Vushaj SOC 150-05 September 6, 2013 Writing assignment #1 Sociology is the study of society and social interaction. Sociology takes a broad approach at helping one understand how people interact in different societies. On the contrary, other social sciences look deeper into specific areas of society, rather than society as a whole. Classical sociologists Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim and Max Weber, each contributed to the scientific study of sociology. Marx believed that societies grew and changed due to struggles of different social classes.
Functionalism is a macro theory, which looks at society as a whole rather than focuses on each individual. It is a theory that concentrates on the harmony between social institutions in society that is based on a consensus view rather than a conflict view as a Marxism theory. As a comparison to society as a whole, Functionalists use an organic analogy as an example. Each organ of the human body has a different job to do and if one part became ill or diseased, the rest could be contaminated or will produce changes in other parts. Similarly the operation of any society is dependent on its social institutions as they provide vital functions which maintain harmony, stability and solidarity within a society.
It implies there are inequalities that are society rather than biological factors. The hierarchies of stratification are class, race, and gender. They place individuals in certain groups and reward them with certain resources. The documentary “Waiting for Superman” related to our discussion on social stratification. In the film social class was represented.
How accurately do the three eyewitness accounts portray the social realities of Elizabethan England? The three eyewitness accounts each, to an extent, attempt to define the social realities within Elizabethan England. They identify the hierarchical nature of the social system, something which is clearly apparent through looking at other sources. Whilst the accounts are undeniably limited in that they focus largely on the experience of the social elites, they also provide a ‘view from above’ of the social system. Whilst accurate in gaining an idea of the social realities of a certain type of Elizabethan person, namely the elite, it is perhaps necessary to look to other sources to identify the true social realities of the period as the accounts give something of a one sided view.
The Task: Choose two key sociological theories from the four that are being studied in this unit. These are Functionalism, Marxism, Social Action and Feminism. Discuss the key features of the two theories. State the similarities and differences between the two. In this assignment, I am going to briefly explore the definitions of Functionalism and Feminism and how their ideologies affect our contemporary societies.
Social class may also refer to any particular level in such a hierarchy.” Sociologists have given a threefold classification of classes which consists of upper class, middle class and working class. Social class, in regards to sociology usually refers to the primary system of social stratification. Social stratification is “the presence [in society] of distinct social groups which are ranked one above the other in terms of factors such as prestige and wealth.” (Haralambos and Holborn.
Firstly, those privileged through property or education. Secondly the petty-bourgeoisie (the self-employed and managers), then the white-collar worker technicians which is the lower middles class. Lastly, the manual workers, being the lower class. These four different groups are Weber’s way of defining class in terms of market position. Weber believed it was linked to the type of job people could get, Weber thought differently to Marx about this, as marx believed it was due to owning factories or other resources, and weber thought it was due to skills and qualifications.
However not all functionalists see society exactly the same, as they have similar but different views towards it also functionalists are also externally criticised of their views of society as a functional unit. Talcott Parson one functionalist says that social change is the process of changing from one type of society to another is a gradual evolutionary process of increasing complexity and structural differ enation. Talcott Parson identifies two types of society- traditional and modern (both has its own typical pattern of norms). In traditional societies, a single institution- the kinship system performs many functions. For example it organises production and consumption, often provides political leadership by socialising its members to
Review Questions What is the Davis-Moore thesis? It is a thesis that states social stratification has good consequences for society. They argued that societies have many different occupations or take in them and jobs differ in their importance to society. List and define three different systems of stratification in society. It's based off of wealth, property, and power.
This assignment will explore a Marxist theoretical perspective as defined in various sociological understandings. Firstly I will explore what is meant by sociology and why it is relevant to social work. Through this I will explore different theories of social order focussing on the meta theory of Conflict (Marxist) and give an example of how this theory can be seen in the UK economy. Sociology is defined as “…concerned with the study of human societies…” Giddens (1982:8). Giddens adds to this definition with “Sociology is a social science, having its main focus as the study of the social institutions brought into being by the industrial transformations of the past two or three centuries”.