For a conflict theorist, established educational methods are seen as reinforcing the dominant societal culture and issues of privilege. Having membership in a culture, a subculture, or a counterculture brings camaraderie and social cohesion and benefits the larger society by providing places for people who share similar ideas.Ĭonflict theorists, however, view social structure as inherently unequal, based on power differentials related to issues like class, gender, race, and age. His pedestal reads “Truth-Justice-The American Way.” How would a functionalist interpret this statue? What does it reveal about the values of American culture? (Credit: David Wilson/flickr)įunctionalists view the different categories of culture as serving many functions. In contrast, if education consisted of only providing guidelines and some study material without the other elements, that would demonstrate that the culture places a lower value on education.įigure 3.11 This statue of Superman stands in the center of Metropolis, Illinois. The culture of education-including material culture such as classrooms, textbooks, libraries, educational technology, dormitories and non-material culture such as specific teaching approaches-demonstrates how much emphasis is placed on the value of educating a society’s members. For example, education is highly valued in the U.S. Just as members of a society work together to fulfill a society’s needs, culture exists to meet its members’ social and personal needs.įunctionalists also study culture in terms of values. Cultural norms function to support the fluid operation of society, and cultural values guide people in making choices. Looking at life in this way, societies need culture to exist. They often use the human body as an analogy. But what do they mean? How do sociologists perceive and interpret culture based on these material and nonmaterial items? Let’s finish our analysis of culture by reviewing them in the context of three theoretical perspectives: functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interactionism.įunctionalists view society as a system in which all parts work-or function-together to create society as a whole. Music, fashion, technology, and values-all are products of culture. Discuss the major theoretical approaches to cultural interpretation.By the end of this section you should be able to:
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