Sociology 2240E Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Social Forces, Role Theory, Focus Group
23 Feb 2021
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Document Summary
American born of jewish & humble origins. Rough early childhood in a local street gang. First sociologist to be awarded a national medal of science in 1994. Middle range theory links theory & practice through empirical research. Deviance, drug addiction, friendship formation, medical education, technology, media, history of science. Similarities & differences to durkheim & parsons. Did not want to advance a grand theory like parsons to explain all, but tried to always link theory to practice by conducting empirical research to test his hypothesis. Was interested in social integration, in other words, how individuals derive a sense of belonging in society: was interested in how social and cultural institutions help individuals find a meaningful place in society. Something functional/good may have dysfunctional/negative consequences something useful or functional may actually produce dysfunctions or unintended negative consequences. Question of inequality: functional or dysfunctional to whom? (ie: bureaucracy)
