Perspectives In Sociology HSP3U PDF

PERSPECTIVES IN SOCIOLOGY HSP3U WHAT DO YOU THINK IS HAPPENING? AND HERE? AND HERE? WHAT DO YOU SEE HERE? PERSPECTIVE People can live through similar experiences or view the same event and have a very different outlook on what they lived through or saw. PERSPE...

PERSPECTIVES IN SOCIOLOGY HSP3U WHAT DO YOU THINK IS HAPPENING? AND HERE? AND HERE? WHAT DO YOU SEE HERE? PERSPECTIVE People can live through similar experiences or view the same event and have a very different outlook on what they lived through or saw. PERSPECTIVE Perspectives are shaped by each person’s unique experiences and influences. This provides a lens through which they understand and interpret the world around them. PERSPECTIVE Sociologists purposefully use a variety of theories and methodologies to examine social issues. These different viewpoints provide in- depth and varied perspectives that help us understand human behaviour.  STRUCTURAL FUNCTIONALISM A structural functionalist looks at how all structures or institutions in a society work together to meet the needs of society. This would include: Schools/education Health care/hospitals Laws/courts Banks/economy Religion/church Family STRUCTURAL FUNCTIONALISM Society functions when there is an equilibrium between social institutions and the people in society. People have roles to play to help balance that equilibrium. Institutions and people are interconnected. When something shifts, either the in the institutions or in the people, the other has to change to compensate to restore the equilibrium LET’S APPLY THIS THEORY Canada’s response to a refugee crisis Key Topic Canadian society responded to the Syrian refugee crisis by opening its doors to bring in many Syrian newcomer families. A Structural Functionalist would be interested in: Legal systems and laws for refugees vs. newcomers Education for children who may have been out of school for years while in refugee camps Private versus government sponsorship and resettlement of Syrian newcomers STRUCTURAL FUNCTIONALISM Questions they might ask: What happens when we introduce a large number of newcomers into our society? What institutions in our society need to adjust? What supports might newcomers need? In what ways will newcomers enrich our institutions to the benefit of all society? CONFLICT THEORY A conflict theorist examines two groups in society- those who have power and those who don’t. The ones in a position of power are few in number; but they have wealth, prestige, and voice to maintain their status. The ones without power are much larger in number; but they are marginalized or without wealth, prestige, and voice to make change. Society is in constant tension about this imbalance of power. CONFLICT THEORY Key Topic: There are many examples of an imbalance of power when examining refugees. With respect to Canada’s response to Syrian refugees, a conflict theorist might examine: Distribution of power between hundreds of thousands of refugees trying to get out of Syria and neighbouring countries Challenges for newcomers to establish lives in a new country with a new language, customs, way of life Barriers and conflicts that might emerge as newcomers come into Canada. CONFLICT THEORY Questions they might ask: What imbalance in power prompted the war in Syria? How will Syrian newcomers be able to establish their lives and be accepted into a new country like Canada? What barriers exist in places of resettlement that will marginalize Syrian newcomers in a new country? How can these barriers be overcome to restore a balance in power? FEMINIST THEORY Feminist theorists focus on the experience of gender in society. They examine the roles of women in society and how systems within society have created inequalities that exist between men and women. They also examine changing forms and meanings of these roles, especially as they relate to gender, family, and sexuality. FEMINIST THEORY Lens There are many gender issues to examine with Canada’s response to the Syrian refugee crisis. One micro study might focus on how Syrian women have established a catering business upon arrival in Canada Skills in cooking turned into a marketable and profitable business in Canada, where in Syria it was not. Women finding employment in Canada when they were not working in Syria Changing roles in the family dynamic once in Canada FEMINIST THEORY Questions they might ask: How does a new start in a country impact the way in which Syrian women see themselves? What barriers might have existed in Syria for women when compared to their Canadian experience? What barriers might emerge in Canada for Syrian women who are newcomers? What impact might a role reversal of the principal wage earner in a family have on the family dynamic in newcomer families? Can Syrian women come to Canada on their own as newcomers? What role does male privilege play in Syria that might have presented barriers for women in Syria? How do these barriers play out for Syrian women resettling in Canada? SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM Symbolic interactionists focus on individuals within society and how individuals construct meaning to shape who they are and how they act. They examine the elements within an individual’s environment that help form an individual’s sense of self and sense of how they fit into the world around them. SYMBOLIC INTEREACTIONISM Lens In the Syrian refugee example, symbolic interactionists will identify individuals and examine issues such as: The life they left behind in Syria and the life they are trying to establish in Canada Leaving family members behind to leave Syria and come to Canada Personal experience in refugee camps and how that impacts one’s sense of identity. SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM Questions they might ask: What was the deciding factor to make Syrian refugees decide to leave their home country? What was it like for Syrian refugees to leave family members behind? How does that experience shape their new lives in Canada? What is the biggest challenge in trying to relate to people here in Canada? What experience stands out that has had an impact on their self-identity? Are they beginning to see themselves as Canadian? What does being Canadian mean to them?  REFLECTION How do the different sociological perspectives (structural functionalism, feminist theory, conflict theory, and symbolic interactionism) enhance our understanding of Canadian society's response to the Syrian refugee crisis, and what insights do they offer about the broader implications for social integration and cohesion?