Soc 101 Sociological Theories And Education

Sociological Theories and EducationJessica ValentineSOC 101 Introduction to Sociology Professor Mandee RowleyJuly 28, 2012Sociological Theories and EducationIn the world there are many types of scientific pursuits that try and make sense of all the different things that happen to people and how it affects them, sociology is but one of them. Merriam-Webster defines sociology as “the science of society, social institutions, and social relationships; specifically: the systematic study of the development, structure, interaction, and collective behavior of organized groups of human beings.” (2011) simply put, sociology is a way of studying what, how, and why people do the things that they choose to do. In sociology there are three well established theories, functionalist, conflict, and social interactionism, each of which gives a different way of looking at society. Functionalist theory basically suggests that society is made up of interconnected institutions and supports strength through social harmony. (Vissing, 2011) Conflict theorist make the case that there is an ordered system of inequality that is beneficial to the people and organizations that have more power and resources than others. (Vissing, 2011) The