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Foundations of Sociology : Exercise 2 - Theoretical paradigms of sociology


Instructions: Read each passage and click on the correct answer. Scroll down if you do not see the Answer box. If wrong, try again.
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The Social-Conflict Paradigm

     Some sociologists disagree with the structural-functional paradigm's focus on society as groups of stable and ordered systems. They argue that this paradigm ignores the inequalities (differences) of social class, race and gender (sexual identity), etc. As a response to this criticism of the structural-functional paradigm, sociologists developed the social-conflict paradigm. However, the structural-functional and the social-conflict paradigms are not entirely different. They both study society from a macro-level (large scale focus); they both look broadly at how social structures (patterns of social behaviors) shape society as a whole.

     The social-conflict paradigm views inequalities in society as a source of conflict and change. Sociologists who share this approach try to find out how social class, race, ethnicity, religion, gender and age are related to the unequal distribution of money, power, education, and social status. They disagree with the idea that social structures help keep society together. Instead, these sociologists believe social structures benefit some people while they harm others. As a result, there is conflict between the advantaged (people with money and power) and the disadvantaged (people without money or power). Those who have money and power try to protect their resources, while those who don't have money and power struggle to get some.

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