This is the second semester of a year-long theory sequence required of all sociology graduate students. Over the course of the semester, we’ll cover major theoretical approaches in contemporary sociology and social theory. The course is organized somewhat chronologically, but mostly it is structured around key theoretical contributions, tensions, and debates. We will pay particular attention to theories of power and knowledge production, as well as critical traditions centered on race, gender, sexuality, and post-coloniality. We will find ourselves in conversation with core themes raised in the first semester of the theory sequence (SOC 505), but we will also push beyond where we’ve been before, examining how contemporary sociologists use empirical projects to mobilize theoretical questions and transform them. I will provide orienting lectures to the material, but most of our class time will be spend in structured dialogue with each other.