To what extent is the individual shaped by society?

Is there such a thing as a social structure that constrains individual action, or is society nothing more than a figment of our imaginations?

To what extent does our social class background affect our life chances?

To what extent does our gender affect our life chances?

To what extent does our ethnicity affect our life chances?

What is the role of institutions in society – do they perform positive functions, or simply work in the interests of the powerful and against the powerless?

(a related question here is why do our life chances vary by class, gender and ethnicity)

How and why has British society changed over the last 50 years?

What are the strengths and Limitations of macro-scale research in helping us to understand human action?

What are the strengths and limitations of micro-scale research in helping us to understand human action?

Is it possible to do value free social research and find out the ‘objective’ knowledge about society and the motives that lie behind social action?