MT1 - Theories

Question 1

Functionalism - Parsons

Organic analogy and Social change

Answer 1

Organic analogy:
To Functionalists, society is like the human body. There are three similarities:
Both the society and human body are systems of interrelated, interdependent parts that fit together
Both have needs. If these are not met, both the body and the society will die
Both depend on the functions performed by their different parts

Social change:
A traditional society changes to modern through a gradual, evolutionary process whereby if there’s a change in one system all the others will change too

Question 2

CRITICISM OF FUNCTIONALISM:

Answer 2

Deterministic. Ignores the influence of free will and individual choice

Question 3

Marxism - (3 class societies why w/c put up with unjust system)

Answer 3

Ancient society:
Based on the exploitation of slaves.
Feudal society:
Based on the exploitation of serfs (peasants).
Capitalist society:
Based on the exploitation of workers.

Working class put up with the unjust system because the ruling class ideology created and maintained false class consciousness

Question 4

CRITICISMS OF MARXISM:

Answer 4

Overemphasised the importance of class and ignored other forms of inequality such as gender

Question 5

Neo-Marxism - Gramsci (2 ways r/c maintain control over society)

Answer 5

Coercion:
The use of force through the army, police, prisons  to force the working class to accept the ruling class domination.

Hegemony:
The rule through consent, the use of ideas and values to persuade the working class to accept the ruling class domination.

Question 6

CRITICISMS OF GRAMSCI:

Answer 6

Over-emphasises the role of ideas and under-emphasises the role of the state and the use of coercion.

Question 7

Structuralist Marxism - Althusser (2 means the state performs political and ideological functions through)

Answer 7

Repressive state apparatus – the army, police, courts, etc. They coerce the working class to accept the unjust system.

Ideological state apparatus - the media, religion, education. etc. These ideologically manipulate the working class into accepting the ruling class domination.

Althusser argues that free will is not real; it is a product of the ruling class ideology and a part of the myth of meritocracy.

Question 8

CRITICISMS OF ALTHUSSER:

Answer 8

Over-emphasises the influence of social structure in guiding human behaviour and ignores the influence of free will

Question 9

Radical Feminism

Answer 9

Claim that patriarchy is universal – male domination of women exists in all societies. It is the main form of inequality and conflict. All men oppress all women. Therefore, men are the enemy!

Rad Fems argue that patriarchy constructs sexuality in order to satisfy men’s desires. This objectifies women into sex objects.

Question 10

CRITICISMS OF RAD FEM:

Answer 10

Ignore violence by women against men and within lesbian relationships.

Question 11

Marxist Feminism

Answer 11

Women’s oppression is rooted in capitalism. Women’s oppression results from their primary role as unpaid homemakers. Through this role, women perform a number of vital functions for capitalism:

Women reproduce the future labour force – by nurturing and socialising the future labour force as well as servicing the current labour force (their husbands).

Question 12

CRITICISMS OF MARX FEM:

Answer 12

Fail to explain the subordination of women in non- capitalist societies.

Question 13

Social action theories - Weber (Social Action theory)

Answer 13

A full Sociological explanation of human behaviour therefore involves:
The level of cause – we need to explain the structural factors that shape people’s behaviour.

The level of meaning – we need to understand the subjective meanings that individuals attach to their actions

Question 14

CRITICISMS OF SOCIAL ACTION:

Answer 14

Weber’s view of human actions is too individualistic; it fails to explain the shared nature of meanings.

Question 15

Symbolic Interactionism - Mead

Answer 15

Our behaviour is influenced by the meanings we give to the things that are significant to us.

Mead’s theory explains that social order is maintained because individuals have an internalised representation of the point of view of others.

Question 16

CRITICISMS OF SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM:

Answer 16

Ignores wider social structures such as class inequality or patriarchy in affecting people’s actions.

Question 17

Phenomenology - Husserl and Schutz

Answer 17

Husserl – The world only makes sense because we impose meaning and order on it by constructing mental categories that we use to classify information. Therefore, the world, as we know it, is a product of our mind.

Schutz – These categories of meaning are shared among the members of a society. He calls these shared categories of meaning typifications or common-sense knowledge. Typifications clarify the meanings thus maintaining social order.

Question 18

CRITICISMS OF PHENOMENOLOGY:

Berger and Luckmann

Answer 18

Berger and Luckmann : Even though reality is socially constructed, once it has been constructed it takes on a life of its own and becomes an external reality that reacts back on us.

Question 19

Ethnomethodology - Garfinkel

Answer 19

Argues that meanings are always potentially unclear as they depend on their social context. He calls this indexicality.

Demonstrated how easily indexicality can happen if reflexivity is undermined through breaching experiments. He got his students to act as lodgers in their homes

Question 20

CRITICISMS OF ETHNOMETHODOLOGY:

Answer 20

Ignores the influence of wider structures in affecting the meanings

Question 21

Structuration - Giddens

Answer 21

Giddens argues that there is a duality of structure – through our actions we produce structures over time, while these structures make our actions possible in the first place. Giddens calls this structuration.

Structure has two elements:
Rules – the norms, customs and laws that govern action.

Resources – economic resources such as raw materials and technology as well as power over others.

Question 22

CRITICISMS OF STRUCTURATION:

Answer 22

Archer : Argues that Giddens underestimates the extent to which structures can resist change.

Question 23

Postmodernity /on education

Answer 23

Society has become so advanced that we no longer live in modern times, but rather in postmodern times
This move to postmodernity has been caused by increasing globalisation (increasing interconnectedness of people across national boundaries) and its four related changes:
Technological changes – the speed of international travel and the exchange of information through digital means have created a time-space compression
Economic changes –This economy is a 24 hour global economy. It is run by transnational companies such as Coca-Cola
Cultural changes – globalisation makes it much harder for cultures to exist in isolation from one another. We are now living in a global culture in which Western media spread Western culture to the rest of the world.

Postmodernists on education:
As the economy has changed and become post-Fordist so has the education system as it now prepares children for work in occupations that do not even exist yet

Question 24

CRITICISMS OF POSTMODERNIST:

Answer 24

Ignore power and inequality – the ruling class could be using the media as a tool of domination