Assignment task: What is Durkheim's definition and main argument about why sociologists should focus on the study of "social facts"? Do social facts only apply in limited ways and contexts, or do they apply to societies as a whole as well? Moreover, are social facts the same for all societies, or are there "similarities and differences" (this is an important category in comparative sociology) between societies, e.g., societies of the same type, such as industrialized societies with capitalist market economies and political systems that are supposed to function according to democratic principles (at least to some extent)? If there are social facts that apply to all modern societies, are there also social facts that only apply to one or several specific modern societies? Especially, would you say that there are social facts that more or less only apply, occur, and can be observed, described and analyzed in American society? If so, can you give an example? Is there a link between the function such social facts and how sociologists should study American society?