Conflict Theory Complete Discussion
Question Description
I have attached the file below. please read the discussion lecture and complete the discussion question which is on the last page. The post must be minimum of 2 paragraphs. The topic is about sports/cultures. Complete the post from a guys perspective. Interested Sport: Basketball.
I have also attached Chapter 1 reading, you can use it if needed.
I have also attached Chapter 1 reading, you can use it if needed.
Attachment previewDISCUSSION LECTURE:
For the second half of Chapter 1, I want us to focus on the various sociological theories that the authors discuss and I want us to practice applying these theories to the world around us and the sports that we are interested in.
Sociological theories often act as lens from which we can view the social world. They guide our thinking, narrow our focus, and help us notice aspects of the world that we might otherwise miss. We can think of our sociological theories as being similar to road maps. They simplify the world in order to allow us to understand it and navigate it. In addition, when we map the world, we create opportunities to change it, which then requires us to redraw the map. For example, think back to the gold rush that helped build California. In the mid 1800s, we might have seen a lot of maps that displayed California as a great place to mine for gold, but by 1900 those maps would not do a great job of representing reality and we would need to redraw them.
The first theory that our chapter discusses is functionalism. My definition of functionalism is a little different than our authors, and I’ll discuss my definition in a later posting (I don’t want to confuse you now), but our authors definition is that it allows us to see sport as a representation and reinforcement of the North American way of life. Our sports often promote competition, individualism, achievements, and playing by the rules, which are all key aspects of our way of life. Sport acts as a powerful tool to socialize youth and infuse desirable character traits such as accepting authority, striving for good health, and so on. For our authors, functionalism allows us to see how sport maintains society. (Read this section very closely in the chapter. Maybe read twice. It is that important.)
Conflict theory is our next key sociological theory. This theory is somewhat based off of Karl Marx’s work, which is often an extension of and response to Adam Smith’s work on capitalism. Conflict theorists do not see society as an organism that has many parts that are working together, instead they see society as made up by many parts that are battling for dominance and control. From this perspective, we usually see that those who are wealthy and powerful are using their resources to maintain their power over society. We are also alerted to how unequal power relations create disharmony, disruption, and instability. Unlike the functionalists, conflict theorists see the appearance of social harmony, stability, and consensus as an illusion.
For the second half of Chapter 1, I want us to focus on the various sociological theories that the authors discuss and I want us to practice applying these theories to the world around us and the sports that we are interested in.
Sociological theories often act as lens from which we can view the social world. They guide our thinking, narrow our focus, and help us notice aspects of the world that we might otherwise miss. We can think of our sociological theories as being similar to road maps. They simplify the world in order to allow us to understand it and navigate it. In addition, when we map the world, we create opportunities to change it, which then requires us to redraw the map. For example, think back to the gold rush that helped build California. In the mid 1800s, we might have seen a lot of maps that displayed California as a great place to mine for gold, but by 1900 those maps would not do a great job of representing reality and we would need to redraw them.
The first theory that our chapter discusses is functionalism. My definition of functionalism is a little different than our authors, and I’ll discuss my definition in a later posting (I don’t want to confuse you now), but our authors definition is that it allows us to see sport as a representation and reinforcement of the North American way of life. Our sports often promote competition, individualism, achievements, and playing by the rules, which are all key aspects of our way of life. Sport acts as a powerful tool to socialize youth and infuse desirable character traits such as accepting authority, striving for good health, and so on. For our authors, functionalism allows us to see how sport maintains society. (Read this section very closely in the chapter. Maybe read twice. It is that important.)
Conflict theory is our next key sociological theory. This theory is somewhat based off of Karl Marx’s work, which is often an extension of and response to Adam Smith’s work on capitalism. Conflict theorists do not see society as an organism that has many parts that are working together, instead they see society as made up by many parts that are battling for dominance and control. From this perspective, we usually see that those who are wealthy and powerful are using their resources to maintain their power over society. We are also alerted to how unequal power relations create disharmony, disruption, and instability. Unlike the functionalists, conflict theorists see the appearance of social harmony, stability, and consensus as an illusion.
