Important Sociologists of AICE Sociology AS

Durkheim

Did a statistical study on the different suicide rates of societies.

Parsons

GAIL, functional fit thesis, four functional subsystems

Eisenstadt

Studied teenage anxiety, stressed importance of 'youth culture'

Merton

Manifest and latent function

Murdock

Studied the universality of family, nuclear family is universal

Fletcher

Core functions and peripheral functions of the family; Warm Bath Theory

Marx

The experience of work under capitalism. His theory emphasizes the centrality of class conflict in society

Engles

Monogamous nuclear family developed to solve issue of inheritance of private property

Bourdieu

Developed theory of cultural capital

Althusser

Ideological State Apparatus/Repressive State Apparatus

Zaretsky

Passing of ruling class ideology through the family. Argues that the majority of consumerism is conducted through the family institution

Bowles & Gintis

Schools prepare students for adult work by socializing them into values and

norms that will make them uncomplaining workers.

Duncombe & Marsden

Women perform a 'triple shift' within the family

Bruegel

Women are a reserve army of labor

Oakely

Female identities are shaped in childhood- 3 types of femininity

Gershuny

Women of all ages, ethnicities, and classes do more domestic labor than men

Murray

Single parenthood has contributed to creation of an antisocial underclass

Morgan

Argues against cohabitation. Cohabitation is more unstable and potentially abusive compared to marriage.

Garfinkel

Developed the breaching experiment

Venkatesh

Conducted an overt-observational study with a Chicago street gang

Wallis

Tried a covert-observation study on scientology, instead ended up doing semi-structured interviews on former members.

Rosenthal & Jacobson

Pygmalion Effect, teacher expectations can influence student performance

Rosenhan

tested the validity of Psychiatric diagnosis

Milgram

Performed a shock experiment to test obedience and authority

Giddens

Relationship between society and individual is determined both through structure and action.

Weber

Social Action, Protestant Work Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism

Willmott & Young

Symmetrical Family; conjugal roles have become equal as women have moved into the workforce

Anderson

Argued against Parsons. Argued that there was no one dominant family structure during the industrialization process

Postman

'Open Admission Technologies' expose children to images of adulthood; "Disappearing Childhood"

Elkins

Different forms of family: nuclear, two parents working together, single parent, reconstituted, etc

Stacey

"Every family is an alternative family." Families work out their personal lifestyles as best they can