Theory
Functionalism
Discover More The Functionalist Perspective
At the start of the lesson, students can be asked to write down as many Sociological terms from the reading as they can (regardless of whether they understand the concepts at this point). Then, working in pairs, students can compare lists and attempt to describe the terms to each other, before fact-checking definitions using available resources.
The teacher can then draw out a human body as representative of the ‘organic analogy’ to which the students add the names of various social institutions. Working in groups, students can discuss what would, or has happened, when one institution is not performing as it should.
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