Sociological perspective is a way of looking at the world through a sociological lens (Ferris and Stein 9). Sociologists use sociological perspective as a tool to understand human life in society. The following practices may be helpful in understanding sociology and thinking sociologically. Structural Functionalism is a paradigm that begins with the assumption that society is a unified whole that functions because of the contributions of its separate structures (Ferris and Stein 18). The Functionalist
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of anthropology‚ economics‚ and sociology. Social scientists as diverse as Malthus‚ Marx‚ Durkheim‚ and Weber have engaged in describing the interrelationships between social phenomena. This paper will address functionalism from Robert Merton’s perspective by looking at his significant contributions to functional analysis. Robert Merton (1910-2003) attempted to rectify some of the weaknesses within structural functionalism. Specifically‚ he criticized the underlying assumptions of functionalism
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for the industry (Tan‚ 2007). For instance‚ the knowledge of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) acquired by students does not quite meet the expectations of the industry. Lack of experience and skills are also causes of graduate unemployment. Generally‚ most organizations prefer to employ graduates with experience. Furthermore‚ in Malaysia‚ the private sector today is not interested in recruiting local graduates because they lack essential skills‚ such as proficiency in English and
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Functionalist approach to Crime and Deviance Durkheim Functionalism sees society as based on value consensus. Functionalists argue that in order to achieve this solidarity‚ society has two key mechanisms: socialisation and social control (mechanisms include rewards positive sanctions for conformity‚ and punishments negative sanctions for deviance) The inevitability of crime Durkheim believes that crime is normal‚ and argues there are at least two reasons why crime and deviance are found
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Racial and Gender Inequality Functionalist Theory Racial inequality evaluated through the functionalist theory would be looked at to provide a function to the working system of a society. One function for racial inequality could be that the inferior race‚ prefers or needs direction by the dominant race. This was a common view in the enslavement of blacks in the south before the civil war. Another functionalist view might try to explain that the inferior race is in fact dangerous to mix with the
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Asses the Functionalist explanations of Social Inequality. (40) Social Inequality refers to any difference between groups or individuals in society which results in one having inferior life chances than the other. Functionalists believe these inequalities are the result of the meritocracy we live in. This is a system based on the idea that social stratification is necessary and desirable for the society. Functionalists argue that inequalities have a purpose; they are functional for society. Functionalism
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Open certain possibilities‚ or perhaps close off others?” (Hacking 2004: 285) What this line of questioning opens up is the possibility that who we (and others) are is an effect of what we know ourselves (and others) to be. Hence sociological perspective helps us gain a better understanding of ourselves and our social world. It enables us to see how behaviour is largely shaped by the groups to which we associate with and the society in which we live that exists. Thus when we talk about “society”
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they are linked to the essay question . Evaluate strengths and weaknesses. Conclusion - Compare marxist view with functionalist view that the education system benefits society as a whole‚ e.g. social solidarity‚ specialist skills. Explain how the New Right argue that schools fail to meet the needs of employers - much of the teaching is irrelevant to workplace. Functionalist view of education. Definitions for the following terms: Functionalism - The theory that all aspects of a society
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CRITICALLY COMPARE MARXISM AND FUNCTIONALISM IN THE WAY EACH PERSPECTIVE CONCEPTUALIZES THE PHENOMENON OF SOCIAL STRATIFICATION. Social stratification refers to the presence of distinct social groups which are ranked one above the other in terms of factors such as prestige and wealth (Haralambos & Holborn‚ 2004). Those who belong to a particular group or stratum will have some awareness of common interests and a common identity. They also share a similar
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Assess functionalist views of the role of the family. What do Functionalists believe the role of the family is? Try to back these up using examples of functionalist sociologists. The whole family has an important part to play within our society and each member have a job to do to keep the family together. Just as Talcott Parsons suggested the theory of functionalism means that the function of anything is about the job that is set to do. However Parsons‚ along with Wilmott and Young argued that
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