ESP 3521 & ESE 4521 Notes PDF

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ESP 3521 & ESE 4521 NOTESCOMPILER: NKOSI T MAY 2019NB: The Notes are combined to cater the scope of 2 different modules, so only focus on what is in your Scope. Also attend Tutorials as other important things such as how to use this summary to answer questions in the exam will be explained i...

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ESP 3521 & ESE 4521 NOTES COMPILER: NKOSI T.R

MAY 2019

NB: The Notes are combined to cater the scope of 2 different modules, so only focus on what is in your Scope. Also attend Tutorials as other important things such as how to use this summary to answer questions in the exam will be explained in class. TOPIC: STRUCTURAL FUNCTIONALIST THEORY ON SOCIETY The main contributors of this theory is Auguste Comte, Emile Durkheim, Bronislaw Malinowski, Herbert Spencer, Talcott Parsons, Alfred Radcliffe-Brown, Kingsley Davis and Wilbert Moore. 1. Main Ideas on Society: Society is both structural and functional system. a) Society as structural ● According to Herbert Spencer this can be explained by the theory of Spencer's organic analogy. ● Organic analogy mean that the society is like human body with parts or subsystems that are interconnected/interrelated/interdependent. ● E.g. The society as a system also have subsystems such as education,religion, economy, government, family and are interrelated. ● The sub-systems also have their own subsystems. ● Society is a macro system (whole) with micro or subsystems. ● The subsystems work for the good of the whole society as well as for the other parts. ● The subsystems cannot exist without or outside the whole society. ● The subsystems are there to preserve or maintain the whole society. b) Society as a functional system ● Every subsystem has manifest or specific functions in contribution to whole Society. ● The subsystems function to achieve society’s social Needs. ● E.g. security, social integration, socializing society’s culture and value consensus, physical needs like food, shelter, clothes, order/peace. ● Each subsystem has the role of transmitting value consensus. ● Disturbance in one part causes social disequilibrium or social illness in the whole and other subsystems. ● The parts depend on each other to function well – they are interconnected and Interdependent.

2. Talcott Parsons’ Particularistic and Universalistic functionalism Particularistic functions ★ Refers to the aspects that only serve the subsystem e.g. the family playing a role in primary socialization. ★ This refers to the part of the family treating their child like only particular child in the society. ★ Particularistic functionalism also means that, in the family the child is judged in terms of particularistic standards. ★ E.g. Parents treat the child as an egg and as their particular child, yet in society the individual is treated in terms of universalistic standards which are applied to all members. ★ The way in which the child is treated affects the way in which the child will behave at school. ★ The child’s cognitive development is influenced by primary socialization at home where he is treated like the only the only child. ★ Children's socialisation skills develop at home before they go to school and the way in which they were raised affect the part of their future learning in school. ★ E.g children who were raised by good parents grow up with confidence and participate more in the process of teaching and learning when a teacher asks a question. Universalistic function ★ This one serve the society as a whole or help to achieve society’s social prerequisites. ★ The part of socializing role is now a secondary one which happens strictly at schools in the process of teaching and learning. ★ Parsons argues that after primary socialisation within the family, the school takes over as the 'main agent of socialisation. ★ The school now act as a bridge between family and society, preparing children for their adult role. ★ The process of teaching, learning, presenting and participating by learners improve the performance of education. ★ The universalistic functions are affected by the particularistic function. ★ Now the child is no longer treated like th only but attention is given to all the children in school. ★ This function helps on achieving the role of the society. ★ E.g children begin to get education and learn to live with others especially in South African Education system. ★ The child learn the culture and values of the school and society. 3. Robert Merton’s Manifest and Latent functionalism

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a) Manifest functions ➢ This are the main functions and are based on achieving the role of a subsystem. ➢ This functions are planned, intended, desired and are positive as they have a primary role of a subsystem. ➢ E.g The role of people in the society is to be educated so that the society can function well. ➢ Manifest functions help in achieving society’s social prerequisites, e.g. the manifest functions of education is to be selected and allocated in jobs after graduation. ➢ The role of teaching function as a subsystem is to teach the young ones about numeracy, literacy and life skills in order to introduce them to real life. ➢ With this function the family is able to reproduces and socializes new members of society. b) Latent functions ➢ Are the functions which are unplanned or unprepared by they automatically happen. ➢ They are also know as a secondary role function. ➢ These roles are can be from subsystem but are positive in serving the social interests of society. ➢ E.g. choosing a spouse (a spouse is a person you are married with) and marrying at college. ➢ Latent functions are therefore not dysfunctional to society. ➢ Meaning t they do not cause social harm or social or disequilibrium. ➢ This is everything that happen unplanned but achieve a specific important goal for the society. ➢ E.g Not choosing a degree of teaching but end up as a teacher one day E.g PGCE Students or those who did a degree of Commerce and asked to come and help in a school. c) Dysfunctionalism ➢ is whereby a subsystem fails to achieve its manifest. ➢ Is when the functions make society to fail in achieving its social prerequisites. ➢ e.g. high failure rate and unskilled graduates from education causeunemployment and poverty. ➢ Lazy teacher can cause lazy learners ➢ Lazy learners can cause failure

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