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Thanks zsoc! It's great to find someone who shares the same interests. I'd love to find out more about your research areas/topics - do contact/add me on academia.edu - http://anu.academia.edu/ShermanTan/About is my profile there. Yeah, I still have a year of undergrad studies to go, so I will probably discover new areas of interests along the way. So i suppose I'll just see how things go.

Thanks everyone for their replies... I really appreciate it! @ hoobers: Thanks in particular for the long explanation. Yes, I have considered all the three meanings of "theory" you explained, and I would say that they are certainly interrelated in one way or another. For myself, I am tending towards the second and third meanings of "theory" in my studies - I would consider that the study of "paradigms" or "schools of thoughts" in sociology and the study of the philosophy of social science, respectively. I really appreciate you explaining how the prospects are for each "type" of theory - I think I will eventually keep grad studies in the U.K. and Europe open too! I might also consider NYU and Chicago, the latter especially for their connection with the committee on social thought. Again, thanks for your help!

Hello everyone! I am a third year student at the Australian National University, majoring in Sociology and Linguistics, and doing a minor in Anthropology (Social). I will be working on my honours thesis next year and it will probably be on something related to the broad field of social/sociological theory - for example, I am interested in tracing the history and current debates in social theory on issues of objectivism and subjectivism, the ideas around different social ontologies, and their relation to knowledge claims in the social sciences (more specifically in Sociology and Linguistics). I was wondering if anyone could suggest good sociology departments in the U.S. specializing/focusing on social theory, where I can apply to and pursue a Ph.D? Most ranking lists and other threads in this forum have discussed the different "topical" areas in sociology, but I can't find one that deals with recommending good places to study/pursue a PhD in social theory. Can someone advise me on this? Thanks in advance!! Also, since everyone has been asking, I was wondering what my chances are for a Ph.D in the U.S? Just some information about myself: (1) I am expected to graduate with Second upper/first class honours and a overall mark (for all my courses) of 85/100 percent - which I think converts to a 3.8 out of 4.0 GPA (I'm not sure about this, it might differ from university to university). (2) Also, I am not in a conventional B.A. program - I am in a Ph.B. program (Bachelor of Philosophy) which places a strong emphasis on independent undergraduate research with different professors - generally, students in our program plan and design specialized topics of interests which we pursue on a one-to-one basis with faculty members. And all of us are on a university scholarship. (3) I have co-published one paper with a professor (I was the main author) in a peer-reviewed journal in the field of Sociolinguistics. I'm not sure if this will count in applying to a Sociology Ph.D. (4) I will be doing Sociology courses at UC Berkerly, as well as at the University of Cambridge this coming summer 2011, for exposure and networking sake. Thanks everyone for your comments in advance! Sherman