Functionalist conflict and symbolic perspectives on education

Functionalist conflict and symbolic perspectives on education The basis of todays theoretical perspectives provides sociologists with a philosophical position for asking certain kinds of questions about society and the people that occupy it. The three primary perspectives are functionalist, conflict, and interactionist. These three theories are very relative to education and the whole learning process. These different perspectives allow sociologists the ability to explain how society influences people and their actions. Each perspective uniquely conceptualizes society, social forces, and human behavior. The functionalist perspective, also known as functionalism, states that each aspect of society is interdependent and contributes to societys functioning as a whole. The government, or state, provides education for the children of the family, which in turn pays taxes on which the state depends to keep itself running. The family is dependent upon the school to help children grow up to have good jobs so that they can raise and support their own families. With this being said, the children become law-abiding and taxpaying citizens, who in turn support the state. The parts of society produce order, stability, and productivity. If something goes wrong, the parts of society then must adapt to recapture a new order, stability, and productivity. For example, the financial recession we are in right now, with the high rates of unemployment and inflation, social programs and their budgets are usually cut back because funding isnt available. Families end up having to cut back on their spending an d budget as well just to make ends meet. Functionalists believe that society is held together by social consensus and work together to achieve what is best for society as a whole. The functionalist perspective was popular during the 1940s and 1950s among American sociologist. American functionalists focused on discovering the functions of human behavior and European functionalists focused on explaining the inner workings of social order. Sociologist Robert Merton, who was born in 1910, divided human functions into two different types: manifest functions are those that are intentional and obvious and latent functions are those that are unintentional and not obvious. For example, my manifest function of attending my church is to worship, receive the word, and help children, but my latent function may be to help those children learn to discern religious and personal views. Manifest functions are apparent, while the latent functions have a more sociological approach. A sociological approach in functionalism is the consideration of the relationship between the functions of smaller parts and the functions of the whole. Functionalism has received criticism for neglecting the negative functions of something such as abuse. Critics claim that the perspective justifies the status quo and complacency on the part of societys members. Functionalism does not encourage people to take an active role in changing their social environment, even when such change may benefit them. Instead, functionalism sees active social change as undesirable because the various parts of society will compensate naturally for any problems that may arise. Karl Marxs writings on class struggles sparked the conflict perspective. The conflict perspective presents society in a different light than do the functionalist and symbolic interactionist perspectives. The conflict perspective focuses on the negative, conflicted, and ever-changing nature of society. Unlike functionalists who defend the status quo, avoid social change, and believe people cooperate to effect social order, conflict theorists challenge the status quo, encourage social change, and believe rich and powerful people force social order on the poor and the less fortunate. American sociologists in the 1940s and 1950s generally ignored the conflict perspective in favor of the functionalist, the 1960s saw American sociologists gain interest in conflict theory. They also expanded Marxs idea that the key conflict in society was strictly economic. Today, conflict theorists find social conflict between any groups in which the potential for inequality exists such as race, gender, religion, political views, and economic stance, etc. Conflict theorists note that unequal groups usually have conflicting values and agendas, causing them to compete against one another. This constant competition between groups forms the basis for the ever-changing nature of society. Critics of the conflict perspective point out its negative view of society. The theory attributes humanitarian efforts, altruism, democracy, civil rights, and other positive aspects of society to capitalistic designs to control the masses, not to inherent interests in preserving society and social order. The symbolic interactionist perspective, directs sociologists to consider the symbols and details of everyday life, what these symbols mean, and how people interact with each other. Although symbolic interactionist perspective traces its origins to Max Webers assertion that individuals act according to their interpretation of the meaning of their world, the American philosopher George H. Mead (1863-1931) introduced this perspective to American sociology in the 1920s. According to the symbolic interactionist perspective, people attach meanings to symbols, and then they act according to their subjective interpretation of these symbols. Verbal conversations, in which spoken words serve as the predominant symbols, make this subjective interpretation very evident. The words have a certain meaning for the sender, and, during effective communication, they hopefully have the same meaning for the receiver. Words are not static things; they require intention and interpretation. Conversation is an interaction of symbols between individuals who constantly interpret the world around them. Of course, anything can serve as a symbol as long as it refers to something beyond itself. Written music serves as an example. The black dots and lines become more than just marks on the page; they refer to notes organized in such a way to make music. Symbolic interactionists give serious thought to how people act, and then seek to determine what meanings individuals assign to their own actions and symbols. Applying symbolic interactionist perspective to the American institution of marriage, symbols may include wedding bands, vows of life-long commitment, a white bridal dress, a wedding cake, a Church ceremony, and flowers and music. American society attaches general meanings to these symbols, but individuals also maintain their own perceptions of what these and other symbols mean. For example, one of the spouses may see their circular wedding rings as symbolizing everlasting love, while the other may see them as a financial expense. Critics claim that the symbolic interactionist perspective neglects the macro level of social interpretation or the big picture. In other words, symbolic interactionists may miss the larger issues of society by focusing too closely on the trees or the size of the diamond in the wedding ring rather than the forest or the quality of the marriage. The perspective also receives criticism for slighting the influence of social forces and institutions on individual interactions. All of these perspectives have valid points as well as constructive criticism that holds value. The one perspective that sticks out to me is the conflict perspective; to me this perspective is real. I think being able to identify the many things that are wrong with our society today, makes the blows less painful when something goes wrong. The conflict perspective focuses on the negative, conflicted, and ever-changing nature of society. With this being said the conflict perspective can also be viewed in a positive light. Someone learning about this perspective their eyes could be opened up to many different issues that they might not necessarily experience.

Effects of Drinking Alcohol Essay

Drinking alcohol is like taking a drug. It is a form of drug abuse, and drug addiction. This is a worldwide problem that many people are involved in. There are good effects of alcohol if it is in small amounts, and in moderation. On the other hand there are bad short and long term effects. The effects that a person will get are all based on certain factors like, how much and how often alcohol is consumed, the age of the person, when the person started and how long they have been drinking for, gender, their family history and last but not least based on their health. Lately scientists have been saying that a little bit of alcohol with dinner is not only okay but it is also good for you. This is true in moderation. They say that if you drink a small amount of alcohol it will help you sleep. Also if you drink a moderate amount every day it can help your health in the long run. A moderate amount is considered to be 1 drink for women daily and 2 drinks for men daily. This can help bring your HDL level up, which helps protect your heart against disease that causes heart attacks. Also a moderate amount of alcohol everyday can lower your risk of developing diabetes by increasing your insulin sensitivity. It can also raise ‘good cholesterol’ levels. In the long run they have said that for women it helps keep the mind sharp in later years. Now when they talk about having a helpful amount of alcohol they mean small doses of it a day with a meal, so that the absorption rate is slowed down. Now this doesn’t mean that a person should start drinking for the benefits that it gives, it just means that if you drink in moderation already it could be slightly helpful to you in the future. If you take advantage of that and drink in excess there are effects that you should be aware of. Contrary to some beliefs, alcohol is a depressant. This is the opposite of a stimulator, meaning that it calms you down, and slows down some organs in your body. Alcohol therefore has short term effects on your body. With about 0. 05% blood- alcohol level you start to get dulled judgment and your inhibitions are released. After that stage you start to get clumsy and will have slurred speech with about a 0. 10% blood-alcohol level. Once you come close to unconsciousness you have a 0. 30% blood-alcohol level. After that point it starts to get dangerous, because you can go into a coma at 0. 45%, and then at 0. 70% the brain starts to shut off and stop controlling things like breathing, and your heart, which will end up in death. These facts are not meant to scare you, because most people can’t drink past 0. 40% because they are asleep. Some other short term effects include blackouts, where you can’t remember what happened, and insomnia, where you can’t fall asleep. While you are drinking you will be less alert, less aware of your surroundings, lose your muscular coordination, have difficulty walking, have blurred vision, and have slow reaction times. This can lead to accidents, injuries, and death. Also after drinking you may get a hangover the next morning which will include effects like headaches, nausea, thirst, heartburn, dizziness, and fatigue. If you are not careful with the amount of alcohol that you drink you can get some bad side-effects. Once you start to become addicted to alcohol you are considered an alcoholic. There are many long term effects that come along with drinking lots of alcohol for a prolonged amount of time. Drinking alcohol like this will damage your organs, like the brain, liver, stomach, intestines, and heart. The brain is affected, because brain cells die which leads to memory loss, confusion, learning difficulties, problems with attention, and brain disorders. The liver is effected, because cancer can develop there, and also in the mouth and throat. The stomach may acquire ulcers. From prolonged drinking you can have a stroke, or have heart failure. The nervous system can also get damaged, and when this happens the person will get physical and behavioral problems. Impaired vision can also be a result of this type of drinking. It also affects your health. One reason for this is because alcohol is high in calories which can lead to obesity. Another reason is that poor nutrition normally comes side by side with lots of drinking. This could be because the alcohol interferes with the absorption and storage of the vitamins you get. Also the water soluble minerals get lost because of the increased urination that happens. Because of the lowered health you also have a lowered resistance to infections. Some other less serious effects of prolonged drinking are vomiting, profuse sweating, hallucinations, tremors, and sleep disturbances. All of these problems can quickly lead to injury to oneself or to others, violence, and death. Also it leads to a loss of employment, and a loss of family life. If you are addicted to alcohol or drink a lot of alcohol for a long period of time you will shorten your life span by about 12 years, and get a lot of serious side-effects. In conclusion alcohol can affect your life in a good or bad way depending on how you drink, how often you drink, and how much you drink. It is better to drink in moderation, and responsibly. This normally means drinking only 1 to 2 glasses a day with a meal, and to also have a healthy diet that goes along with that. Otherwise the health benefits of drinking alcohol are gone, and replaced with some horrible side-effects. Everyone can make their own decision on what drinking in moderation is and what drinking responsibly means, but everyone should be informed with the facts.

Eating Home and Eating Out Essay

Thanks to eating at home families are able to save more money in the recession. Eating out on the weekends and during the week makes families spend much more money than they expect. But mostly some fast food restaurants have specials going on during the weekday. But many families are starting to cook at home because of the cost of food at restaurants. The money that they are spending at fast food restaurants they can be saves at the grocery store. Eating at home is much cheaper and healthier than eating out at restaurants. When families are eating at home it puts the cooker in control. So they are able to know what kind of ingredients to put in their food. Instead of families going to a restaurant and trying to figure out what they put in their food just in case they get sick. If the families are eating at a restaurant like McDonald’s they do not know if their hamburger have hit the floor before preparing. But they are probably praying that it has not. Have families ever glanced at what a hamburger at a fast food restaurant is made with? There can be tons of ingredients, some with names that people never heard of or cannot pronounce (Steendahl). When parents cook at home, they can keep your foods natural and whole. By families eating at home they have a lot more control. Families in America think that eating at home is healthier than eating at restaurants. Some families go out to eat at restaurants they look at the way the restaurants looks are make them feel while they are eating. Chefs and health inspectors agree that a clean bathroom is usually an indicator of the rest of the restaurant and when visiting a restaurant for the first time it is the first place you should visit (Lempert). Conversely, overflowing trash, stopped up drains, lack of hot water or soap in washrooms indicate that the restaurant is not paying attention to fundamental cleanliness practices. They look at the waiters and the way they welcome their families to the restaurant. The waiters are there hygiene nice and neat. Always remember that they are handling the food you are about to eat. When families are at home they do not have to worry about who prepared their meal and were their hands clean when they cooked it. When families are at home they automatically clean their kitchen once the family is done. Families now days are starting to eat healthier. Some families have become overweight because of eating problems and not eating enough healthy foods. Restaurants have some healthy foods but not a lot because when families go to restaurants they intend to get what they want. For instance, if someone was on a diet and they go to a restaurant they are not going to look in see how many calories are in the meal. They would just eat the meal because it was either good to them or their favorite meal. But if that person was at home they would try to make that dish as healthy as they could for their family. More than 70 percent of consumers believe the food they eat at home is healthier than meals consumed out, according to a national telephone survey of more than 1,000 U. S. shoppers conducted for the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) and Prevention magazine (DeJohn). Some restaurants have healthy foods McDonald’s has their Caesar, Southwest, and Ranch salads that come with grilled or crispy chicken. They also have the fruit and walnut salads, parfaits, and apple dippers that are healthy. But some people do not look at the healthy side of the restaurant. They look at the negative. Restaurants can be particularly challenging to anyone who wants to eat a healthy diet (Kathi). Restaurant food is rich, fatty, salty, and often high in carbohydrates (Kathi). Also, restaurant portions tend to be much bigger than you would serve yourself at home. Families in the world today think about how to save more money than spending more money. Once families think about how much they spend eating out they could have made the same meal at home for much cheaper. When your mother have gone to McDonald’s and bought four Double Cheeseburger meals for $3. 18 a piece she has paid almost thirteen dollars for the family that day. She could have gone to the grocery store and bought some hamburger meat, French fries, and sodas for fewer than fifteen dollars. When you eat at a restaurant families like to be comfortable and feel welcome to be there. At some restaurants families do not feel comfortable being at. For example, when a school has a basketball game and everyone goes to McDonald’s afterwards. No customer would want to come in there after some school children have came in the place. The restaurant would be a mess. But if the family was eating at home after the games they could be more comfortable because they would not have to worry about being in line and seeing the place a mess. Also, when families go to a nice restaurant they have to put on their best clothes in order to go eat and come back home. When you eat at home your children can eat with their pajamas on and be comfortable. Some families have birthdays at fast- food restaurants especially McDonald’s, Chuck-E-Cheese, and the bowling alley. When your children receive birthday party invitations those are the types of restaurants people are having their child parties. So by the time that parent buys all those children Happy Meals or pizza they have spent almost sixty dollars plus cake and ice cream. If that parent would have just cooked at home they would have saved a lot more money than going to different types of restaurants to eat. There are a lot of benefits and thoughts that run through family head in order to save money. Families think about if they save this money by eating at home they could maybe go on vacation. Families have to think about a lot of stuff in order to eat at that particular restaurant or at home. If my family eats here tonight will they be eating healthy and will any of my family break out because of any ingredients they put into the food. Some people wonder if they eat out will they have enough gas money to make it to work tomorrow. But it would depend what grocery store your mother shops in because every grocery store be either lower or higher than the other stores. So eating at home is much cheaper than going out to a restaurant just remember to think about the good things that families could do if they would just stop eating out. Work Cited DeJOhn, Christopher, â€Å"Eating Healthier at Home. † Food. Business, 26 January 2007. Web 1 March 2010. Kathi. â€Å"Healthier Eating at Parties, Restaurants, and During the Holidays. † Lifestyle. MIT, 21 January 2008. Web 1 March 2010. Lampert, Phil. â€Å"The Dangers of Eating Out. † Security World. MIT, n. d. Web. 1 March 2010. Steebdahl, Christine. â€Å"Healthy Reason For Eating In. † Stop the Eating Out Cycle- The Benefits of Eating at Home. MIT, n. d. Web 1 March 2010.

Civic Engagement and Social Responsibility Free Essay Example, 1000 words

During this era, whites were superior in every sense and other people had to deprive their wants or needs for them. This arrest sparked controversy and hence King and other comrades formed the Montgomery improvement association (MIA) to protest this arrest. This group headed by King organized a boycott of the Montgomery buses where the lack populace stayed off the buses (King, paper1:300). The boycott extended to thirteen full months when the Supreme Court failed to address their concerns. King was vehement in his public talks that they would fight with determination to attain justice. King and his comrades wanted fairness in the bus system and for a long time fight efforts. Their needs were not met. However, the boycott elicited external support and other individuals moved by his ideals sought him to help him out in his civil rights. The non-violent direct action finally bore fruits when in 1956, the federal district court ruled that bus segregation was unconstitutional and laws re quiring segregated seating were struck down. What was more compelling to other people of Montgomery to help the civil rights movement was not the boycott largely but the tactic used by King to combine mass non-violent protests with true Christian morals which became a strong model to challenge the standing of the southern population against racial equality. We will write a custom essay sample on Civic Engagement and Social Responsibility or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now His tactics were similar to Gandhi who used similar methods of non-violent civil disobedience to instill change in native India (King, papers, 359-357). His success in propelling the drive for equal rights consequently made him a target of conservative segregationist who firmly believed that the white race was ultimate superior and hence social change to them was not an option. It was due to this, that he got arrested twenty times within ten years and had his family threatened with two unsuccessful bombings of his home. This however did not deter him or his spirit as he urged his followers on that even if he died someone else would take his place. From a young age we are taught to be obedient to the rules set by authority and wait till the same authority wills to modify the rules. We are streamlined to follow these rules because doing otherwise will remit punishment. In Dr. King’s letter from Birmingham, he cries to his fellow men the colore d race that they have been ordered to wait all their life, this waiting in the language of authority can be translated to never. He voices that their wait for justice has been long foregone and that sometimes â€Å"justice too long delayed is simply justice denied. † (King, Call, 171-199) In this letter, his plea to his people is that sometimes it reaches a certain point that individuals will have to disobey so that good prevails.