Structural Functionalism

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A structural functionalist would view a large University as a whole unit that works together to provide an efficient and useful education to it students. Therefore they would examine the type of students in a large university as individual and vital contributors to the university (Henslin, 2012). Each students background, academic abilities, classroom participation contributes to the function of the university. Even students who struggle and have lower grades would be seen as essential to the equilibrium of the universities success (Henslin, 2012). Although the professors are at a higher education level and provide academic structure to the students, the students themselves are important to the structures organization and stability. A structural functionalist would seek the opportunity to examine the division of labor within the university, students jobs versus the jobs of professors much like the differentiated jobs of assembly time workers, the final product is education(Hachen,2001). Both the students and professors contribute to society’s education. The manifest function of students within …show more content…

They would specifically examine how groups within the university would compete for scarce resources (Henslin, 2012). Therefore financial aide given to students would be a focal point of the analysis. They would see the different amounts of financial aid given to minorities or women as unnecessary, students with less financial worries might have a better chance at success in school than those having to work for income. By providing students with more aide then part of the university’s student population has more educational power over the others. By providing jobs that work with students schedules and pay higher within the university a conflict theorist would be reducing inequality within the large university (Henslin,

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