Discussion of Durkheim’s perspective
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Section #1: Comparing the Theoretical Approaches of
the Foundational Thinkers
I don’t need to tell you that we have problems in our society. Yet throughout the
semester we have sought to understand these problems as they relate to a broader
understanding of society and its processes. While the different theorists we
examined adopted different perspectives on society, they each have some measure of
value in highlighting or emphasizing different aspects of social structure and its
attendant set of issues. Thus, in order to demonstrate your understanding of the
course material, I would like you to do the following:
Identify a social problem that you find both intriguing and complicated. Examples
abound and include issues of racism, sexism, social control, authority, inequality,
poverty, education, political systems, the economy, etc. The identified social
problem can be general (the level of economic inequality in the US is the highest it
has been since the founding of the nation), to the particular (Police officers in
the US are disproportionately killing unarmed Black Americans).
After you have selected your social problem of interest, locate a legitimate news
article (I realize this difficult to determine these days, but do your best) from a
newspaper, magazine, or other source which addresses your selected problem directly.
The article should have been published within the past year (2016). Be sure to
include a link and/or copy of the article when you submit your assignment.
Analyze the article from the three major perspectives in foundational sociology,
namely Emile Durkheim, Karl Marx, and Max Weber.
How would Durkheim analyze the article? Identify and discuss two different approaches.
How would Marx analyze the article? Identify and discuss two different approaches.
How would Weber analyze the article? Identify and discuss two different approaches.
After you have completed step #4, conclude by discussing how the three theorists
generally differ in their ideas.
Your essay response should be structured as follows:
Introduction: Introduce the social problem and the basics of the article you
selected (1-2 paragraphs)
Discussion of Durkheim’s perspective (2-3 paragraphs- Introduce Durkheim, Durkheim’s
first approach to the article, Durkheim’s second approach to the article)
Discussion of Marx’s perspective (2-3 paragraphs- Introduce Marx, Marx’s first
approach to the article, Marx’s second approach to the article)
Discussion of Weber’s perspective (2-3 paragraphs- Introduce Weber, Weber’s first
approach to the article, Weber’s second approach to the article)
Conclusion: Compare the basics of the three theorists’ thinking and summarize your
discussion (2-3 paragraphs).
A few things to keep in mind:
A. If approached correctly the essay should be a minimum of 2-4 pages,
with double-spacing and 12-point Times New Roman font.
B. With the exception of the article selected, you are not required to
include additional outside sources. In fact, for the sake of simplicity, I do not
suggest doing so either.
C. You will need to cite your sources from the article and the
readings in ASA format, with parenthetical citation and a bibliography at the end.
The grading on the assignment will be based upon the correct usage of course
concepts, and sources/quotations, along with the valid interpretation of these
theorists’ ideas.
While there is overlap between the three founding theorists, there is also
substantial difference. Below, I have identified a few of the broad differences:
Emile Durkheim- emphasized social order, solidarity, and morality; focused on issues
of social structure (social facts), anomie, and labor
Karl Marx- emphasized class conflict, economic systems, and social relations;
focused on issues of materialism (remember, he based his theories on this), social
class, labor, alienation, commodities, species-being, and ideology (as developed
through material social relations)
Max Weber- emphasized social development, rationality, social organization, and
beliefs/idea systems (a.k.a Ideology); focused on issues of authority, bureaucracy,
rationality, religion, capitalism, and social position
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