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Macro and micro level analysis in sociological theory
What is the role of education in a society
Roles of education in society
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Education is a vital part of our sociological existence. Informal education is taught with everyone and everything we observe, and formal education is taught through institutions such as schools. Each method of education constructs us, brick by brick, to become trained and esteemed members of society. Because education is imperative for us as a society, it is subject to scrutiny and analysis from sociologists, as well as the general public. The way a particular geographical area approaches education could differ greatly from another; this gives sociologists a background for comparison. It also raises significant questions about why certain classifications of people, areas of study or even specific schools, have statistically higher success …show more content…
Human-needs and sociological tendencies are constantly evolving, and there was a demand for a science that could provide a less fact-based, and more flexible examination of society. The nature that social interactions should be studied from is up for debate. Society can be examined on macro or micro levels. “Sociologists do not study individuals in isolation from one another, but focus instead on how people interact with each other either directly or indirectly (at a face-to-face level) or indirectly (through internalized rules and expectations, the products of human activity, consciousness of others, and institutionalized patterns of behaviour).” (Wotherspoon, 2014, p.6) Another issue of perspective arises with the question of how much we are shaped by our social environment. Do each unique human create society, or are humans shaped by pre-existing social structures and processes? This is debated by the contrasting extremist theories of Human Agency and Social structures. Also notable are the discussions between the issues of looking at sociology through a needed stable structure or with a view that conflict and change is vital to social development. Sociology is analyzed from an assortment of perspectives that utilize the aforementioned debates. Firstly; Structural Functionalism, which
Sociology is the study of society and the interactions that occur within society itself. There are numerous methods of analyzing societies and the way the function, nonetheless, most methods fall in micro and macro level theories. Micro level theories allow sociologist to study smaller relationships such as individual or compact groups of people. On the other hand, macro level studies permit for larger scale investigations to take place. With both of these theories there are three theoretical perspectives used in sociology. Micro level theories include symbolic interactionism which focuses in interactions done with language and gestures and the means which allow such interactions to take place. Macro level theories include structural functionalism
Sociology is the study of the relationships that humans have with each other and social institutions. It aims to understand the links that exist between individuals and the social structures around them and also the functions that these social institutions perform in society.
Sociology cannot be clearly explained as there are many different theories and theorists; so far none of them have been defined as a correct answer. Although with all this information of theories and theorists sociology is relatively explained as agreed philosophies that delivers a reason for human society. Sociological theories are like most other theories, they are selective, and there is no quantity of theory to explain everything or define the infinite amount of information that exist or comprehend the methods of observing reality. Sociological theories vary and can be linked to each other according to various criteria. The two main perspectives of sociology are the micro sociological approach and the macro sociological approach. The micro sociological approach is based more on the persons being capable of their own independent thoughts feelings and behaviour; therefor society is built through their interactions amongst each other and the significances they attach to them. This approach is defined using Social Action Theory and Symbolic Interactionism. The Macro Sociological approach is on a much bigger scale and consists of a person being born into a current society which will then shape their behaviour. It centres on the organisations, values and the culture of that particular society and how it impacts an individual and their role in life. This approach is made clearer using Functionalism, Feminist and Conflict Theories.
After reviewing the article titles given for this first assignment, I believe they indicate that Sociology, generally speaking, is not only a study of diversity or commonality in traits among people; it is also a science about factors in a person’s life and how these factors culminate responses. Interestingly enough, its topics of concern seem to be directly determined by current and common events of the world. Through the invention and expansion of new ideas, popular trends and fashions through time, Sociology adapts to responsibly to service the very subjects of interest it studies; for, even the slightest change of a person’s daily experience can have an insurmountable impact on attitude, personal growth, family dynamics and basic group behavior.
Theories in sociology sometime provide us with the different perspectives with which to view our social...
This essay will explore the relationship between education and society from a sociological perspective, the topics I have chosen to explore is Marxism, functionalism, education and class, feminism and the last topic is a very general topic which enhances our understanding of sociology and the world we live in. I chose the topics above as they offer an interesting viewpoint of education and sociology; also the topics above interlink this makes it easier to understand the contributions from a sociological perspective. Furthermore, to enhance my understanding of the topics I have found readings from other modules which offer a different perspective of education and society this will enable me to answer the question much more concisely as other viewpoints can challenge the topics I have stated above.
middle of paper ... ... When we see these statistics all around our societies, in such masses, it makes using common sense assumptions or subjective claims to give valid reasons or explanations for such large scale differences in society’s educational achievement impossible. If we instead use (Mills 1959) sociological imagination, we can construct a far better argument for explanation built on research and reliable findings to answer questions not only about our education system but ourselves in our society from our past, present and possibly to begin to predict or understand our future structure and place in society.
Numerous sociologists have contributed to research society and social interactions. In other words, society has been studied through how humans interact and shape their environment. There are many developed theories and different approaches for these findings, and sociologists have helped us understand the ways society functions. Amongst their many findings is that we construct reality through our interactions with others. This is also known as the social construction of reality, which is defined as different social behaviors, patterns and rules, influencing the human perception of reality. Social behaviors, like ethnocentrism and cultural relativism, plays a role in human behavior. Understanding, significance, and meaning are developed not
Sociologists employ three major theoretical perspectives in sociology today. They are the structural-functionalist perspective, the conflict perspective, and the symbolic interactionism. The structural-functionalist perspective is done at a macro level and its focus is on the relationships between the parts of society. The Conflict perspective is done at a macro level and its main focus is on how the wealthy controls the poor and weak. Symbolic Interactionism is done at a micro and it focuses on the use of symbols and face to face interactions.
Sociology is a social science that enables people to understand the structure and dynamics of society. By using a scientific approach, and by critically analysing society using qualitative and quantitative methods, sociologists can find patterns and connections within human behaviour to provide explanations of how society affects people. Sociological views are based on theories that have been tested through unbiased research and attempt to take all values into account. Common sense theories are generally individualistic and naturalistic assumptions that are based on opinions than can vary depending on an individuals class or cultural background. During this essay I will aim to provide examples of the differences between the sociological viewpoint, and the common sense viewpoint of human behaviour, using theories of some renowned sociologists.
Sociology is a study of society social life, social change, and social causes and consequences of human behaviour and allows us to gain an understanding of the structure and dynamics of today’s society, looking at the interlinking links patterns of human behaviour. Sociology looks at the in which social structure and institutions affect our everyday life. Sociological imagination was founded by C. Wright mills in the 1950`s it is an overall understanding of that some of the things that happen in society may lead to a particular outcome. Mills said it is “the vivid awareness of the relationship between experience and wider society.” sociological imagination can also be defined as the ability to look at how sociological situations can unfold due to how everyone is different. The way we behave is shaped by the situation that we find ourselves in, the values and norms that we have and the way that other members of society act around us. It is also a way of thinking about how things in society have led to a particular outcome, and understanding of what led to that specific outcome. Sociological imagination is an ability to look at things socially and how they interact and influence each other gaining an understanding of different cultures and class systems.
To Quote Anthony Giddens: "Sociology is the study of human social life, groups and societies. It is a dazzling and compelling enterprise, having as its subject matter our own behaviour as social beings. The scope of sociology is extremely wide, ranging from the analysis of passing encounters between individuals in the street up to the investigation of world-wide social processes“(1989). Gidden’s statement describes sociology as a study that helps us understand our own behaviour as human beings in a social word. Sociologist study everything from the interaction between people in the street to the interaction between different countries. Sociologists aim to study how societies have changed over, how societies are structured and organized, the norms of society. It’s also important to understand that not all sociologists agree with each other, Sociologists often debate with one another to prove/disprove certain theories and concepts. By studying Sociology is it helps us analyze social conflicts on a micro and macro scope. Through a macro level, we can study large-scale social organization and large social categories it also examinees social processes and patterns society as a whole. We can analyze individuals much deeper on a micro level. This way we study a human by face-to face interactions. Its important as humans to understand the way our society came together and the reasons to how elements work and function together. Sociology gives us a deeper
It is far more often that one would ask, “what is sociology?” as opposed to “what is biology?” Some believe that sociology is more of a pseudo-science, similar to astrology, but there is no question that sociology is a real science. Many sciences have advanced humanity, such biology and physics. Sociology, being a relativity new science, has also improved many aspects of humanity. If humans were like robots, everyone exactly the same, both physically and mentally, there might not be a need for sociology. But this is not the case, our world is populated by over 7 billion humans. Each individual is unique, independent and have a mind of their own. When a group of people are involved with each other, either by sharing the same geographical area or by sharing the same culture or religion, they form a society. And like the people who form the society, each society is unique. There are societies that have millions of members and others with much less. Some societies have members with powers to make rules and others that are controlled by these rules. Though it may seem impossible to identify all the societies and understand all their actions, by studying sociology, we can organize and simplify the study.
One can gain insight through participation and observations of lectures. The concepts that I grasped are based on the individuality and interest of various topics and how I perceive them. Through taking the course of Sociology of Education I have been able to read and conceptualize how prominent education is in the United States; therefore projecting that education is an important tool the modern world correlates with success. Individuals that subject themselves to receiving an education through research validate that they can reach their optimal potential. Sociology of Education covered vast areas of vital informations which put educations and its functions into perspectives by stages.
The discipline of sociology provides a perspective that allows for individuals to expand and dig beyond “common knowledge” and inherit an approach to society that allows an advanced analysis of the root cause of activity in a certain society, opposed to assessing it on an assumption. A beneficial component to sociology is that it can be individually directed to different components of society that all contribute to its overall functioning. Under a sociological perspective we can use an engaged approach that once applied to social issues can improve the functioning of societies on both local and global scales that are considered complex, degrading, or facing considerable amounts of neglect. When we take into consideration the environment and