1. Sociological explanation and social mechanisms.
- Intentional explanation and its problems.
- Interpretation vs explanation.
- Classical models: behaviorism, culturalism, role theory, structuralism, interactionism, habitus theory.
1. Rational choice theory and rationality of behaviour.
- Strategic interaction and game theory.
- Collective action and social cooperation.
- Social dilemmas and their solutions.
3. DBO theory.
- Composition effects and unintended social outcomes.
- The "Coleman's boat": methodological individualism and the micro-macro problem.
- The debate on "analytical sociology".
4. Behavioural social science.
- The "behavioural enrichment" of rational choice.
- Limited rationality, cognitive biases, and social heuristics.
- Pro-social motivations, reciprocity, and altruism.
1. Social influence, contagion, imitation, and diffusion.
- Social trust.
- Signalling theory and apparently irrational behaviour.
6. Social norms and conventions.
- Suboptimal norms and pluralistic ignorance.
- Falsification of preferences.
- Power, status and status hierarchies.
- Inequality.
7. Biology vs. socialization and culture as explanatory factors.
- Evolutionary social science and cultural theory.
- Biological basis of social behaviour.