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Week 001 - PPT Introduction To The Study of Culture, Society and Politics
Week 001 - PPT Introduction To The Study of Culture, Society and Politics
Learning Outcomes
sociology
Sociology
Scientific study of human society, it‟s origin, structure, function, and
direction
These are:
Structural Functionalism
Conflict theory
Symbolic interactionism
Symbolic Interactionism
Focus: Use of symbols; face-to-face interactions
Most influential
Founding father: Mead (1863-1931), an American philosopher
Tenets:
1. People attach meanings to symbols, then they act according to the
subjective interpretation of these symbols
2. Individual, social groups meaning to experience life: we negotiate
meaning
3. Meanings can change or be modified through interaction and through
time
Structural Functionalism (1)
Tenets:
Society is a stable, ordered system of interrelated parts of the structures
Each structure has a function that contributes to the continued stability
or equilibrium of the whole
Structural Functionalism
(2)
Structures are explained as social institutions like the family, the
educational system, politics, religion, mass media systems, and the
economy
Structures meet the needs of society by performing different
functions:
Tenets:
1. A materialistic view of society focused on labor practices and
economic reality, we play by the rules (roles and functions) of these
social systems
2. Unequal groups usually have conflicting values and agenda, causing
them to compete against one another
3. This constant competition between groups forms the basis for the
ever‐changing nature of society
Sociological Imagination