Learning Objectives
identify the contributions of modern systems theory to sociology; |
understand the general principles of systems theory and define such concepts as entropy, negentropy, morphogenesis, and morphostasis; |
contrast the tenets of Niklas Luhmann's general systems theory to Talcott Parsons's structural-functionalism (e.g., the problems of self-reference and contingency); |
discuss the relationship between systems, environments, complexity, and risk; |
describe the characteristics of autopoietic systems; |
understand the relationships between society and psychic systems (e.g., communication, meaning, and action); |
discuss the problem of double contingency; |
describe Luhmann's theory of evolution and the processes of variation, selection, and the stabilization of reproducible characteristics; |
discuss the different forms of differentiation; |
define and discuss Luhmann's codes; |
identify the problems of functional differentiation; |
discuss Luhmann's sociology of knowledge and its implications for sociological research; and |
discuss criticisms of Luhmann's systems theory. |
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2004 McGraw-Hill Higher Education