Question

Choose two of the three sociologists: Durkheim, Marx, Weber, and use their arguments to explain a current social event such as the Occupy movement. Do their theories hold up under modern scrutiny?
Think of the ways workers are alienated from the product and process of their jobs. How can these concepts be applied to students and their educations?

Answer 1

Answer:

Occupy movement could be explained through Durkheimn's Functionalism theory and Karl Marx's Conflict theory.

Studying collective behavior it could be stated that there is a collective conscience that condemns and punishes Occupy's actions and behaviors. Due to they could be considered deviant or criminal, offending this collective conscience, Durkheim would consider the Occupy movement as a "social fact". The movement would support Durkheim's theory as a social force because it is external to the individual.

This collective conscience can evolve to organic solidarity, and in the long run, there could be anomie, while the whole society no longer supports a collective consciousness in favor of what Wall Street stands for.

This change in collective conscience could be reflected in education, due to there would not be a single and unique collective conscience taught to all the students. This organic process derived from the division of labor is also shown on a full-range diversity of interests and, therefore, of interdependent students alienated from each other with singular perspectives about the Occupy movement.

Marx would support the last phenomenon as an example of a society splitting up into hostile classes facing each other. Alienation could be referred to as several students isolated from their society and competing among themselves. Another result of alienation is false consciousness, where beliefs, ideals or ideologies are not in the person's own best interest. These beliefs, ideas or ideologies are also present in an educational proposal that may not fit the individual's interests.