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Theoretical Foundations of Culture, Society and Politics

The document discusses theories and theoretical paradigms. It defines a theory as a wide-ranging set of explanations for a natural phenomenon that is backed by facts. Theories provide a logical framework for understanding observations and predicting future events. In sociology, a theory is a set of fundamental assumptions about the nature of society that guides sociological thinking. Theories develop concepts and principles to explain phenomena and predict outcomes. Sociologists can take macro or micro views, examining either large social phenomena or immediate social interactions.

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415 views

Theoretical Foundations of Culture, Society and Politics

The document discusses theories and theoretical paradigms. It defines a theory as a wide-ranging set of explanations for a natural phenomenon that is backed by facts. Theories provide a logical framework for understanding observations and predicting future events. In sociology, a theory is a set of fundamental assumptions about the nature of society that guides sociological thinking. Theories develop concepts and principles to explain phenomena and predict outcomes. Sociologists can take macro or micro views, examining either large social phenomena or immediate social interactions.

Uploaded by

Sonny Boy Sajonia
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Theoretical Foundations of Culture, Society and Politics

• Humans seek explanations about why things happen. Each person has ideas
about the nature of existence, motion, and relationships.
• Our ideas come from everywhere – from experiences conversations,
materials we read, mass media, social media we access, advertisements we
are exposed to, our teachers, family, friends, and foes – all these are sources
of our ideas.
• Ex. You have observed that your classmate who is an avid Korean pop fanatic
can sing K-pop songs really well, but when you asked what the lyrics mean,
she tells you, “ I don’t actually know. Does it matter? I just like K-pop.” This
intrigues you, and you try to find out how someone could like something he
or she cannot understand. Could it be that lyrics are secondary to the beat
or melody. Trying to go beyond what common sense tells you is a good
thing! When you are seeking for explanations, you are starting to theorize.
A. What is Theory
• Our own personal theories about our existence, our society, our
world, among others stem from our beliefs and assumptions, which
may or may not have some factual basis.
• Instead of theory, some academicians use the phrase school of
thought or paradigm.
• A theory is a wide-ranging set of explanations of an important feature
of nature that is backed up by facts.
• When we formulate a theory, we are making predictions about a
phenomenon that is yet to happen.
• The components of theory are concepts (ideally well defined) and
principles.
• A concept is a symbolic representation of an actual thing - tree, chair,
table, computer, distance, etc.
• Construct is the word for concepts with no physical referent -
democracy, learning, freedom, etc. Language enables
conceptualization.
• A principle expresses the relationship between two or more concepts
or constructs. In the process of theory development, one derives
principles based on one’s examining/questioning how things/concepts
are related.
• Theories are crucial to science, because they provide a logical
framework for making sense out of scientific observations. An
example of a theory is the theory of evolution. Without this theory,
biologists would simply compare and contrast the organisms. The lack
of a plausible explanation would make us question their findings.
• What about theories in the social sciences? Certainly, formulating
theories about people is trickier, because we can easily change our
minds or mask our feelings. Hence, we may not be truthful with our
answers.
B. Theoretical Paradigms
• Situation…Just Pure Luck or…?
Ethan, an engineering student, woke up late. He rushed to the bathroom
to take a quick shower, then wore his uniform and ate his breakfast of rice,
eggs, and hotdog in a flash. Grabbing backpack, it took him just five minutes
to catch a jeepney. He arrived just in time for his class to start.
Ethan knows that he has made it a habit to always rush every morning for
his classes but so far, he has been lucky. “I am seldom date,” he said.

 How can we explain Ethan’s situation? Is there something else operating


that enables him to be prompt?
Is it luck, or is there a system that actually works, making it possible for
people to be able to go about their lives?
• Trying to formulate explanations means you are beginning to theorize.
• In Sociology, a theory is a set of general assumptions about the nature
of society. It is a set of fundamental assumptions about society that
guides sociological thinking and research, which allows us to analyze
effectively any dimension of society.
Concepts and principles serve two important functions:
1) They help us to understand or explain what is going on around
us.
2) They help us predict future events (Can be causal or
correlational)
• Theories are crucial to science because they provide a logical
framework for making sense out of scientific observations. In
sociology, a theory is a set of general assumptions about the nature of
society.
Macro versus Micro View

• Sociologists may study human society by focusing on the large social


phenomena or the “big picture,” such as social institutions and
inequality, to see how it operates. This is the macro view.
• sociologists can also zero in on the immediate social situation where
people interact with one another, or looking at the situational
patterns of social interaction. This is the micro view.

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