Central Bucks School District



right2667002 Visuals Below: A Functionalist Approach to Education and Deviance002 Visuals Below: A Functionalist Approach to Education and DevianceSOC ? Wiley ? The Sociological Perspectives, D___ Name:466725054673500Summary: Sociologists analyze social phenomena at different levels and from different perspectives, or theories. These perspectives provide us with different lenses through which to view our social world. Sociological theories help us to explain and predict the social world in which we live. A theory is a set of interrelated propositions or principles designed to answer a question or explain a particular phenomenon; it provides us with a perspective, which is a way of looking at the world.Sociology includes three major theoretical perspectives: the functionalist perspective, the conflict perspective, and the symbolic interactionist perspective. Each perspective offers a variety of explanations about the social world and human behavior. We’ll look at research from all three approaches throughout the course, but will spend most of our time in the conflict theory, as this is the approach that dominates the field of sociology today.443305331878500left239395004772025635000Functionalist PerspectiveSees society as a system of interconnected parts that work together in harmony to maintain a state of balance and _________________________________________Institutions were created for _________________________________________; people were then socialized into roles/behaviors that fill the needs of society Studies how each part influences and is influenced by other parts Family: provides context for reproducing, nurturing, socializing childrenEducation: offers way to transmit a society’s skills, knowledge, culture to its youthPolitics: provides means of governing members of society461010013970Functionalists view society much like a human body. The different parts (institutions/organs) are interconnected and work together to achieve balance.00Functionalists view society much like a human body. The different parts (institutions/organs) are interconnected and work together to achieve balance.Economics: provides production, distribution, consumption of goods and servicesReligion: provides moral guidanceSocial elements are functional if they contribute to social stability or dysfunctional if they disrupt social stability Identifies two types of functions:_________________________________________ functions are consequences that are intended and commonly recognized; _________________________________________ functions are consequences that are unintended Example: Manifest function of education is to transmit knowledge/skills to society’s youth, but schools also serve as babysitters for employed parents and offer a place for young adults to meet potential matesTends to be _________________________________________ about changeExample: Rise of single parent and dual-earner families, along with and same-sex parents “bad for society”Yields _________________________________________ (if both parents are working, they have less time to transmit appropriate values, supervise homework, etc.)Dominant perspective in the field until the liberalism of the 1960s and the Civil Rights Movement Functionalist Perspective—Crime/Deviance Deviance is normal and _________________________________________; contributes to social stability and cohesion: _________________________________________ of cultural norms and values: punishment for deviant acts reinforces what a society sees as acceptable behavior Clarification of right and wrong: responses to deviant behavior help individuals distinguish between right and wrong Promoting social change: deviance can encourage the dominant society to consider alternative norms/values (example: civil disobedience end to segregation)521017511874500Conflict PerspectiveViews society as composed of different groups and interests _________________________________________ and access to limited resources Focuses on which groups have power and which do not (the _________________________________________)Historically, the haves have used their power to control the institutions of society to their advantage Seeks to explain ___________________________________________________, etc. that persists because of this historic trendInvestigates how power of one group is maintained at the expense of other groupsConflict Perspective—Crime/Deviance493426012847The roots of conflict theory can be traced to Karl Marx’s Communist Manifesto (1848), which argued that society is in a state of perpetual conflict due to competition for limited resources. In Marx’s view, this problem could only be solved through [communist] revolution.00The roots of conflict theory can be traced to Karl Marx’s Communist Manifesto (1848), which argued that society is in a state of perpetual conflict due to competition for limited resources. In Marx’s view, this problem could only be solved through [communist] revolution.Power elite passes laws designed to _________________________________________Both the haves and the have-nots commit acts of deviance, but the system the haves created permits crime from the haves while inequitably punishing crime from the have-nots The criminal justice system judges and punishes each group _________________________________________ Elites can afford expensive lawyers and are sometimes on a first-name basis with the individuals in charge of making/enforcing the lawsHave-nots do not have these advantages Symbolic-Interactionist PerspectiveViews society as a product of everyday social interactions of individuals We learn behavior not through groups/institutions, but through _________________________________________Studies how people use _________________________________________Society is fluid; meanings/values change with interactionsHumans do not sense their environment directly; instead, they define the situation they are inAn environment may exist, but it is our definition of it that is importantRead and respond to the four statements regarding the symbolic-interactionist perspective belowWhy would young people smoke cigarettes even when all objective medical evidence points to the dangers of doing so? The answer is in the definition of the situation that people create. Studies find that teenagers are well informed about the risks of tobacco, but they also think that smoking is cool, that they themselves will be safe from harm, and that smoking projects a positive image to their peers. So, the symbolic meaning of smoking overrides that actual facts regarding smoking and risk. Record your thoughts, reactions, questions, etc. in response to this argument about why teens smoke:Both race and gender are social constructs that function based on?what we believe to be true?about people, given what they look like. We use socially constructed meanings of race and gender to help us decide who to interact with, how to do so, and to help us determine, sometimes inaccurately, the meaning of a person's words or actions. Did you know that it is possible for you to have more in common genetically with someone of a different race than your own? To what extent does someone’s race and gender impact how you will interact with them? Symbolic interactionism also suggests that our identity or sense of self is shaped by social interaction. We develop our self-concept by observing how others interact with us and label us. By observing how others view us, we see a reflection of ourselves called the “looking glass self.” Is there a difference between how you see yourself and how others see you? How do you think other people label you? right80962500Want to study race? A symbolic-interactionist approach would encourage observing how blacks and whites interact in different settings; this would be a micro, or bottom up, approach. Meanwhile, the more macro, or top down, approach of conflict theory would look at census reports that show differences in how whites and blacks are paid across the nation. Which do you think is a better approach to understanding the role of race/race relations in this country? Why? Symbolic-Interactionist Perspective—Crime/DevianceDeviance is a _________________________________________—people learn it from the different groups with which they associate; it is not biological or due to certain inherited personality traits People commit deviant acts because they associate with individuals who act in a deviant manner Come to feel _________________________________________ from the larger society and end up relying more on the deviant group to which they feel they most belongMembers of the deviant group often become the primary source of social interaction4348480314960Visual: Recidivism in CA, 200700Visual: Recidivism in CA, 2007Example: People released from prison often find that the dominant society does not welcome them back with open arms, and they often drift toward other ex-convicts to attain a sense of belonging and purpose, thereby forming a subculture. This deviant subculture helps to explain why rates of recidivism, or repeated offenses by convicted criminals, are so high. The ex-convict subculture sanctions and encourages further acts of deviance.What could be done to offset this trend?Sociological Perspectives Through Music: We’ll be taking a look at Tupac Shakur’s “Changes” to explore social issues with the sociological imagination. We’ll also try to locate one or more of the perspectives outlined above. Read the lyrics before viewing the video:Changes Lyrics1st Verse2nd Verse3rd VerseI see no changes I wake up in the morning and I ask myself Is life worth livin' should I blast myself? I'm tired of bein poor and even worse I'm black My stomach hurts so I'm lookin' for a purse to snatch Cops give a damn about a Negro Pull the trigga, kill a *****, he's a hero Sell the crack to the kids, who the hell cares? One less hungry mouth on the welfare First ship 'em dope and let 'em deal the brothas Give 'em guns, step back and watch 'em kill each other It's time to fight back that's what Huey said Two shots in the dark now Huey's dead I got love for my brotha, but we can never go nowhere Unless we share wit each other We gotta start makin' changes Learn to see me as a brotha instead-a two distant strangers And that's how it's 'pose to be How can the Devil take a brotha if he's close to me? I'd love to go back to when we played as kids, but things change And that's the way it is.Chorus:thats just the way it is things will never be the same thats just the ways it is aaw yeah thats just the way it is things will never be the same thats just the ways it is aaw yeah I see no changes, all I see is racist faces Misplaced hate makes disgrace to races We under, I wonder what it takes to make this One better place, let's erase the wasted Take the evil out the people they'll be actin right 'Cuz both black and white is smokin' crack tonight And the only time we chill is when we kill each otha It takes skill to be real time to heal each other And I know it seems heaven sent We aint ready to see a black presidant, uh it aint a secret don't conceal the facts, the penitentiaries packed And it's filled with blacks But some things will never change Ya try to show anotha way but ya stayin in the dope game Now tell me what's a motha to do Bein' real don't appeal to the brotha in you You gotta operate the easy way "I made a G today," , but you made it in a sleezy way Sellin crack to the kids, "I gotta get paid" Well hey, well thats the way it is Come on, come onChorus:thats just the way it is things will never be the same thats just the ways it is aaw yeah thats just the way it is things will never be the same thats just the ways it is aaw yeahYou gotta make a change It's time for us as a people to start makin' some changes Let's change the way we eat let's change the way we live And let's change the way we treat each other You see the old way wasn’t workin, so its on us to do what we gotta do, to survive (3rd Verse) And still I see no changes Can't a brotha get a little peace There's war on the streets and war on the Middle east Instead of a war on poverty, They got a war on drugs so the police can bother me And I ain't never did a crime i aint have to do But now I'm back with the facts givin' it back to you So don't let 'em jack you up, back you up, crack you up, and pimp smack you up Ya gotta learn to hold ya own They get jealous when they see ya with ya mobile phone But tell the cops they can't touch this I don't trust this, when they try to rush I bust this It's the sound on my tool, you it ain't cool My mama didn't raise no fool And as long as I stay black, I gotta stay strapped and i never get to lay back 'Cuz I always gotta worry bout the payback Of some ruff that i ruffed up way back Comin back after all these years Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat That's the way it is Chorus: thats just the way it is things will never be the same thats just the ways it is thats just the way it is (you're my brotha your my sister, yeah) things will never be the same(neva be the same yeah, yeah aaw yeah) thats just the ways it is Some things will never changeright1524000What social issues/ills are addressed in this song? Which do you think are most relevant in our society today? Why?How does 2Pac justify the unsafe/immoral acts that impoverished people resort to? What is your reaction to these justifications?How/why does 2Pac suggest making a change?Should the “war” 2Pac describes be on drugs or poverty? Explain.Pick one of the issues mentioned in the song and discuss how a sociologist might look at the issue from the three different sociological perspectives.What theoretical perspective(s) is most applicable to this song? How and why? THE THREE SOCIOLOGICAL THEORIESFunctionalismConflict TheorySymbolic InteractionismView of SocietyKey ConceptsHistory/ContextRelationship of Individual to SocietyView of InequalityBasis of Social OrderSource of Social ChangeResearch Method/ApproachStrengthWeaknessright000Instructions: Read each descriptor (on education or prostitution) and record an F for Functionalist Perspective, C for Conflict Perspective, or S for Symbolic Interactionist Perspective. Regarding Education: _____ Argues that education perpetuates social inequality and benefits the dominant class at the expense of others._____ Education is crucial for promoting social solidarity and stability in society._____ Functions to socialize, transmit culture, exert social control, and bring about innovation._____ Access to quality education is closely related to social class._____ Education is a vehicle for reproducing existing class relationships._____ School legitimates and reinforces the social elites by engaging in specific practices that uphold the patterns of behavior and the attitudes of the dominant class._____ Children with less cultural capital (social assets that include values, beliefs, attitudes and competencies in language and culture) have fewer opportunities to succeed in school._____ Finds that when teachers expect a particular performance or growth from a student, it occurs._____ Standardized tests that are used to group students by ability and assign them to classes often measure students’ cultural capital rather than their natural intelligence or aptitude._____ [Economic] Class-based factors affect which children are likely to be placed in high, middle or low tracking groups.right22606000_____ Focuses on classroom communication patterns and educational practices, such as labeling, that affect students’ self-concept and aspirations. _____ Compares the individualism that is emphasized in American classrooms with collectivism in other countries. _____ Tracking is one of the most obvious mechanisms through which students of color and those from low-income families receive a diluted academic program, making it much more likely that they will fall even further behind their white, middle-class counterparts._____ For students from dominant groups in society, the way they are treated and what they learn in school tend to enhance their self-esteem and expectations that they will attain success. _____ Typically limits their analysis of education to what they directly observe happening in the classroom or conversations with students._____ Focuses on how teacher expectations influence student performance, perceptions, and attitudes. _____ Studies how placement of students in a class may affect performance. _____ Focuses on how teachers form their expectations or how students may communicate subtle messages to teachers about intelligence, skill and so forth. _____ Explores the latent roles of education, such as meeting lifelong friends or mentors (teachers, coaches, etc.). Regarding Prostitution: _____ Argues that since prostitutes are overwhelmingly from lower classes, opportunity has broken down for the disadvantaged. right571500_____ Studies the stabilizing or destabilizing effect of prostitution on marriages. _____ Argues that statistics regarding sexual harassment and rape would likely increase if prostitution was eradicated. _____ Focuses on the labeling of people in such a career and how prostitutes are treated by those who support them and those that look down on the institution. _____ Some members from this theoretical approach might argue that women should be able to choose whether or not they want to engage in prostitution (so government regulation is a violation of their right to privacy). _____ Explores various labels associated with prostitution. ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download