Emphasizes the way that parts of society are structured to Functionalist Perspective maintain its stability Conflict Perspective Assumes that social behavior is best understood in terms of conflict or tension between competing groups Symbolic Interaction Perspective Relies on the symbolic meaning that people develop and rely upon in the process of social interaction Family 2 or more people related either by birth or through social commitment who share resources care for any dependents and often maintain close emotional relationships The Functions of the Family Social Stability o Families create kinship ties On a micro level these relationships create a social bond between individuals On a bigger level these ties create networks Material Aid o Family members usually help one another by gathering their material sources and labor Work together to provide necessities of life Descent and Inheritance o Descent Kinship over multiple generations o Inheritance rules regarding the reallocation of property within a family after someone dies Care and socialization of dependents o Teach practical skills and socialize them in particular values and beliefs Sexual Regulations Emotional Comfort o Cultural norms indicate which sexual norms are acceptable o Family is expected to be a source of emotional support and intense bonds Structural Functionalist view on Family Family is a vital social institution Family confers social status and class Family helps define who we are and how we find our place in society Family provides for the essential needs of the child s affection socialization and protection Problems in the family lead to problems in society Influences of patriarchy Second Shift o Working women that still have the primary responsibility of housework and childcare Family violence has been linked to low SES social and structural stress social isolation attempts at maintaining dominance within relationship Child Abuse o Children are 3x more likely to be abuse by their fathers o May lead to emotional and behavioral effects Neglect Characteristics of household division of labor especially among dual earner families Mothers were often part of the workforce People with a 4yr degrees get married later Fathers supported the family financially but were largely absent from children s lives Impact of Industrialization on family types and size Families are getting smaller Extended families are less common Women are waiting longer to get married People spend fewer years of their lives married More women are joining the workforce Families increasingly include more elderly members Median age of Marriage 26 1 for women and 28 2 for men Marriage is significantly more common of college educated people Divorce Rates and Factors Almost 50 of all first marriages end in divorce Divorce rates are attributed to o Individualism o No fault divorce laws o Increasing economic independence of women o Transition from extended to nuclear families o Increasing geographic and occupational mobility o Stigma has decreased Modern Remarriage patterns Remarriage led to the creation of a more blended stepfamilies Single parent families is about 30 and are usually headed by women Problems with single parenting o More likely to be poor o Can t provide the same level of supervision and support as 2 parents can o Children do better in a 2 parent setting o More likely to drop out of high school and become a single parent Policy solutions o Universal health care help with financial crises o Financial support school based social programs and affordable housing helps o US is lagging behind Europe in creating family and friendly programs like these Pure Relationships Both parties are satisfied What is Religion and why study it A unified system of beliefs and ritual practices relating to the sacred that bond people into a moral community Study it to understand the role it plays in social life Peter Berger s purpose of religion Primarily an effort to create meaningful reality in which we live To make sense of our existence Liberation Theology Form of Christian belief dedicating to combating poverty and other forms of social injustice Addresses social issues such as the inequalities created by global capitalism and environmental degradation Durkheim s description of everyday life as profane while what is sacred is set apart and defined as extraordinary Promotes social solidarity o People create social bonds through religious activities Operates as a form of social control o Purity Pledge Ball Can provide believers with deep social psychological benefits o A belief in divine can be a source of comfort o Source of strength towards life difficulties Can motivate social action o Spread beliefs A sociological analysis of religion concerns patterns of religious activity and their effect on society Ethics of reciprocity the golden rule Durkheim said religion is society worshiping itself Society is bigger and more powerful than any individual Apply 3 major sociological concepts Functionalist o Public schools help to maintain social order o Function in the interest of the majority o Key to socializing children o Key institution in the meritocratic process o Functions Intellectual Political Social Economic Symbolic Interactionist o Tracking in schools o Self fulfilling prophecy students and bad ones Conflict Perspective Classroom dynamics and practices create good o Focuses on ways schools cause and perpetuate social inequality and reproduce the class structure in each generation Social Control Standardized Testing Tracking Goals and Functions of public schooling Teach basic literacy train future leaders Make the US globally competitive Promote ideologies and common values Assimilate immigrants Solve social problems o EX poverty Some ways inequality impacts students and schools Funding differences Social Reproduction Theory the way that schools help reproduces systems of inequality Definition and goals of tracking ability grouping Tracking Placing students into different circular paths intended to accommodate varying levels of academic work o Shapes both effort and learning o Meant to help students with wide varying skills and interests but many times students get locked to one track and it limits their future opportunities Ability grouping the practice of dividing students for instruction on the basis of their perceived capacities for learning o Small informal groups formed within a single classroom Community A set of social relationships
View Full Document
Unlocking...