SOC 1101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Highgate Cemetery, Talcott Parsons
11 Dec 2016
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Document Summary
From the greek word theorein which means to see . A conceptual overview/ vision of the way something works. A set of logically interrelated statements that attempts to describe, explain, and (occasionally) predict social events. Social theorizing: the task of weaving isolated observations of facts into an understanding of human society and behaviour. An overall approach or viewpoint towards some subject, basic image of society that guides thinking and research ( roadmap, paradigm) Each perspective interprets reality and explains data in a different way. Stresses that our lives are guided by social structures. Societies as a system made up of interrelated parts, each of which performs one or several importants social functions or meets vital social needs. Parts/ subsystems: social institutions: economy, family, education, medicine, religion, government, science. Each have a basic need/ function ex religion- meets a basic social need of belief. Institutions provide the rules governing behaviour, and a set of values that bind people together.
