This course examines general forms of sociological explanation and their relevance to contemporary schools of sociological theory.   We addresses debates about the scientific status of sociology, the nature of sociological explanation, methods of theory building, the micro/macro question,  and the role of values in the social sciences as well as reviewing major schools of contemporary theory.  The course is organized on the premise that conventional methods of sociological explanation--causal analysis, interpretive method and rational choice approaches--are each limited and that progress in sociology depends on combining these as well as theorizing across substantive areas and levels of analysis.  The course emphasizes the research relevance of theory as a tool for developing a research program.