The document discusses key concepts and theorists in sociological theory. It introduces sociology as the systematic study of human society, tracing it back to Auguste Comte. Three types of social theory are identified: empirical generalizations, middle-range theories, and grand theories. Grand theorists discussed include Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, and Max Weber. Paradigms in sociological theory introduced are structural-functionalism, social conflict theory, and symbolic interactionism.