Social Science Disciplines PDF

Disciplines a n d Ideas in the S ocial S cience OBJECTIVE/S: ❑ DEFINE THE DIFFERENT CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES OF THE THREE MAJOR SOCIAL SCIENCE THEORIES; ❑ APPLY THOSE CONCEPTS INTO A REAL-LIFE SITUATION AND CONCERNS BY SHOWING THEIR SKILLS; AND ❑ ANALYZE THE BASIC CONCEPTS A...

Disciplines a n d Ideas in the S ocial S cience OBJECTIVE/S: ❑ DEFINE THE DIFFERENT CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES OF THE THREE MAJOR SOCIAL SCIENCE THEORIES; ❑ APPLY THOSE CONCEPTS INTO A REAL-LIFE SITUATION AND CONCERNS BY SHOWING THEIR SKILLS; AND ❑ ANALYZE THE BASIC CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES OF THE MAJOR SOCIAL SCIENCE THEORIES.  What I Know D i re c t i o n : C h o o s e t h e letter o f the c or re c t a n s w e r. Wr i t e y o u r a n s w e r o n a separate sheet of paper. 1. Functionalism is a sociological theory that explains social life using a __________ approach. a. Micro analysis b. Macro analysis b. Interpretive analysis d. Statistical Analysis 2. Functionalism is a sociological theory that views society as ___________. a. Genetic b. Symbolic c. Chaotic d. Stable 3. W h e n a society’s parts w o r k together to maintain stability, functionalists refer to this as _________________. a. Equilibrium b. Social solidarity c. Anomie d. Latent function 4. Schools pass on generational knowledge, hospitals treat the ill, and religion provides comfort. What is it called when a social institution serves a purpose for society? a. Symbol b. Agency c. Dysfunction d. Function 5. Sociologists refer to parts of society that do not make positive contributions to the stability of society as _______. a. Dysfunctional b. Functional c. Equilibrium d. False consciousness 6. Manifest functions are _________________. a. Actions which cannot be measured b. Intentional actions meant to fulfill a goal b. Unintentional actions meant to fulfill a goal c. Actions which usually result in dysfunctions 7. Education keeps a number of young people from being classified as unemployed is an example of _________. a. Manifest Function b. Latent Function c. Dysfunction d. Functional Imperative 8. This period within classical Marxism comprises the debates conducted during the first decades following Marx’s death. a. Early Socialism b. The Marxism of the Third International c. The Marxism of the Second International d. None of the above 9. The term _______ denotes those theories and discussions that emerged, as it were, in the space between dogmatic Marxism - Leninism and the reformism of social democracy. a. Austro - Marxism c. Maoism b. Left Socialism d. Trotskyism 10. It is a social class which owns the means of production (i.e. land, factories, machinery, raw materials, and commercial organizations which are used to produced goods and services). a. Bourgeoisie c. Social Status b. Proletariat d. None of the above 11. He argued that the power of ideology was stronger than Marx had realized and that more work is needed to be done to overcome cultural hegemony or rule through common sense. a. Antonio Gramsci c. Max Weber b. Karl Marx d. Pierre Bourdie 12. Which of these DOES NOT belong to the Marxist Three Levels of Culture Model? a. Infrastructure b. Superstructure c. Structure d. Value 13. It happens when there are incompatible expectations attached to some position in a social relationship. a. Role Conflict b. Social Structure c. Role Taking d. Social Act 14. Which of the following is the application of symbolic interactionism? a. Creating reality b. Symbol Manipulation c. Naming d. All of the above 15. The label symbolic interactionism was formulated by _______, which is the process of interaction in the formation of meanings for individuals. a. Blumer b. Dewey c. Robert K. Merton d. Max Weber  L e s s on T h e M a j o r Social Science 1 Theories The social sciences are not only composed of disciplines that showcase how it views and studies every facet of society. The disciplines prove how social science is applicable and practical, meaning that the social sciences are things that y o u can use every day to understand reality m u c h better. Without the disciplines, the social sciences would not exist at all.  But the social sciences also have theoretical foundations and ideological thrusts. That is why apart from the disciplines, the social sciences have what we call the dominant approaches and ideas that are present within the different disciplines. These are the roots of a discipline, or better yet, the very inspiration of the different social sciences.  Functionalism According to Vincent, 2001, Functionalism, also called structural- functional theory, sees society as a structure with interrelated parts designed to meet the biological and social needs of the individuals in that society. Functionalist sociologists like Parsons and Durkheim have been concerned with the search for functions that institutions may have in society. However, another functionalist sociologist R. Merton has adopted a concept of dysfunction – this refers to the effects of any institution which detracts from the conservation of society. A n e x a m p l e o f a function w h i c h helps maintain society is that of the family, its function is to ensure the continuity of society b y reproducing and socializing new members.  Table 1: Concepts of Structural - Functionalism According to Quexbook, 2018 Concepts Description Functionalists believe that without collective conscience/ shared values and beliefs, achieving social order is impossible and social order is crucial for the Collective well-being of society. They believe that value consensus forms the basic integrating principle in society. Conscience And if members of society have shared values, they therefore also have similar and Value identities, this helps cooperation and avoids conflict. Consensus Value consensus also ensures that people have shared: Goals, Roles and Norms. Norms can be described as specific guidelines of appropriate behavior; for example, queuing when buying things. Social Order Functionalists believe that there are four main basic needs that an individual requires in order to exist in society. They also believe that these four basic needs are essential for maintaining social order. They are: food, shelter, money and clothing. Functionalism The media operate in the public and Media interest by reflecting the interests of the audience. It portrays public opinion. The media understands that society has a wide diversity of culture and this is shown by the different amounts of stories it covers. Functionalism George Peter Murdock believes that the family and Family provides four vital functions for society: sexual, reproductive, economic, and educational. The family is the primary point of socialization in that it provides children with values and norms. Family also stabilizes adult personalities. A family unit provides emotional security for each person in the relationship. Functionalism The media operate in the public interest by and Media reflecting the interests of the audience. It portrays public opinion. The media understands that society has a wide diversity of culture and this is shown by the different amounts of stories it covers. Functionalis Durkheim shows us that there is such a thing m and Crime as society, and that it is this entity called and Deviance society that creates crime and deviance. Crime and deviance are socially constructed – they are not natural, obvious, or theologically inspired categories. They are concepts that were brought into the world solely by humankind. Moreover, Durkheim goes beyond this and shows us how socially constructed definitions of crime and deviance are linked into a wider social structure. Marxism According to Quexbook, 2018, Marxism is a social, political, and economic philosophy named after Karl Marx, which examines the effect of capitalism on labor, productivity, and economic development and argues for a worker revolution to overturn capitalism in favor of communism. Marxism posits that the struggle between social classes, specifically between the bourgeoisie, or capitalists, and the proletariat, or workers, defines economic relations in a capitalist economy and will inevitably lead to revolutionary communism. Concepts of Marxism Certain concepts are k e y to a n understanding o f M a r x i s m , a political theory that has shaped world politics for over 150 years. Key Marxist concepts are diametrically the opposite to capitalism, and s o m e believe have created a mentality of a society that is very much a ‘them and us’ one. Marxism believes that capitalism can only thrive o n the exploitation of the working class. M a r x i s m believes that there w a s a real contradiction b e t w e e n h u m a n nature and the way that w e must work in a capitalist society. Marxism has a dialectic approach to life in that everything has two sides. Marxism believes that capitalism is not only an economic system but is also a political system. Symbolic Interactionism According to Quex book, 2018, The symbolic interaction perspective, also called symbolic interactionism, is a major framework of the sociological theory. This perspective relies on the symbolic meaning that people develop and build upon in the process of social interaction. Although symbolic interactionism traces its origins to Max Weber's assertion that individuals act according to their interpretation of the meaning of their world.  A social psychological theory developed from the work of Charles Horton Cooley and George Herbert Mead in the early part of the twentieth century (the actual name of the theory comes from Herbert Blumer, one of Mead’s students). Ac cording to this theory, people inhabit a wo rld that is in large part socially construct Concepts of Symbolic Interactionism The most important conceptual building block on which symbolic interactionists have based their analysis of human conduct is the concept of the symbol, or, as Mead called it, the significant symbol. Sy mbo l is a vocal or other kind of gesture that has the sa me meaning a n d solicits the s a m e reaction b e t w e e n the o n e u si n g it a n d to w h o m it is directed. Principles of the Three Major Social Science Theories Table 2: Principles of Structural – Functionalism (Trueman, 2015) Social Science Theory Principles Structural - Functionalism Societies should be examined holistically in an interrelated system framework. Causation is reciprocal and, in many instances, multiple. Social systems are generally in a state of equilibrium. The functionalists are less interested in the history of a society, but more concerned with social interaction.  The functionalists attempt to find the interrelationships between the compounds of social structure. Marxism Both Hegel and Marx have dealt with a basic question – How is man to be reconciled with him and with the world? Hegel was of opinion that mind of man passes through history and finally comes to realize what is the world. Both Hegel and Marx thought that man was the product of self-knowledge and he goes on reconciling with the world. But to Hegel the concept of self- knowledge is associated with Spirit or Absolute Idea Marx has rejected it and has laid down the famous doctrine of alienation. That is, he tries to understand himself or the world around him through the alienation. Marxism The theory of alienation is the product of the alienated labor. In fact, alienation occupies a very important place in Marx’s theory. In capitalist economy there is a division of labor which means that a labor produces a single or small part of an article. The capitalist system has introduced this division of labor to have better results. But its harmful consequence is with the passing away of time man is gradually alienated from the whole production system and finally the society. The general meaning of alienation is that it is the “subjugation of man by his own work, which has assumed the guise of independent things”. Marxism The entire economic process including production and distribution is beyond the control of workers. They work just like machine. In the opinion of Marx, since alienation is the greatest evil of capitalist system the workers must be freed from this evil. But he has warned us by saying that there is no scope of freeing individuals from the curse of alienation because it is an integral part of the capitalist system. If we go through Marx’s analysis, we shall find that the only way of freeing man from alienation is the establishment of communism or communist society. Symbolic Human beings, unlike lower animals, Interactionism are endowed with the capacity for thought. (Blumer, 1969; The capacity for thought is shaped Manis and Meltzer, by social interaction. 1978; A. Rose, 1962; In social interaction, people learn Snow, 2001) the meanings and the symbols that allow them to exercise their distinctively human capacity for thought. Meanings and symbols allow people to carry on distinctively human action and interaction. Symbolic Interactionism People are able to modify or alter the meanings and symbols that they use in action and interaction on the basis of their interpretation of the situation. People are able to make these modifications and alterations because, in (Blumer, 1969; Manis and part, of their ability to interact with Meltzer, 1978; A. Rose, themselves, which allows them to 1962; Snow, 2001) examine possible courses of action, assess their relative advantages and disadvantages, and then choose one. The intertwined patterns of action and interaction make up groups and societies.