Chapter 1: The Sociological Perspective


1. Using a search engine, enter a sociological theorist's name and see what types of web pages can be accessed. For example, entering Durkheim results in a link to the "Durkheim Pages"--a web site that contains information on Durkheim's life and scholarly work. By entering Marx, you may find a link to the "Marx/Engels Internet Archive". If you enter Max Weber, you may find a link to the Max Weber Page or you may find a link to the American Sociological Association's Max Weber prize for a paper on, organizations, occupations and work. Finally, by entering Georg Simmel, you might find a link to Simmel's article entitled "How Society is Possible"

What type of information do you find on these theorists? Can you locate research or publications on these theorists or that are based on their work? Can you locate any on-line access to journals that focus on social theory? Does there seem to be any one theorist that is more widely referenced than others? What do you think this indicates about the influence of specific theorists on social research? A good source of information on classical sociological theorists is the The Dead Sociologist Index.