Sociological Theories & Education

Sociological Theories & Education
Introduction to Sociology: SOC 101

Sociological Theories & Education
Education is a social institution that has become a very import part of everyone’s life. It is a rite of passage for most individuals to pass through before they enter into the “real world”.   In today’s society, without a proper education, there are many opportunities that would be missed, or unavailable, to those that make the choice to not achieve the level of education that is required. There are three major theoretical perspectives in sociology that have impacted education as a social institution in a vast variety of ways. In the following paper, I will explain how the functionalist, conflict, and interactionist perspective have affected education in the past and within our society today.
The three major theoretical perspectives that are prominent in sociology are functionalism, conflict, and interactionism. These three theories play an important role in helping to understand education and why it is important. Instead of focusing on one point of view, they offer a wider variety of understanding on how sociologists, and people in general, view the world and education. Martin Luther King Jr. once said “the function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education.”   Without sociological theories to help understand what education is all about and why education is important, we would not get the true identity of education.
Education is one of the key factors in securing a good job, and maintaining job security, but it also has many other functions.   As one advances through the different levels f school, it is only natural that within the interactions of different people, from different backgrounds, and different culture, we build our social skills. We learn how to handle different situations, and deal with people on many different levels. Advancing through...