SOCI 200 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Talcott Parsons, Labour Power, Conflict Theories
Document Summary
To understand the diversity of theories and methods to study family life. Research methods: ways of knowing, deducive vs inducive research, bias, ethical challenges. Sociologists use a variety of theories ( lenses ) to explain family structure and dynamics: theory: A total set of empirically testable, interconnected ideas formulated to explain phenomenon. Provide descripions, summaries, integraion and explanaions about what is known from research: theorizing. The process of systemaically developing and organizing ideas to explain phenomena: theory isn"t always clear, process between problem, and inding data, theories = lenses/ methods = tools. Structural funcionalism: family as a social insituion that performs essenial funcions for society to ensure its. Families funcion best when husbands and fathers specialized in instrumental roles and mothers expressive roles: 3 main funcions: Procreaion: ensure that society has ongoing supply of new members, and a source of socializaion. Social conlict and poliical economy: social conlict theory:
