term constructivism in his book World of Our Making (1989). He was featured as one of twelve scholars featured in Iver B. Neumann and Ole Wæver, eds., The Future of International Relations: Masters in the Making? (1996); and featured in Martin Griffiths, Steven C. Roach and M. Scott Solomon, Fifty Key Thinkers in International Relations, 2nd ed. (2009). This powerful collection of essays clarifies Onuf’s approach to international relations and makes a decisive contribution to the debates in IR concerning theory. It embeds the theoretical project in the wider horizon of how we understand ourselves and the world. Onuf updates earlier themes and his general constructivist approach, and develops some newer lines of research, such as the work on metaphors and the re-grounding in much more Aristotle than before. A complement to the author’s groundbreaking book of 1989, World of Our Making, this tightly argued book draws extensively from philosophy and social theory to advance constructivism in International Relations. Making Sense, Making Worlds will be vital reading for students and scholars of international relations, international relations theory, social theory and law.


Book Synopsis Making Sense, Making Worlds by : Nicholas Onuf

Download or read book Making Sense, Making Worlds written by Nicholas Onuf and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-05-07 with total page 280 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Nicholas Onuf is a leading scholar in international relations and introduced constructivism to international relations, coining the term constructivism in his book World of Our Making (1989). He was featured as one of twelve scholars featured in Iver B. Neumann and Ole Wæver, eds., The Future of International Relations: Masters in the Making? (1996); and featured in Martin Griffiths, Steven C. Roach and M. Scott Solomon, Fifty Key Thinkers in International Relations, 2nd ed. (2009). This powerful collection of essays clarifies Onuf’s approach to international relations and makes a decisive contribution to the debates in IR concerning theory. It embeds the theoretical project in the wider horizon of how we understand ourselves and the world. Onuf updates earlier themes and his general constructivist approach, and develops some newer lines of research, such as the work on metaphors and the re-grounding in much more Aristotle than before. A complement to the author’s groundbreaking book of 1989, World of Our Making, this tightly argued book draws extensively from philosophy and social theory to advance constructivism in International Relations. Making Sense, Making Worlds will be vital reading for students and scholars of international relations, international relations theory, social theory and law.


Making Sense Of Theory & Practice In Early Childhood: The Power Of Ideas

Making Sense Of Theory & Practice In Early Childhood: The Power Of Ideas

Author: Waller, Tim

Publisher: McGraw-Hill Education (UK)

Published: 2011-04-01

Total Pages: 194

ISBN-13: 0335242464

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This title offers students an overview of a range of theoretical concepts, some traditionally associated with early childhood and some less traditionally. It aims to stimulate debate and to demonstrate how theoretical thinking can inform pedagogy and research with innovative results.


Book Synopsis Making Sense Of Theory & Practice In Early Childhood: The Power Of Ideas by : Waller, Tim

Download or read book Making Sense Of Theory & Practice In Early Childhood: The Power Of Ideas written by Waller, Tim and published by McGraw-Hill Education (UK). This book was released on 2011-04-01 with total page 194 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This title offers students an overview of a range of theoretical concepts, some traditionally associated with early childhood and some less traditionally. It aims to stimulate debate and to demonstrate how theoretical thinking can inform pedagogy and research with innovative results.