What Is Sociology?
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What is Sociology? Social sciences are a group of Sociological Perspectives subjects which focus on society and Definition of Sociology. how it functions as well as how the Outline Key Thinkers individuals within that society function and behave. They include sociology, Structural consensus approach to society. Believe Durkheim Psychology and Politics. The systematic study of that the institutions of society work together in order Parsons society and its institutions to maintain social cohesion and social order. They Merton Social Institutions are the structures believe that society is similar to the human body – Organic Analogy. in society which influence how society is structured and manage. Functionalism They include Family, Media, A structural conflict approach that believes that Marx Education and the Government. society is in conflict between the classes. They Engels believe that the Bourgeoisie oppress the Proletariat Althusser through various social institutions without their full Gramsci Sociological Imagination means the Marxism knowledge. ability to see things socially and how they interact and influence each A set of structural conflict approaches which see Oakley other. To have a sociological Social Groups society as a conflict between men and women. They Firestone imagination, a person must be able to look at ways that women are pull away from the situation and think oppressed/disadvantaged by various social from an alternative point of view. C Class Feminism institutions and the means by which equality can be achieved. Values are the goals that society tells us we should be aiming for in A Age A micro set of approaches which look at how the Goffman order to be considered a success. individual influences their society through their Cooley D Disability interactions with others and the social institutions. Weber Interactionism includes Phenomenology, Norms are the unwritten rules of Ethnomethodology, Social Action theory and behaviour within a society. The rules Interactionism Symbolic interactionism which tells the difference between G Gender right and wrong as well as rude and A broad approach which sees society in a more Lyotard polite. E Ethnicity diverse and less structured way. They believe that Baudrillard people have much more choice which means that Foucault Socialisation means the process of they shape their reality and culture to their own Giddens learning the norms and values of S Sexuality needs. society. It happens in 2 stages: Primary socialisation occurs n the Postmodernism family or through the primary care givers. Secondary Socialisation reinforces Who is Auguste Comte? primary socialisation through social August Comte is the father of modern sociology. He gave the science of institutions such as education and sociology its name and applied the methods of the natural science to the media. the study of society. Functionalism Internal Criticisms of Functionalism External Criticisms of A consensus theory is one which What is the Organic Analogy and who used it? Functionalism believes that the institutions of Key Thinker society are working together to Talcott Parsons • The theory is Society acts in a similar way to the human maintain social cohesion and Robert K. Merton teleological – a thing body through the way that social institutions stability. exists because of its interact in the same way as human organs. Three Main Criticisms of Parson’s Assumptions function or effect. Three similarities between society and • Contradictory – how A structural theory is one which biological organisms. Indispensability – not all social can something be both looks at how the social institutions are functionally functional and institutions influence the running System: Society and humans are systems of indispensable and that there are dysfunctional of society and individuals interconnected and inter-dependent parts which function functional alternatives. For example 1 1 Criticisms Logical • Unscientific – impossible behaviours. for the good of the whole. the family are not the only to falsify or verify the institution that can perform primary theory. System needs: Organisms like the human body have socialisation. Value Consensus means that a needs that need to be met and so does society. Social 2 • Unable to explain majority of society agree with institutions have evolved to meet society’s needs. Functional Unity – Not all social conflict and change in the goals that society sets to institutions are a tightly linked as Functions: Just as the organs of the body function for the society. show success. Parsons suggests. Some institutions 3 good of the whole so do social institutions, which have 2 are quite far removed form each • It is a conservative evolved functions which benefit society as a whole. other. For example the rules of ideology that tries to Anomie means a feeling of banking and Education. maintain the status quo. Two means of maintaining value consensus and social order normalessness where a person • Legitimises the position doesn’t know what it means to Formal Social Control – Official groups who enforce Universal Functionalism – Not all the of the powerful. be normal within society. institutions of society perform a societies laws, such as CJS and the Police. Perspective Conflict 1 positive function for society, instead 3 for some people they are What are Social Facts and who is • Wrong (1961) – Informal Social Control – Other social groups such dysfunctional, for example the key thinker? domestic abuse makes the family Functionalism is 2 as family and peers who keep us in line through dysfunctional for its members. deterministic Durkheim punishment and ostracization. • Functionalism reifies Social facts are things such as institutions, A Manifest Function is the intended society – treating it as a norms and values which exist external to the The Four Basic needs of society function of a social institution. individual and constrain the individual. distinct ‘thing’ Goal Attainment (Political Function) – Societies set goals An example of a manifest function is Durkheim’s Ideas of Society G and decisions about how power and economic resources Perspective Action are allocated. the rain dance performed by the Hopi Indians with the intention of Society shapes the Individual Adaption (Economic Function) – every society has to making it rain. • Unable to explain It is a top down theory where the provide for the needs of its members in order of the diversity and instability 1 institutions of society influence the A society survive. in society. behaviour of the individual. A Latent Function is the unintended • Functionalism is Integration (Social Harmony) – specialist institutions function of a social institution. Social solidarity socialisation and outdated due to I develop to reduce conflict in society. For example anomie. Social solidarity and being a meta- education and media create sense of belonging. cohesion is achieved and An example of a latent function is narrative. 2 maintained through socialisation Latency: The unstated consequences of actions – there also shown by the Hopi Indians, the process and learning of norms and are 2 types of latency: Pattern Maintenance: Maintaining ran dance also helps to maintain values. Without this society can fall L value consensus through socialisation and Tension social solidarity into anomie (Normallessness) Management. Opportunities to release tension in a safe Perspective Postmodern way. Marxism A conflict theory is a theory that suggest that society is in conflict Marxist Structure of a Capitalist society. Evaluation of Marxism between certain groups. In the case of Marxism the conflict is between social Marx focuses solely on class divisions within society but Weber classes. suggest that inequality can be caused by power and status Superstructure: Ideologies independently of class structures. Feminists would also argue Bourgeoisie means the owners of the that there is more inequality between genders then there is means of production and the ruling and structures of transfer between classes. class. The two class system is also over simplistic – it is currently Proletariat means the workers who are suggested that there are 7 different classes within British the relations of production and are SimplifiedOver oppressed by the bourgeoise. Means of Production: society. Natural Resources, Land, Alienation means the process whereby Technology Marx’s whole system is based on economics, and the view the worker is made to feel foreign to the products of his/her own labor. that economic factors are the sole cause of everything in society, from inequality to social change. False Class Consciousness means the Relations of productions way that the proletariat a led to Weber argues that Marxism completely ignores the role of believe their oppression by the The people (workers v ideas in social change – e.g. Calvinism’s role in the rise of bourgeoise is normal and that if they owners) capitalism. work hard they can become the bourgeoisie. Economic Determinism Economic The features of Capitalist The features of Communist Five Stages of society Society . Society . The biggest criticism of Marxism is that the revolution that he according to Marx said would cause the development to a communist society has yet to occur and Marx was very vague on the conditions The proletariat are Primitive communism Collective ownership that would eventually lead to this revolution. 1 legally free and – Classless society 1 of the means of separated from the 1 production and Marx also suggested