Topic 1:key concepts

• Functionalism

  Society is like a human body, with different parts working together to maintain stability and harmony. Each part has a specific function that contributes to the overall functioning of society.
• Emilie Durkheim - "Society is like a human body"
• Functionalism

  • Parsons - Men and women perform different roles in the household based on their gender.
• Marxism

  Society is divided into two main classes, the bourgeoisie (ruling class) and the proletariat (working class). The ruling class exploits the working class for their own economic gain. Marxism seeks to challenge this social inequality and promote a classless society.
• Karl Marx - "Workers must unite against the means of production*
• Bowels and Gintis - Schools train future obedient workers.
• Feminism

  A theory developed by many different people, mostly women, that describes society as an unequal relationship between men and women that keeps them in a state of conflict. The whole of society is organised in ways that keep power in the hands of men (even though not all men may benefit from this power, or it may even be harmful to men). This system is called the patriarchy.
• Ann Oakley - "Men 'helping' out in the home is not true symmetry.
• Delphy and Leonard - Women are exploited for their labour at home and at work.
• The New right

  New Right thinkers believe that social welfare systems (such as benefits) encourage a culture of dependency that encourages people to stay on benefits rather than supporting themselves through work They believe that this has led to the development of an underclass of people who are at the very bottom of the social scale. They are critical of single parents, same sex families, and anyone on benefits.
• Charles Murray - "the benefit system creates a culture of dependency, these people form the underclass*
• Interactionism

  Focuses on how individuals create and interpret meaning through their interactions with others. It examines how people's behaviour and identities are shaped through social interactions. They also believe that labels we are given by other people also affect our behaviour. For example, if we are told we are a good student, we may behave as such, and this will become our master status. They link this to the idea of the self-fulfilling prophecy.
• Howard Becker - "it is the reaction to the act that causes the act to be seen as deviant, not the act itself"
• Weberism

  Emphasizes the importance of understanding social action and the subjective meanings people attach to their behaviour. It explores how social institutions and cultural values influence individuals actions and society as a whole.
• Max Weber - Society is no longer just 'rich and poor' but instead, those with wealth and status, and those without.