Modern Sociological Theory Pdf — George Ritzer

viewed society as a system of interconnected structures working toward stability, while conflict theorists challenged this by focusing on power struggles and inequality. Varieties of Neo-Marxian Theory

This section moves into structural functionalism (Talcott Parsons), conflict theory (C. Wright Mills, Ralf Dahrendorf), and systems theory (Niklas Luhmann). Ritzer excels here at showing how these "grand" attempts to explain everything eventually failed due to being too abstract. george ritzer modern sociological theory pdf

Do not try to memorize every theorist. Use Ritzer to map out the "camps" (e.g., who is a Functionalist? Who is a Symbolic Interactionist?). Once you understand the map, you can dive deeper into specific theorists. viewed society as a system of interconnected structures