SOC100H5 Study Guide - Final Guide: Symbolic Interactionism, Conflict Theories, Class Conflict

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SOC100H5 Full Course Notes
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Sociology - the systematic study of human behaviour in social context. Social causes are distinct from physical and emotional issues. Functionalism - a sociological school of thought that stresses how human behaviour is governed by social structures that are based mainly on shared values and that contribute to social stability. Social phenomena persist if they contribute to social stability - and die off if they don"t. Example: fashion trends come and go because they enable social inequality to persist - if the(cid:455) did(cid:374)"t ha(cid:448)e this purpose, (cid:449)e (cid:449)ould(cid:374)"t ha(cid:448)e fashio(cid:374) Social class - a position people preoccupy in a hierarchy that is shaped by economic criteria, including wealth and income. Conflict theory - a sociological school of thought that focuses on how large social structures, such as the relations among classes, produce social stability in some circumstances and social change in others. Theory - a conjecture about the way observed facts are related.