Outline the core principles of THREE of the main approaches in sociological theory: Conflict Sociology; Structural Functionalism (including in its social integrationist version); and Symbolic Interactionism. (Notice: NOT Rational Choice Theory.) Who contributed to each approach?
How are these three approaches similar and how are they different?
Then, consider ONE of these two sets of phenomena: the COVID-19 pandemic and the response to it; or the January 6, 2021 invasion of the U.S. Capitol building and the response to it. Describe the pandemic or invasion and response to it, drawing on data (definitely including some of the data provided as part of the data analysis Discussion Forum linked with COVID or the Capitol invasion), Discussion Forum participation in class, other reading, and any personal observation or experience.
How might a Conflict Sociologist, Structural-Functionalist, and Symbolic Interactionist analyze the pandemic, or the invasion, and the response to it?
Which of these possible interpretations of COVID or the Capitol invasion (and the response to it) seems most promising/most plausible/most powerful to you, and why/how so? Might practitioners of this approach to sociological theory have to adjust their theory at all to account for the pandemic, or invasion, and response to it? What additional insight into the pandemic, or invasion, and response to it might we gain from looking it through the lens of this approach?
ANSWER
The three main approaches in sociological theory are Conflict Sociology, Structural Functionalism, and Symbolic Interactionism.
Conflict Sociology is a theoretical approach that views society as being composed of different groups with conflicting interests and values. This approach was developed by Karl Marx, who argued that the dominant class in society, the bourgeoisie, exploited the working class, the proletariat, in order to maintain their own power and wealth. Conflict Sociologists believe that social change is driven by conflicts between different groups in society, and that these conflicts can ultimately lead to the overthrow of the existing social order and the creation of a more egalitarian society.
Structural Functionalism is a theoretical approach that views society as a complex system made up of different parts that work together to maintain social stability and order. This approach was developed by Emile Durkheim, who argued that social institutions, such as the family, the economy, and the state, serve specific functions that are necessary for the smooth functioning of society. Structural Functionalists believe that social change is a gradual process that occurs as a result of changes in the underlying structure of society, and that these changes are ultimately beneficial for the overall functioning of society.
Symbolic Interactionism is a theoretical approach that focuses on the meanings and symbols that people use to interpret and make sense of their social world. This approach was developed by George Herbert Mead, who argued that people’s understanding of their own identity and the social world is constructed through their interactions with others. Symbolic Interactionists believe that social change is driven by changes in the way that people interpret and respond to their social environment, and that these changes can ultimately lead to the creation of new social norms and institutions.
All three of these approaches focus on the ways that social structures and processes shape people’s behavior and experiences. However, they differ in their emphasis on the sources of social change and their view of the role of conflict in society. Conflict Sociologists focus on the ways that conflicts between different groups in society drive social change, while Structural Functionalists focus on the ways that changes in the underlying structure of society drive social change. Symbolic Interactionists, on the other hand, focus on the ways that changes in people’s interpretations and meanings drive social change.
If we consider the CO
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