We use theory in our day to day live to understand the world. Sociological theories make it possible to understand and explain social realities in a controlled and systematic way. They include concepts, judgements and conclusions we can use to describe, understand and explain social behaviour, orders and change. Looking at its history, sociology provided us a wide specturm of different sociological theories with wide ranges and explanatory powers.
Sociological Theory includes the following topics:
- the scientific and conceptual foundation of sociology
- sociological theorists like Marx, Weber, Durkheim and Simmel and the current developments of sociological theory and their historical prerequisites
- current questions sociological theory is asking by comparing the explanatory power of different theories. This includes the conceptualisation of societal phenomenons and the development of new theoretical perspectives.
Sociological theory in Erlangen aspires to develop theoretical pluralism in research and teaching as well as connecting the development of theories to empirical research.