This course is an in depth study of classical sociological theory focusing on the shapers, intellectual visionaries, and seminal scholars who forged the backbone upon which the discipline and profession of sociology is based.  We will explore the life and writings of a number of these theorists, paying special attention to the social and historical situation in which they lived and worked.  We will focus most of our time on three of the most notable, if not controversial, social theorists: Marx, Weber and Durkheim.  We will also examine some lesser-known scholars – contemporaries of the “big three” – who were just as prolific and equally path-breaking in their sociological analyses, such as Harriett Martineau, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and W.E.B. Du Bois, to get a perspective on important theorists that are often left out.  We will become very familiar with how each of these individuals influenced the development of sociology and how their ideas maintain, even today, their power.