soiciology
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slidesforweekthree.pptx
Portrayal of the Modern Society in Sociology ( Macrosociology )
Week three
SOCI 1125
Learning Objectives
Describe the early contributions of social philosophers and their relevance to classical sociological theory.
Review and critique functionalism and the contributions of its principal theorists.
Review and critique conflict theory and the contributions of its founding theorists.
You can see an example of good question in Question and answer discussion forum.
The Story of elephant and blinds men
Sociology is a multi perspective science
Functionalism ( Positivism Epistemology)
Conflict theory ( Critical Epistemology)
Symbolic interactivism ( Interpretative epistemology)
Macro and Micro Approaches
Macrosociology Study the large social institutions and structures and how these large structures determines humanpositions and interactions in society.
Marx, Durkheim and (Weber?)
Microsociology study the interaction between individual and how these interactions constitute to construct large patterns and institutions in society.
Mead, Cooley and Blumer
* None of these approaches are inherently critical or conservative.
Enlightenment and Sociology
Challenged years of Christian teachings
Philosophers advocated critical thinking and practical knowledge and built on the natural sciences
Challenged beliefs guided by tradition
Resulted in the ability of the masses to challenge their oppressors
That questioned and undermined the order of the old society.
Sociology was born as the science for governing the chaos in modern society and constructing the new order.
Functionalism
Social world is a dynamic system of interrelated and interdependent parts( institutions, norms, structures)
1-Social structures exist to help people fulfill their wants and desires.
2-Organic analogy: Human society is similar to an organism, when it fails to work together the “system” will fail.
3-Functionalist concerns is maintaining social equilibrium in society. They are not fan of social changes as the changes embodies the manifestation of the imbalance and instability in the society as a system.
This footprints of positivism epistemology would be more discernible in analysis following this approaches.
Functionalist Theorists: Emile Durkheim
Emile Durkheim - Founder of modern sociology
Sociology as moral calling and the task of sociologists is to discover the cause and remedies of disorganization and anomies that society underwent.
Human action originates in the collective rather than in the individual
Social facts are general social features that exist on their own and are independent of individual manifestations( e.g., law, custom, morality, religious rites, language, money, business practices, etc.)
“A social fact can only be explained by another social fact” (Durkheim, 1895/1964). And not by reducing to its individual components.
Each social fact perform one or more function in the society.
Emile Durkheim
Anomie :A lack of norms that give clear direction and purpose to individual actions. Anomie is the result of “society’s insufficient presence in individuals”.
The anomic condition results in confusion in individuals and detach them from the society.
Mechanic solidarity describes early societies based on similarities and independence
Organic solidarity describes later societies organized around interdependence and the increasing “division of labour”
Emile Durkheim
Anomie is a state of normlessness that results from the lack of clear goals and creates feelings of confusion that may ultimately result in higher suicide rates
Mechanic solidarity describes early societies based on similarities and independence
Organic solidarity describes later societies organized around interdependence and the increasing division of labour
Durkheim study of suicide is the best example of how functionalists perceive consequences of imbalance(non- equilibrium) in society
Functionalist Theorists: Talcott Parsons
Parson’s theory is a great example of American functionalism. Unlike Durkheim, Parson’s question start from structure and how it can function well.
Social Action Theory is a framework which attempts to separate behaviors from actions to explain why people do what they do
Behavior vs action?
Four Functional Imperatives (AGIL):
Adaptation
Goal Attainment
Integration
Latency
Robert Merton
Manifest functions are the consequences of a social process that are sought or anticipated.
Latent Function: are the unsought consequences of a social process.
dysfunction: the undesirable function of social process for society
What is the manifest , latent and dysfunction of university for the society ?
Karl Marx: The Father of Critical Sociology
“Philosophers have hitherto only interpreted the world in various ways; the point is to change it”(The Eleventh Thesis on Feuerbach)
The Aim of social studies should be “ruthless critique of everything existing,”
Conflict Theory
Society is grounded upon inequality and competition
Power is the core of all social relationships; scarce and unequally divided among members of society
Social values and the dominant ideology are the vehicles by which the powerful promote their own interests at the expense of the weak.
Conflict theory : Karl Marx
Dialectics: a way of seeing history and society as the result of oppositions, contradictions and tensions from which social change can emerge (Hegel)
Idealism: Changes in the world is the results of changes in ideas. Thus, human mind and consciousness are more important in understanding the human condition than the material world.
Materialism: Human consciousness and human interaction with the material world could change society. The changes in material worlds culminates in changes of the ideas.
Base: Material and economic foundation for society. Includes the forces and relations of production Superstructure: All of the things that society values and aspires to. Includes religion,culture, politics and law
Base/ superstructure
Proletariat (the workers) and bourgeoisie (rich owners)
Ideology: set of beliefs and values that support and justify the ruling class of society
Dominant ideology maintains the position of the ruling elite
False consciousness: belief in and support of the system that oppresses you
Class consciousness: recognition of domination and oppression, and the collective action that follows
For more familiarity with Marx theory:
Alienation: the process by which workers are disconnected from what they produce, from other workers and finally from themselves.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6n9ESFJTnHs
