Lesson 1: Consensus, culture and identity G673: Socilaisation Lesson 1: Consensus, culture and identity Kinza (A/A* grade): Can I evaluate the functionalist approach to society by key thinkers and identify how this links to our own experience? Writing down today’s learning objective and title – 2minutes

First Task! This weeks’ key terms: Functionalism Adaptation Goal Attainment Integration Latency Pattern Maintenance Tension Maintenance Pattern Variables Do we ever feel like we are puppets in society? Explain. Ten minutes and feedback – writing down key words Society is like a human body – every part keeps society functioning Society has changes so much in the last century that old ways of analysing it no longer apply. We are a new breed of society? The ruling class benefits in every way from the operation and function of society why workers get a raw deal. Britain is patriarchal. Men have more power and prestige. People do not feel like puppets they feel like they have an active role in shaping society.

Main approaches Marxism Functionalism Social Interactionism Modernism 25 minutes analysis Structural approaches Modernism Social Action Theories

core needs/functional prerequisites Functionalism Talcott Parsons Weber Durkheim Describes society as organic being. Each part has a key role, without it the organism dies or fails. Durkheim shared this view that we need to focus on the structures of society and how they function and Weber who believed that peoples actions are central to understanding society. 10 minutes. 4 core needs/functional prerequisites

core needs/functional prerequisites Functionalism 4 core needs/functional prerequisites Adaptation Goal Attainment Integration 10 minutes. Latency

Does Society actually exist?

Pattern Variables Affectivity or affective neutrality Do you agree with the functionalist perspective of society? Construct arguments or criticism against it? Specificity or diffuseness Universalism or particularism What are they? 10 minutes Quality or performance Self orientation or collectivity orientation

Criticisms within Functionalism Robert Merton (1957) Opposes Parsons views Parsons ignores the fact that some institutions can be dysfunctional and harmful to society. i.e Religion Parsons fails to realise the distinction between the manifest (or intended functions) and the latent (or unintended) outcomes. Inequalities, competition, elitism,

Criticisms outside Functionalism 7 Sharrock et al. (2003) Cannot explain social changes. If institutions exist to fulfil social need then there is no reason to change them once this need has been met. Therefore society should never change in form. Functionalism overemphasises level of agreement or consensus in society. We have different values and attitudes. Ignores differences in power. Parsons model makes us seem like puppets on a string pulled by all powerful variables. Interactionists, postmodernists, late-modernists all combine to argue that people are much more reflexive, making choices and constructing their own lives. Society is not like an organism. Society is a concept, consisting of millions of people, no form or cycle to it. Cannot explain social change. If institutions exist to fulfil social needs, then once they meet these needs there is no reason to change. Inequalities, competition, elitism,

Lesson 1: Consensus, culture and identity G673: Socilaisation Lesson 1: Consensus, culture and identity Kinza (A/A* grade): Can I evaluate the functionalist approach to society by key thinkers and identify how this links to our own experience? Writing down today’s learning objective and title – 2minutes

Two things I have learnt in today’s lesson… Recap! Two things I have learnt in today’s lesson… 5 minutes and pack up