Assignment
PART 1: IDENTIFY THE PARADIGMS
1. Which of the following is the best illustration of the sociological imagination regarding homelessness?
a. Homelessness is a personal problem.
b. Homelessness indicates weak moral values.
c. People are homeless because they are lazy and unwilling to work
d. Rates of homelessness rise and fall, depending on other structural constraints, such as changes in the legal or medical system.
2. Which question best illustrates symbolic interactionism?
a. How do social institutions, like the family or education, encourage people to bond together?
b. How do people experience society?
c. How do some people benefit from society at the expense of others?
d. How do social institutions and everyday behavior reflect gender inequality?
3. Which question best illustrates functionalism?
a. How do social institutions, like the family or education, encourage people to bond together?
b. How do people experience society?
c. How do some people benefit from society at the expense of others?
d. How do social institutions and everyday behavior reflect gender inequality?
4. Which question best illustrates conflict theory?
a. How do social institutions, like the family or education, encourage people to bond together?
b. How do people experience society?
c. How do some people benefit from society at the expense of others?
d. How do social institutions and everyday behavior reflect gender inequality?
PART 2: Apply the Concepts
In the text (and powerpoint) you learned about three major paradigms or theoretical approaches of sociology: Functionalism, Conflict Theory, and Symbolic Interactionism. You are going to apply each paradigm to our cultural/societal tradition of Family Vacations.
Each paradigm has a specific focus or aspect of society that it is concerned with. For each paradigm identify that focus, state whether the paradigm is micro (small level) or macro (large level), and give an element of "Family Vacations" / that someone from each of the four paradigms might study.
For example, if I was applying the three paradigms School Uniforms I would answer the last part of each question:
• A Functional Theorist might argue the use of uniforms decreases violence, makes money, and helps students feel more equal because it forces everyone to wear the same thing so it is harder to tell who is rich/poor (I'm asking how do they benefit society, how do they keep society going)
• A Conflict theorist might discuss the difficulty of acquiring uniforms for higher vs lower income students (I'm asking how are those in power/with money helped or at an advantage verses those without power/resources)
• A Symbolic Interactionism Theorist might explore how student's change their uniforms in small ways to individualize them (I'm asking how do we use these to make sense of our lives, to interact with others, to experience our society)
Review page 19 in the text for further clarification.
1. Structural Functionalism:
Micro or Macro:
Regarding "Family Vacations", a Functionalism Theorist would study/argue:
2. Conflict Theory:
Micro or Macro:
Regarding ""Family Vacations", Conflict Theorist would study/argue (be specific, it is not enough to say race, gender, etc):
3. Symbolic Interactionism:
Micro or Macro:
Regarding ""Family Vacations", a Symbolic Interactionsim Theorist would study/argue:
PART 3
Robert Merton distinguished between three functions of social patterns or structures. For "health clubs" (or gyms), name one of each of the functions:
Manifest:
Latent:
Dysfunction: