Introduction to Sociology

GLOSSARY

grand theories: an attempt to explain large-scale relationships and answer fundamental questions such as why societies form and why they change
hypothesis: a testable proposition
macro-level theories: a wide-scale view of the role of social structures within a society
micro-level theories: the study of specific relationships between individuals or small groups
paradigms: philosophical and theoretical frameworks used within a discipline to formulate theories, generalizations, and the experiments performed in support of them
theory: a proposed explanation about social interactions or society
LICENSES AND ATTRIBUTIONS
CC LICENSED CONTENT, SHARED PREVIOUSLY

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  Major Sociological Paradigms: Crash Course Sociology #2. Provided by: CrashCourse. Located at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbTt_ySTjaY. License: Other. License Terms: Standard YouTube License
  
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  Modification, adaptation, and original content. Provided by: Lumen Learning. License: CC BY: Attribution
  
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  Theoretical Perspectives. Authored by: OpenStax CNX. Located at: https://cnx.org/contents/AgQDEnLI@11.2:QMRfI2p1@11/Theoretical-Perspectives. License: CC BY: Attribution. License Terms: Download for free at http://cnx.org/contents/02040312-72c8-441e-a685-20e9333f3e1d@3.49
  

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Structural-Functional Theory

LEARNING OUTCOMES

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  Summarize the structural-functional theory
  
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  Apply the structural-functional theory
  

Sociological Paradigm #1: Structural-functional theory

Figure 1. Functionalism emphasizes how various social institutions work together to meet the needs of a society.