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The Rationale and Reading List for the Sociological Theory Field The purpose of this comprehensive exam is to give me an opportunity to demonstrate mastery over relevant debates, theories, prominent theorists, and empirical findings in the major aspects (branches) of the sociological (social) theory. I will examine theoretical approaches to core issues, classic and emerging fundamental questions in sociological theory. For example, what is meant by sociological theory, what is the distinction between sociological and social theory, how theories are constructed, what are the (intellectual) roots of sociological theories, what are the central components, processes, forces or issues that influence/foster social change, what is the processes of …show more content…
Thus, this part will provide an overview of developments in contemporary sociological theory from roughly post World War II to the present. Here, I will look at how changing social conditions and structures of modern societies, modernity, post-modernity, and new generation scholars produce new concepts and theories in sociological thinking. I will also look at the fundamental differences and their reasons between classical and contemporary sociological approaches. In the part of critical theory readings, I will look at the core issues of critical theory involve the discussions of social emancipation and the perceived pathologies of modern societies. The critical theory provides specific interpretations and explanations on the central economic, political and social dominations such as commodification, reification, fetishization, and critiques of various forms of rationality, mass consumerism, and popular culture. Critical theory also pays attention to a move away from the liberating ideas of enlightenment towards new forms of enslavement in the period of modernity. In this regard, I will look at the perspectives and critiques of critical theory over the possibility of human emancipation and
Social psychology is a scientific study that studies how people think, feel, and how they behave under the influence of other people (Aronson, Wilson & Akert, 2013, p. 2). Thinking about what social influence really means, we tend to think of a person who tries to persuade another person to acting a certain way. It can be a form of peer pressure, like taking that first puff of a cigarette, or it can be conforming to popular societal views, such as obeying the law of the land. Fiction is a great way to learn about social psychological perspectives. Watching popular theatrical films is the perfect way to learn because it illustrates the application of many perceptions within the subject of social psychology.
Henslin, James M.. "The Sociological Perspective." Essentials of sociology: a down-to-earth approach. 8th ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2008. . Print.
Dillon, Michele. Introduction to Sociological Theory: Theorists, Concepts, and Their Applicability to the Twenty-first Century. Chichester, U.K.: Wiley-Blackwell, 2010. Print.
In order to understand the production of sociological knowledge one must first examine the thought processes that lay behind each piece of research. Before a particular subject matter is researched, the researcher firstly makes certain assumptions about that matter. These assumptions differ dependent on the theoretical approach that is taken. They can be divided into three logical areas, namely ontology, epistemology and methodology.
Throughout history people have used marijuana for its dried leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds to relieve pain, stress, and other medical issues from one’s life. Within the recent years it has become one of the most debated issues in the United States. In the 1930s, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Narcotics (now the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs) claimed that marijuana was a “gateway” drug and was a powerful, addicting substance. During the sixties marijuana became a symbol for rebellion against authority so it became very popular by college students and “hippies”. So in 1982, Drug Enforcement Administration increased pressure on drug farms and houses which decreased the use of marijuana. In the past twenty years marijuana has become a
Sociocultural psychology began with Lev Vygotsky in 1931 in dealing with how people react to their environments, pressures, and influences that surround the individual in everyday life. This is a slowly expanding approach that is working towards treating psychological diseases such as obsessive compulsive disorder, also commonly known as OCD.Social psychology focuses mainly on how people react to their surroundings and others in society. Many psychologists go about treating illnesses, such as OCD and eating disorders, by placing people into situations where they have to confront their problems. Many psychologists such as Solomon Asch and Stanley Milgram performed experiments to observe how people react to surroundings and pressures.
One of the sociological theories is conflict theory. The conflict theory deals with people's level on wealth, or class. The conflict theory says that social change is beneficial, contrary to focuses on social order. In the story of the woman and her children, the conflict theory plays a big role on the situation. Police of higher class are threatening the homeless woman. The conflict theory is a constant struggle of people of higher class over powering people of lower class, or the weaker. The police are trying to over power the woman by telling her to leave. Even though the woman and her children were doing nothing wrong, the police used their power to tell her to leave. Also the people of the area showed their conflict theory by telling the police officers to come. They must have felt embarrassed to have a woman of such lower class to be around them. They used their power of class to have the woman removed from their community. The woman wants to be there because she has no home and it is a good community to be in, but the people look at it as an embarrassment to them because it makes their area look bad for someone of such lower class to be around them. The conflict theory is unique to all other theories because it separates people into categories determined by their wealth and standards. Their status is the element that categorizes them, weather it is class, race, or gender. The conflict theory do not always use class, race, and gender all at once. In this situation race and gender is not a main issue, although gender could be a reason, but it would fall under the feminist theory. This story is mainly dealing with class. Through all this conflict the woman feels over powered and domina...
Talcott Parsons and Robert Bales, two of the leading figures in sociology, may be considered the founding fathers for the ideas of the “modern family” and the “male-breadwinner family.” Collectively, their work has influenced how Americans analyze families and has sparked new ideas regarding the American family from sociologists such as Stephanie Coontz and Arlie Hochschild. However, when studying the American family, Parsons and Bales fail to understand that the “ideal” family may not be so ideal for everyone. They neglect to consider societal influences and economic changes when discussing patriarchal social norms as the most optimal family structure. Their description of the male-breadwinner family consists of the father being the “instrumental leader” within the home, providing economically for his family based on his occupational earnings. Meanwhile, the mother is considered the manager of the household, providing for her husband and children physically, emotionally, and mentally.
When studying in the field of Sociology everyone is going to approach topics in a different manner. No two people are going to have the exact same view on a particular subject. There are however, three major categories in which people might choose to approach topics. The approaches are know as sociological perspectives and are the functionalist, conflict, and interactionist perspectives. These perspectives name different ways in which different people choose to analyze a subject, and how they look at a society as a whole. The following paragraphs compare and contrast the three, and identify major characteristics of each.
1 Most sociologists interpret social life from one of three major theoretical frameworks or theories: symbolic interactionism, functional analysis, or conflict theory. Describe the major points and key concepts of each framework. List at least one sociologist who is identified with each of these three frameworks.
Kendall, D. (2012). Sociology in Our Times, 9th Edition [VitalSource Bookshelf version]. Retrieved from http://online.vitalsource.com/books/9781285309682
Dillon, Michele. Introduction to sociological theory: theorists, concepts, and their applicability to the twenty-first century. Chichester, U.K.: Wiley-Blackwell, 2010. Print.
Appelrouth, Scott, and Laura Desfor Edles. Classical and Contemporary Sociological Theory: Text and Readings . Edition 2. Los Angeles: Pine Forge Press, 2012. 256-654. Print.
We start by defining both the term and the concept of social psychology. Social psychology is the study of how the conscious and unconscious mind interacts to influence our behaviors, emotions, and thought processes. The concept of social psychology allows us to understand how people react when there is an actual or implied presence of another individual and/or group. Society has a large influence over human behavior. Things such as peer pressure along with parental influences, in-group versus out-group bias, group dynamics, and the implied and/or actual presence of personal principles play a large role in how one functions in everyday life. Each of these moving factors according to Marcus Aurelius are merely stepping-stones to the path
(1997) Sociology: Introductory Readings, Revised ed. Cambridge and Malden: Polity Press. Hebding, D.E. and Leonard, G. (1996) Introduction to sociology: A text with readings, 5th ed. McGraw Hill Inc. (worldwide).