Macrosociology - the study of large-scale social structures and the fundamental principles of social organization - was the style of sociology practiced by the founders of the discipline. Today, the social theories of Karl Marx, Max Weber, Emile Durkheim, and Herbert Spencer (among others) are commonly studied as part of the history of the field, but, although the macrosociological approach that these thinkers advocated is still employed, it no longer dominates the discipline. Instead, sociologists typically adopt a narrower focus, specializing in areas such as social psychology, medicine,...