 |  Contemporary Sociological Theory and Its Classical Roots: The Basics George Ritzer,
University of Maryland
Classical Grand Theories
Chapter ObjectivesAfter reading Chapter 2, students should be able to:
distinguish classical grand theories from other kinds of theories discussed in the text. This will require some introductory remarks on the way in which the book is structured. The key here is to emphasize the elements of Ritzer's definition of grand theory - e.g., their sweeping historical scope, their ambition of characterizing change over long periods of time, their explanations of modernity and its problems, their solutions to these problems, etc. |
| | | discuss the very general historical context in which these theorists lived, their nationalities, the times during which they lived, and the major social and cultural developments (e.g., the French Revolution, industrialization, the First World War, etc). |
| | | give a broad overview of the thought of each theorist, including individual concepts, how the concepts fit into a conceptual apparatus, and how the conceptual apparatus is used to explain or otherwise characterize social change. |
| | | discuss each theorist's diagnoses of social problems and recommendations for solving social problems. |
| | | compare and contrast the thought of classical grand theorists in terms of their concepts, forces or mechanisms of social change, and overall arguments. |
| | | critically engage the work of each theorist. This is a matter of students being encouraged to examine each classical grand theory from their own experiences and perspectives, as well as from the points of view of other classical grand theorists. |
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2003 McGraw-Hill Higher Education