Sociology 401
Sociological Theory
Fall 2001
Dr. Scott Schaffer

Week 6 Discussion Questions: Durkheim, On Morality and Society pp. 3-62

Due Date: Wednesday Oct 10/2001.

1. This first set of readings by Durkheim are devoted to developing his ideas of what sociology should be. What are the principles that should motivate sociology? How does the set of principles Durkheim believes should motivate sociology differ from others he describes in this set of writings?

2. In this set of readings, Durkheim develops his argument that, roughly stated, "individuals are social facts." What does he mean by this statement? How does this position differ from others he describes in these readings (i.e., the two types of individualism he discusses in "The Principles of 1789 and Sociology" and "Individualism and the Intellectuals")?

3. Durkheim argues that the development of sociology in France derives in large part from the historical situation of the French Revolution. How do the principles "liberty, equality, and fraternity" relate to the ways in which he outlines this development?

4. Durkheim's intent in this first set of readings is twofold: to outline his method to studying society, and to examine a set of "social facts" he believes to provide the basis for our social order. Outline these two aspects of Durkheim's study, and show how they relate to or differ from those of Weber.

5. The idea that "individuals are social facts" represents a particular concept of how society operates and how we think society operates. What is this conception, and how does it relate (at this point) to the concepts of structure and agency developed by Sewell? How does your understanding of Durkheim's concepts of structure and agency compare to that of Weber's?