SOC101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Uee, Structural Functionalism, Microsociology

• School: University of Waterloo
• Department: Sociology
• Course: SOC101
• Professor: Michael Holland

Document Summary

A generic explanation for why, why or how something happens: a logically interconnected set!!!! (finish this sentence) Theories typically vary in terms of: emphasis, questions posed, sometimes data. Level of analysis (macro, meso, micro) (cid:862)g(cid:396)a(cid:374)d(cid:863) theo(cid:396)ies: focus on trying to explain how and why society is ordered the way it is, example: marxism, structural functionalism. Middle-range theories (merton: theories that lie between the minor working hypotheses and the all-inclusive grand theories. Society viewed as a complex system of parts (structures) that interact to perform various necessary functions: each institution in society has a function, helps society remain stable, example: family, religion, education, economy. Shared values, norms, attitudes and beliefs (society marked by consensus: change is generally viewed as disruptive and gradual, macro-sociological (cid:862)natu(cid:396)al(cid:863) se(cid:272)tio(cid:374) of good fu(cid:374)(cid:272)tio(cid:374)i(cid:374)g i(cid:374)stitutio(cid:374)s, p(cid:396)o(cid:272)esses et(cid:272). Social cohesion: the willingness of members of a society to cooperate with each other in order to survive and prosper. Equilibrium: describes the mutual dependence between things.