Contents:

Functionalism……………………………………………………………Pg.3
Marxism………………………………………………………………….Pg.4
Feminism………………………………………………………………...Pg.5
Interactionism…………………………………………………………...Pg.6
Collectivism……………………………………………………………...Pg.7
Post-Modernism………………………………………………………...Pg.8
New Right………………………………………………………………..Pg.9
You (Me)…………………………………………………………………Pg.10

Functionalism
According to the functionalist perspective of sociology, each aspect of society is interdependent and contributes to society’s stability and functioning as a whole. For example, the government provides education for the children of the family, which in turn pays taxes on which the state depends to keep itself running. That is, the family is independent upon the school to help children grow up to have good jobs so that they can raise and support their own families. In the process, the children become law-abiding, taxpaying citizens, who in turn support the state. If all goes well and to plan, parts of the society produce order, stability and productivity. If all doesn’t go to plan, then parts of the society then must adapt to recapture a new order, stability and productivity. For example, during a financial recession with its high rates of unemployment and inflation, social programs are trimmed or cut. Schools offer fewer programs. Then a new social order, stability and productivity occur. Functionalists also believe that society is held together by social consensus, in which members of the society agree upon, and works together to achieve, what is best for society altogether. Functionalism has received criticism for neglecting the negative functions of an event, such as divorce. Critics also claim that the perspective justifies the status quo and complacency on the part of society’s members. Functionalism does not encourage people to take an active role in changing their social environment, even when such