Durkheim and Social Facts - Foundations of Modern Social Thought

Explore Émile Durkheim's foundational contributions to sociology in this 51-minute lecture from Yale University's "Foundations of Modern Social Thought" course. Delve into Durkheim's division of life sciences, his methodological approach outlined in "The Rules of Sociological Method," and his concept of social facts. Examine the challenges of establishing correlation and causation in social science, and understand Durkheim's emphasis on investigating societal sentiments and values objectively. Learn about the distinction between normal and pathological social phenomena, and grapple with questions of causality in sociological research. Gain insights into early sociological methodology that continues to shape the field today.

- Chapter 1. Review of Final Test Questions
.
- Chapter 2. "The Rules of Sociological Method": Major Themes
.
- Chapter 3. When is a "Fact" Social?
.
- Chapter 4. Social Facts Observed through Rigorous Discipline
.
- Chapter 5. Distinctions between Normal and Pathological
.
- Chapter 6. The Question of Causality
.