A textbook on the sociology of culture is seen as a way of systematization of knowledge in this branch of sociology and as a didactic mechanism for student learning. The role of such a textbook is analyzed at three levels: 1) the existence of the concept of the textbook that meets the characteristics of the scientific status of sociology of culture; 2) the severity of the problem approach, correlated with the capabilities of the sociology of culture compared to other disciplines and scientific fields studying culture and its various types and forms; 3) the priority of the theoretical or applied aspects of the sociological study of culture. A chronological perspective on the main subject of the article allows to judge about the specifics of the development of sociology of culture as a branch of science, which is reflected in textbooks and teaching materials. On the other hand, this vector points to the potential of each individual tutorial to develop sociological knowledge about the culture. Taken together, these circumstances point to the problematic aspects of conceptualising how the field of sociology and the possibility of teaching this discipline at the University.The article focuses on the understanding of the role of the textbook in the didactic plan, but in the sociology of culture the textbook is considered not only as a way to teach the student, but also as a factor of enriching the field of sociology with new approaches and new knowledge in general. Thus, a textbook on the sociology of culture can be given the status of a scientific publication. Often the textbook at the same time performs a heuristic function, which allows you to realize a rather controversial potential of sectoral sociology more productively among students.