I use quotes extensively to present the sociological ideas on this website. This is for two main reasons:
- In my experience, students entering into Sociology often avoid reading primary texts. There are, I assume, a number of reasons for this. Primarily though I suspect it is due to a lack of confidence. Students don’t believe they will understand a century old book or a technical sociological text. The use of quotes helps to build confidence in doing this.
- Secondly, I have noticed over recent years that textbooks have a habit of oversimplifying, sometimes to the point of inaccuracy, a number of key Sociological theories. Using quotes in the way I do here is an approach aiming to ensure readers get reliable information from the horse’s mouth.
Harvard referencing conventions are used throughout and I do my best to make clear exactly where information can be found in primary texts by providing page numbers wherever possible.
Quotes, however, are not enough. So I summarise as best I can whenever I use them.