MODULE 7 1.

the progressive development of technology would bring deskilling of jobs;

Structural Functionalism- is a framework for building a theory that sees society as a complex system whose parts work together to 2. it would create more homogenized and potentially united labor force;
promote solidarity and stability.
3. the relative gap between the dominant and subordinate classes would steadily increase;
Proponents of Structural-Functionalism
4. the processes of capital accumulation and competition would combine and produce more extreme crises on capitalism; and
1. Claude Levi-Strauss- he is known as the Father of Structuralism whose work focuses on the investigation of the underlying patterns of
human thought that produces cultural categories. 5. propelling processes of class conflict would lead towards an ultimate social revolution.

2. Bronislaw Malinowski- concluded that social institutions exist in order to meet or satisfy the physiological needs of its members.

3. Alfred Radcliffe- Brown- proposed that relationships exist within the system that is maintained through communication.

4. Robert Merton-expanded the concept of social function. He puts distinction between Manifest Function which refers to the recognized
and intended consequences of any social pattern and Latent Function which is the unrecognized and unintended consequences of any
social pattern.

5. Talcott Parsons-developed the AGIL Model which identified the four imperatives for societies to survive.

 Adaptation-refers to acquiring and mobilizing sufficient resources so that the system can survive.

 Goal Attainment-setting and implementing goals.

 Integration-maintaining solidarity or coordination among the suburbs of the system.

 Latency-creating, preserving and transmitting the system’s distinctive culture and values.

Social Dysfunction-is any social pattern that disrupt or affect the operation of the society.

In the classification of the social functions into manifest and latent. Merton recognized that the effects or outcomes of social structure are
not necessarily good and not necessarily good to everyone. With this, the term Social Dysfunction was coined. Causes of social
dysfunction may arise from the lack of consensus among people in a given polity or society about what is helpful or harmful for them Contemporary Marxist sociologists argue that Marxism is still relevant in our society nowadays. This can be observed on the following
based on the characteristics of each society such as differences in backgrounds or status which can lead to differences in recognition and situations:
appreciation of things.
1) Family
MODULE 8
2) Media
What is MARXISM?
3) Education
Marxism is an intellectual tradition that arose out of the writings of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels which posits a materialist model of
change. Change within the society is seen as the result of contradictions that arose between the forces of production which refers to MODULE 9
technology and the relations of production or the social organization. The said contradictions emerged as a struggle between distinct
social classes. Symbolic Interactionism- is a sociological framework that focuses on the different meanings’ individuals attach to objects, peoples and
interactions as well as corresponding behaviors that reflect those meanings and/or interpretations. Symbolic interactionism looks at
Marx travelled through Europe during the mid and later half of the 19th century and he witnessed the unequal access to resources and individual and group meaning, focusing on human action instead of large-scale social structures.
ownership of property and wealth. He explained how the working class called as Proletariat was being exploited by the ruling class known
as Bourgeoisie. These social classes emerged as a response to the developmental changes that are taking place in the society. LANGUAGE + SYMBOL = MEANING

Marx believed that various tendencies in capitalism would promote class conflict which are as follows: Proponents of Symbolic Interactionism and their Contributions
1. George Herbert Mead- pioneered the development of symbolic interactionism perspective.

Mead’s approach to symbolic interaction rested on three basic premises:

1. People act toward the things they encounter on the basis of what those things mean to them and this is called the imitation stage.

2. Play stage is when people learn what things are by observing how other people respond to them, which is through social interaction.

3. As a result of the ongoing interaction, the sounds, gestures, facial expressions, and body postures we use in dealing with others acquire
symbolic meanings that are shared by people who belong to the same culture and this characterizes the game stage.

2. Charles H. Cooley was an American sociologist who studied and went on to teach at University of Michigan. He is best known for his
sociopsychological concept self wherein, he explained that a person’s SELF grows out of society’s interpersonal interactions and the
perceptions of others. He named this concept as looking glass self which involved three basic steps:

MODULE 11
a. You imagine how you appear to the other person.

b. You imagine the judgment of the other person.

c. You feel some sense of pride, happiness, guilt or shame.

3. Herbert Blumer was a former pupil of George Herbert Mead and views symbolic interactionism as “a uniquely human process” which
can be understood through language and gestures.

With this, Blumer came out with his three basic principles on symbolic interactionism: Meaning, Language and Thought.

4. Erving Goffman was a famous sociologist and he argued that everyone is constantly negotiating with others to publicly define our
identity and the nature of creating reality to the situation.
a. Generalized Other is described as the combined mental image of others in a community, their expectations, and possible responses to
one’s self.
Marxism views society as an arena of inequality that generates conflict due to varying individual differences, power relations, individual
and group vested interests, different beliefs and values, varied social stratifications and scarcity of resources and rewards.
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b. Symbol Manipulation, a process in which symbols incite people to unite into action.

c. Self-fulfilling Prophecy wherein, the expectations of a person evoke responses that confirm what was originally anticipated.

MODULE 10

DEFINITION OF TERMS

Sociocultural a term related to social and cultural factors, which means common traditions, habits, patterns and beliefs present in a
population group.

Politics is the activities associated with the governance of a country or other area, especially the debate or conflict among individuals or
parties having or hoping to achieve power.
Economics which is the science that deals with the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services.
Symbolic Interactionism is a perspective in sociology that sees society in a micro-level perspective. It focuses more on actions and
understanding of the people in a society. We can conclude that change is constant and meaning is a social phenomenon. These meaning
and symbols shape us and our lives as we continue to learn every day.