STUDY GUIDE FOR EXAMINATION #3
SOC. 400, Foundations of Sociological Thought
SUNY College at Buffalo
Dr. ZHANG Jie, Ph.D.

Emile Durkheim

• The rules of sociological method:
• Social facts
• The power of social facts: determinism vs individualism
• Collective representations
• Causation: single causation, condition vs cause
• Three characteristics of Durkheim's methodology*
• Suicide:

Definition of suicide
Stability and variability of suicide rates
Logic of analysis of suicide: insanity and suicide, religion and suicide

Social conditions causing both insanity and suicide
Suicide rates:* time of the day, time of the year
Three types of suicide:

Egoistic: religion, marital status
Altruistic: lower societies, military
Anomic: economic crisis, divorce

Fatalistic: beliefs, illusion, supernatural force

• Two tests of causal relation

• The elementary forms of the religious life:

Definition of religion: sacred, beliefs, rituals, church
Functions: social integration, society

• The division of labor in society:
• mechanical solidarity (criminal law) vs organic solidarity (contractual law)
• Durkheim's contributions to sociology*

Gaetano Mosca

• The Ruling Class
• Self-interest and conflict
• Three types of ruling system (government)
• Monarchy
• Oligarchy
• Democracy
• Masses and elites: ways to influence
• Political formula: meritocracy, techniques of propaganda

Characteristics of members of the ruling class*

Robert Michels

• Political Parties
• Iron law of oligarchy
• Psychological causes of oligarchy
• Organizational causes of oligarchy
• Autocratic tendencies of the leaders
• Psychological metamorphosis of the leaders

Vilfredo Pareto

• Mind and Society
• Non-logical behavior
• Criteria of logical behavior*
• Conditions which lead to non-logical behavior
• System theory
• Inertia
• Dynamic equilibrium (homeostasis)
• Circulation of elites
• Lions and foxes

 Note:

* Potential listing questions