1. Sociological Perspectives
Sociology 1301: Introduction to Sociology
Week Two

2. Sociological Theory
Social Structure: any relatively stable pattern of social behavior
Social Functions: consequences of any social pattern for the operation of society as a whole
Theory: a statement of how and why specific facts are related
Theoretical Approach: a basic image of society that guides thinking and research

3. Functionalism/Structural-Functional
Macrosociology
Main tenant: the parts of society work together to promote solidarity and stability
Social Functions: “the consequences of any social pattern for the operation of society as a whole”
Latent
Manifest
Dysfunction

4. Conflict Theory/Social-Conflict
Macrosociology
Main tenant: inequality in society results from political struggles – social patterns benefit some while harming others

5. Symbolic Interactionism
Microsociology
Main tenant: shared meanings, orientations, and assumptions form the basic motivation behind people’s actions

6. Postmodernism Microsociology/Macrosociology
Main tenant: everything is socially constructed

7. Works Cited
Conley, D. (2011). You may ask yourself: An introduction to thinking like a sociologist (2nd Ed.). New York: W. W. Norton & Company.
Macionis, J. J. (2010). SOC100: Sociology: custom edition (13th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Custom Publishing.