Abstract
In “Teaching Sociological Theory for a New Century: Contending with the Time Crunch,” Abrutyn argues that it is time to re-think how sociological theory is taught in the university due to time constraints that make it increasingly difficult to cover the expanding canon of sociological theory. In this article I revisit Abrutyn’s position on the state of teaching sociological theory. I analyze sociological theory course syllabi across the discipline to provide further evidence that illustrates the problem of the time crunch. From this investigation I argue that the best strategy to deal with the “time crunch” is to re-think the way theory is taught and add an additional course to current curricula. Only by adding an additional course and trichotomizing the current classical and contemporary dichotomy can the time crunch be corrected.
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Notes
See Jonathan H. Turner’s discussion of Spencer’s misrepresentation as purely an elitist and naïve functionalist in his introduction to Spencer’s The Principles of Sociology (2003).
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Carter, M.J. Comment on Abrutyn’s “Time Crunch” Problem in Teaching Classical and Contemporary Sociological Theory: Time for the Dichotomy to become a Trichotomy?. Am Soc 44, 302–311 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12108-013-9184-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12108-013-9184-7