Do Now? Why did so many of the early sociological thinkers analyze society from the perspectives of the biological and physical sciences? Do Now: How many of you understood the assignment from last class?
Activity One: Rationalization A friend confides to you that he has committed a particular crime and you promise never to tell. Discovering that an innocent person has been accused of the crime, you plead with your friend to give himself up. He refuses and reminds you of your promise. What should you do? In general, under what conditions should promises be broken?
CONTEMPORARY THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES
Contemporary Theoretical Perspectives Theory - a set of logically interrelated statements that attempt to describe, explain, and predict social events Examples: Theory of Evolution Big Bang Theory Theory of Relativity
Functionalist Perspectives Functionalist perspectives are based on the assumption that society is a stable, orderly system. Society is composed of interrelated parts, each of which serves a function and contributes to the overall stability of society.
Functionalist Perspective Manifest functions are intended and recognized by the participants in a social unit. Latent functions are unintended functions that are hidden and remain unacknowledged by participants. Dysfunctions are undesirable consequences. With a partner create a list of examples for these functions from society.
Conflict perspectives: Conflict perspectives see groups in society as engaged in a continuous power struggle for the control of the scarce resources. Conflict may take the form of politics, litigation, negotiation, or family discussions.
Conflict perspectives: The neo-Marxist approach stresses class conflict. A second branch focuses on racial-ethnic inequalities. The feminist branch focuses on gender issues.
Is there a push back? You struggling for something. $$$$$$$$Discussion In what ways is your life influenced by a struggle over resources?
Symbolic Interactionist Perspectives: The symbolic interactionist approach is a micro level analysis focusing on small group rather than whole societies or large scale social structures (macro level). According to symbolic interactionists, society is the sum of interactions of individuals and groups.
Symbolic Interactionist Perspectives: A symbol is anything that meaningfully represents something else—signs, gestures, or words. Symbols help people derive meaning from social situations. Individual personalities and the self are developed from social experience.
Postmodern Perspectives: Postmodern perspectives argue that existing theories have been unsuccessful in explaining social life in contemporary societies characterized by post- industrialization, consumerism, and global communication. Postmodern societies are based on information and consumerism.
Discussion Which theoretical perspective do you think most accurately represents society?