230040 VO Sociological Theories: Overview and current Developments (2020W)

Sociology is a multi-paradigmatic science. Increasing fragmentation and specialization concern also the development in sociological theory. Any attempt to integrate the various theoretical perspectives, without ignoring their historical origins, will fail if we do not accept the price of a too rough complexity reduction. The lecture therefore does not provide an overview of the current state of theories in sociology. Rather, it invites to critically examine a selection of newer approaches. In its first sessions, the course will introduce to the different meaning of "theory", and to the various ways to use this term in sociology. We then will present a series of theoretical approaches and contributions which enrich the theoretical debate in sociology, and which may stimulate the investigation of sociological research questions in a significant way, related in particular to the current dynamics and contradictions of social change.
The lectures are held by Christoph Reinprecht, Eva Cyba and Otto Penz (descriptions of the single sessions are available via moodle).