Sociology Unit One: Sociological Perspectives

Introduction

• Continuation from last week's introduction by Mr. Beckford.
• Sociology: Study of society and its existence.
• Sociological perspectives: Explanations of society's existence.

Major Sociological Perspectives

• Functionalism
• Conflict Perspective
• Interactionism (Interactionist Perspective)
• Feminism
• These are the four major perspectives in the CAPE Unit One syllabus.

Focus on Functionalism

Key Functionalists

• Emil Durkheim
  • Known as the "father of sociology."
  • Major contributor to the discipline.
• Talcott Parsons
  • Influenced by Durkheim.
• Robert K. Merton

Functionalist Beliefs

• Society is like the human body with organs (institutions).
• Institutions (family, education, government, religion, economy) function together to ensure society's existence.
• Each institution has a function, contributing to social stability and order.

Key Terms

• Functional Prerequisites: Necessities for society's survival.
• Value Consensus: Agreement on what is right and wrong.
  • Essential for societal stability; without it, society collapses into chaos (anomie).

Socialization

• Major function of the family.
• Process of teaching societal norms and values.
• Ensures a value consensus.

Criticism of Functionalism

• Criticized as being utopian.
• Assumes all institutions function perfectly and harmoniously.
• Does not account for dysfunction or conflict within society.
• Critics argue many societies exist despite dysfunctional institutions.

Key Concepts Recap

• Functional Prerequisites: Societal necessities.
• Value Consensus: Shared societal values.
• Anomie: Societal chaos due to lack of value consensus.
• Institutions: Functional organs of society.

Preparing for Exams

• Importance of key terms and jargons in exams.
• Understanding terms helps in both multiple choice and essay segments.

Summary

• Functionalism presents a view of society as a system of interdependent institutions, each contributing to societal stability.
• Next, move on to understanding the conflict perspective to gain a well-rounded view of sociological explanations.