Social theory involves a proliferation of theoretical orientations and issues that renders a comprehensive presentation almost impossible. This course aims to introduce major paradigms of theory building around a thematic focus on the agency/structure problematic, an approach which effectively encompasses a fairly broad range of contemporary issues and developments. The first part of the course is devoted to the foundations of the philosophy of social science, a necessary background for grasping and analyzing the issues in contemporary debates. The second part is built upon the microsociological foundations of macrosociological theory in order to highlight different ways of incorporating agency and subjectivity into social theory. The third part is designed to address the objective (structural) dimension of social reality under the rubric of the concept of structuralism. The final part of the course is a survey of the three major contemporary theoretical programs which have contributed to the reconciliation of agency and structure: critical theory, neo-Marxism and action theories (neo-functionalism and neo-Weberian theory)