SOCI 142gm Lecture Notes - Lecture 33: Elite, Class Conflict, Judy Chu
SOCI 142 Week 11 (Thursday)
● Functionalism
○ Focus: Social Order
■ Society: living organism
● Function: survival of the organism
○ All parts: interrelated
■ Shared: values, goals
● Society is held together by common norms
■ Stable, well, organized system
● Assumption
● Each part has a certain function to maintain stability
○ Critiques:
■ Ignores things that may appear functional to society
→ may be unequal for other groups
● I.e. gender roles
○ Men have more power than women which creates
that inequality
○ Assimilation theory shares the same ideas
■ They look at society as a system with a focus on social order with a
shared goals
● Conflict Theory
○ Marx: class conflict
■ Different groups have different values
● Different values to defend
○ Weber: struggle over scarce resources
■ Political economy, veto groups, power elite
■ Power
■ Wealth
■ Prestige
○ Contemporary society: race, gender, sexuality, religion, etc.
○ Institutions: reflect interests of those in power
■ Economic and political arrangement serve to benefit the rich
■ Those with power have the power to shape the institutions
○ Culture: legitimate the system
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Society is held together by common norms. Each part has a certain function to maintain stability. Ignores things that may appear functional to society. Men have more power than women which creates. Assimilation theory shares the same ideas that inequality. They look at society as a system with a focus on social order with a shared goals. Contemporary society: race, gender, sexuality, religion, etc. Institutions: reflect interests of those in power. Economic and political arrangement serve to benefit the rich. Those with power have the power to shape the institutions. Restrictions: poll taxes, basic violence and intimidation (if you voted, you would be beaten up or you wouldn"t get a loan(cid:668) Important: districts from which officials are elected. How you draw the lines is what determines who is elected. Register to vote, to vote, and exercise political power monitored by federal agencies. Most important civil rights legislation act that was passed.
