technology; sociology of law; urban sociology; rural
sociology; economic sociology; and industrial sociology.
1.1.5. Major Theoretical Perspectives in
Sociology
Sociology as science employs perspectives or theories
to understand, explain, analyze and interpret social
phenomena. To interpret social facts, they must be
subjected to a theoretical framework. A theory may be
defined as a general statement about how some parts of
the world fit together and how they work (Macionis,
1997). Scupin and DeCorse (1995) define a theory as a
set of interconnected hypotheses that offer general
explanations for natural or social phenomena.
It should also be noted that the terms “perspectives” and
“schools of thought” are often used interchangeably with
the term “theory”.