Major Sociological Theories Essay High school or more generally education plays a vital role in society here in the United States. It provides a necessary transition from childhood to adulthood through education and conditioning. Others would argue it serves as a competing group for resources or a center for learning and practicing the implied meanings in society. Derived from the works of Durkheim Functionalism theory emphasizes the role each social institution plays in society and how society as a whole seek equilibrium when one dysfunctions. His idea was that society is more than the sum of its parts similar to how each organ serves a specific role and contributes to the body as a whole that is how social institutions work in society. High school for example is one of the major social institutions of society serving the primarily purpose of education. In High school the primary goal is to prepare students for extended education after graduation such as college or a technology oriented school. If students do not wish to attend any further educational institutions they can instead fill in service and minimal skill jobs in society. On a smaller scale high schools also aims to give students a more extensive overview of sexual education and contraceptive or abstinence approaches to sexual relations. Since education up to a high school level is mandatory in the United States high school provides a common ground and minimal standard for society educationally speaking. Without educated and well informed voters our system of government would fail due to the major part voters have in government decisions. If we had fewer people entering the higher level workforce since they didn’t continue with their education past high school our soc... ... middle of paper ... ...wed as young adults almost ready for the life in society almost unfit for high school at their age. Race is another important factor that influences student’s perceptions society. Asians are expected to be more academically distinguished and stuck-up. African Americans are expected to stand lower academically and more likely to get into trouble similarly to Hispanics. All of the sometimes imagined or overgeneralized assumptions greatly influence relations within individuals and groups. For the social institution of education or specifically high school the major sociological theory that seems to best describe it using the best using the sociological theory is the functionalism theory. High school education serves a vital role in American society with preparation for later schooling and a general preparation of students for their roles in society as young adults.
Functionalism, explained by Emile Durkheim, states that each part of society is required for society to function as a whole. When the crops failed to grow, a
The trivialization of high school in the present educational organization for teens has been posited in the public; however, it is one vital issue that is being debated.
Functionalism is a theory in which various social institutions and processes in society serve a significant function in order for society to continue
The Japanese society can be portrayed as essentially having no classes since there is a small group of elite and underclass that encompass the numerous middle class. Social differences exist between rural folks and urban residents in terms of family composition, education and participation in the labor force. The social difference in urban setting exists between white collar middle class and blue collar industrial workers and the self-employed artisans (Japan social influence 2014:6).
George F. Will’s “College President’s Plan: Abolish High School” conveys ideas that had never crossed my mind. He states, “For various reasons, some rooted in American history and others reflecting recent developments, education has become, for the moment, the most salient social concern and therefore the most potent political issue.” Will introduces Leon Botstein, who doesn’t actually option to abolish high school, just to change the structure of our schools in general. Botstein says that high school was created for 15- to 18-year-olds who were still children. In today’s society, those children are now young adults who are physiologically and psychologically more advanced.
The purpose of a high school education is to prepare one for college and ultimately, the workforce. By the end of freshman year, in high school, the average student has learned a sufficient amount of material in enough subjects that he or she can be considered "well-rounded" in his or her studies. This is because the rate at which material is covered in schools, across the nation, has increased dramatically compared to the past. Students now learn more advanced curriculum at a younger age, and this continues to become more evident year after year. High school has now become more focused on teaching students a small amount of information on several essential subjects, rather than having them focus deeply on the subjects they seek to pursue in their career.
Functionalist accounts of education focus on the role played by compulsory education within society. Functionalism assumes that there are three different outcomes education serves. Firstly, from a functionalist point of view, education operates as a successful meritocracy, a place where the weak are distinguished from the strong. Meaning that those talented and intelligent individuals; regardless of what socioeconomic background they may come from, will achieve more than those without these traits.The reason the education system is being seen as an objective sorting house is that its major role is to develop a workforce capable of meeting the needs of the economy. This is precisely the reason why education is so important to everyone, in order for our nation to thrive. Secondly, vocational skills are taught at school to get students work-ready and in a more likely position to be employed. And lastly, the third significant role of education according to functionalism is the development of a shared culture or set of common values amongst the students. School is usually the first place children are exposed to socialisation situations outside of their own family subculture. It teaches them how to follow rules, respect their peers and elders and basically what is socially acceptable and what isn’t (Holmes, et al.
Emile Durkeim was a French sociologist who helped shape one of the major theoretical frameworks of sociology, called Functionalism. He believed that "different parts of society are primarily composed of social institutions, each of which is designed to fill different needs, and each of which has particular consequences for the form and shape of society" (Crossman). Each part is dependent on the other and consist of several core institutions that define sociology. "The core institutions defined by sociology which are important to understand for this theory include: family, government, economy, media, education, and religion" (Crossman). Durkeim made it his life's goal to "prove that social facts exist and affect what we do" (Witt, 10). Durkeim
Sociologists view functionalism as both a macro and a micro perspective. From a macro perspective, functionalism promotes the ideal that everyone and everything has a particular place within society, which in turn influences the structure of society. A macro example of Functionalism is seen by sociologists through the interactions of a national school system. Primary school prepares children for the possibility of a higher education that will prepare them for a job, instilling the order and ideals of society within youths so that they understand its expectations. Afterward, they head off to secondary school to apply what they have learned and choose a profession that will best benefit them and society. This promotes the large-scale organization
Emile Durkheim’s Functionalist Theory is predicated on the ideologies that society is composed of components that are dependent on each other. Auguste Comte developed functionalism; Durkheim compared society to the human body. The body consists of different, interrelated organs that support it to survive; society consists of different workings that enable it to survive. There is a state of stability within society and if any component of that society alters it will reorganize itself to maintain stability. Functionalism will interpret the components of society in terms of contributions to the stability of the whole society. Social accord, direction and integration are paramount views of functionalism; society will endure and grow due to the shared norms and values; all individuals have a goal and vested interest to conformity and thus conflict is minimized (Pope, 1975).
Sociologists employ three major theoretical perspectives in sociology today. They are the structural-functionalist perspective, the conflict perspective, and the symbolic interactionism. The structural-functionalist perspective is done at a macro level and its focus is on the relationships between the parts of society. The Conflict perspective is done at a macro level and its main focus is on how the wealthy controls the poor and weak. Symbolic Interactionism is done at a micro and it focuses on the use of symbols and face to face interactions.
School plays an important role in our lives. Many people will spend more than fifteen years at school in order to get the qualifications that are required to work in a specific field. Those years are broken down into several levels, some of them being more enjoyable than others. Two very important levels that people go through are high school and college. Even though some think that these levels are almost the same, there are significant differences between them. The cost of high school is not the same as the cost of college. Also, some differences apply from an academic point of view. Typically, the social environment also differs from high school to college, which can be related to the question of freedom versus responsibility.
In Sociology 421, the main topic is about punishment. We explored different ways around punishment in this class, for example gender, race, social class, mental health, gangs and family. We had two presentations, academic and creative presentations during this semester, which we could link and relate the topic together, and view it in a broader way. We can see all the topics are actually related, every topic could affect each other. We used these topics to see the changing of the nature of punishment overtime. In this class, we learned what are punishment and the reasons we punish, but why we punish always have little to do with actual forms of punishment. We also explored few major points such as deterrence and rehabilitation before and after
The role of education can be explained using the two contrasting theories. Functionalism focuses on what compulsory education offers greater society; schools sort young people by their abilities, talents and capabilities, and students with these qualities will inarguably achieve more throughout their education than those without them, regardless of their socio-economic background (Holmes 2015). Haralambos also writes of two functionalist ideas: Primary
The Functionalist Explanation of the Role of Education in Modern Society I will discuss the functionalist's theories in comparison to those of the Marxist and Interactionists. Functionalists believe that all in society serves a purpose and it's a positive function. They also believe that education is a way of achieving in society; it develops people so that it gives them the opportunities in society (workplace). Durkheim believed that in order for children to feel as though they belong in society and for society to work, the education system will enable people to belong to society for example the teaching of certain subjects (transmission of cultural capital) i.e. history, will allow children to make a link or see similarities between themselves and the past society. Functionalist