Introduction to Sociology - Talcott Parsons - Мария Серкина | Library

Instructions

1. Watch A.P. Segal's lecture on the structural functionalism of Talcott Parsons

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Talcott Parsons aligned himself with which sociological perspective?

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Within Parsons' structural-functional theory, there are strong influences from economics, biology, psychology, anthropology, and medicine.

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Parsons' grand theory of sociology mirrors that of Herbert Spencer, but their ideas are quite different.

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For Parsons individuals act on the basis of three main irrational motivations: greed, lust, and hate

This task concerns your knowledge and understanding of Parsons' Some Sociological Aspects of the Fascist Movements. Read the text attached below and in your own words, answer one of the following questions:
Question 1: What are the central conditions for an appropriately integrated society? What contributes to anomie? (page 138 to 139)
Question 2: What are the specifically Western developments that contributed to the general rise of anomie in the 19th century? (page 139 to 140)
Question 3: How has the "process of rationalization" contributed to the rise of anomie in the Western world? (page 140 to 142)
Question 4: What are the shortcomings of the "rationalistic scheme of thought"? What kind of reactionary movement did it provoke? (page 143)
Question 5: What are the "two principal foci" of antagonism in highly anomic social systems? (page 144  to 145)
Question 6: What is the relation between 'nationalism' and 'fascism'? (page 145)
You may use your own examples and ways of explaining what Parsons meant. What I do not want is a sentence-by-sentence paraphrase taken from our readings or the internet. As a rule of thumb, a paraphrase is illegitimate if you spend more time thinking about synonyms than about the author's ideas. Read the text (or relevant parts of it), then try to imagine how you would explain it to a fellow student of sociology. This is a reproductive task: your own views or arguments against Parsons should be set aside for the time being.
The word count is 250 to 500 words.

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Write your mini-essay here

Introduction: read one of the most famous polemical responses to Parsons' writing in general attached below. This work has made a lasting impact on the reception of Parsons-like research, and will be one of our first considerations of the reception of a thinker, rather than a direct engagement with their original contributions. As always, be critical: just because something is agreeable doesn't make it valid - don't trust any author because they think like you, see what kind of resources they mobilize to make their point: are there good arguments, data, distinctions?
Instructions: read Mills' chapter two - "Grand Theory". In at least 200 words, evaluate: is Mills' critique fair? Substantiate your position. Relate it to your previous reading of Parsons.