Key SociologistsTheoretical PerspectivesCulture

Comes in a variety of shapes and sizes…Sociological TheoryHigh-Level TheoriesFocus on trying to explain how and why society is orderedFunctionalism…Mid-Range TheoriesMarxism…Focus on trying to explain some general aspect of social behaviourInteractionism…Low-Level TheoriesPost-modernismFocus on trying to explain a specific aspect of social behaviour.Why do girls achieve higher educational qualifications than boys?Why do I always fall asleep in Psychology lessons?

If you understand the basic principles of High-level theories you will find it easier to understand other types of theory.This is because Mid rangeand Low-level theories are often based on the principles underpinning High-level theories.High level theories are usually known by their more-common label of “Sociological Perspectives”A “perspective”, for our current purposes, is simply a way of looking at and understanding the social world.Different sociologists, working within different perspectives, construct different theories about the nature of that world…

What is the “glue” that holds societies together?What provides people with a sense of belonging?Why are these bubbles coming out of my head?

Emile DurkheimConcerned with social order and stabilityPeople are a product of their social environmentHuman potential is socially based, not biologically basedSocieties are built on social factsRapid social change produces social strain

Key Terms for DurkheimSocial FactsPatterned ways of acting, thinking, and feeling that exist outside any one individual but that exert social control over each person.AnomieSocial control becomes ineffective as a result of the loss of shared values and a sense of purpose in society

Provide Some ExamplesAnomieSocial Facts

Conflict is necessary to produce social change and a better societyI think today I will establish a free and classless societyI, too, have these bubbles popping out my head!

Karl MarxHistory is a continuous clash between conflicting ideas and forcesEconomic changes are most importantClass conflict between capitalist class (bourgeoisie) and the working class (proletariat)AlienationFetishism of CommoditiesSociety should be changedCriticized for too much emphasis on class struggle

Sociology should be value-free – it should exclude the researcher’s personal values and economic interestsIt really isn’t possible for sociologists to be value-free is it?Then, we need to gain the ability to see the world as others see it

Max WeberBureaucracies – determines the social relationships among peopleThese are destructive to human vitality and freedomRationalization – the modern world has become dominated by structures devoted to:EfficiencyCalculabilityPredictabilityTechnological ControlEmphasized the goal of value-free inquiry & necessity of understanding how others see the world

Structural FunctionalistBased on the assumption that society is a stable, orderly system (Durkheim)Societal ConsensusCommon set of values, beliefs, behavioral expectationsSociety composed of inter-related partsSocial structures and institutions persist because they help society persistStrains

Functionalism & MertonManifest FunctionsIntended or overtly recognized by participants in a social unitExamplesLatent FunctionsUnintended functions that are hidden and unacknowledged by participantsExamplesDysfunctionsUndesirable consequencesMay threaten a society’s capacity to adapt and survive

Conflict PerspectiveGroups in society are engaged in continuous power struggle for control of scarce resources (Marx, Weber)Encompasses several branches:Neo-Marxist (class struggle)Racial-Ethnic (exploitation)Feminist (gender issues)

Symbolic InteractionistExamines people’s day-to-day interactions and their behavior in small groups (micro-level)Society is created through the interactions of individuals and groupsSocially constructed realityPeople interpret their experiencesShared interpretations influence actionsAll meaning (not just false) has a strong element of social construction.

Post-ModernExisting theories have not successfully explained social life in a contemporary societySociety focused on a shift from production to consumptionPostmodern SocietyInformation explosionRise of a consumer societyGlobal Village

What is Culture?LanguageBeliefsValuesNormsBehaviorsTaken-for-granted material objectsPassed from one generation to the nextLearned, not innate

Material CultureObjects of everyday life that give identity to a group.

Non-material CultureGroup’s ways of thinking, ofdoing, & ideas inherent in its language.

Awareness of CultureOur culture is invisible to us. Cultures become visible in contact.Differences are a source of conflict or discomfort.

Learned & SharedCultural concepts are learned. Posture, facial expressions & gestures are culturally conditioned.Culture affects our sense of time & space.

Cultural Lens UnavoidableWe see the world through the lens of our cultureDifferences can be appreciated & funDifferences can be irritating or even frightening.