SOCIOL 2GG3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Structural Functionalism, Louis Althusser, Microsociology
Document Summary
Chapter 2: theories in the sociology of education. Levels of inquiry: macrosocial: looking at the big picture (stuff covered today, microsocial: the experience of the individual, mesosocial: the world that surrounds you. Middle range theory: different pockets of life. The question of control - theories either have one of these 2 approaches. The control of larger social forces on how life is lived. The initiative and action taken by the individual to rule their own life. Examples: bringing oneself out of poverty, challenging the justice system. Do we construct the meaning of the world around us: one"s ontology can be that there"s either a subjective or objective reality. Can meaning be measured: positivist believes we can study social behaviour the same way natural sciences study, ex. Objective reality (people see things all the same): interpretivist believes we can only understand people if we understand how they interpret the reality around them.