Sociology

Choose for your course

For a first course, pair an introductory survey with one focused question—institutions, inequality, identity, work or everyday interaction. Theory classics explain how concepts developed; contemporary studies show how researchers test them. Neither alone represents the whole field.

Suggested reading approach

1. As you read a classic, note its historical setting and the social problem it addresses. Then ask whether later evidence supports, revises or challenges its explanation.
2. For a contemporary topic, compare the author’s unit of analysis, data and method. Separate an individual story from a claim about a wider social pattern.