Classical Sociological Theory, 4/e

Talcott Parsons

Learning Objectives

After reading this chapter, students should be able to:

discuss the general significance of Talcott Parsons's contributions to sociological theory;
identify the philosophical roots of Parsons's thought;
discuss the components of Parsons's action theory and his eventual movement away from it;
discuss the tenets of functionalism;
understand the properties of action systems and the different kinds of systems Parsons envisioned; and
discuss the sources of change and dynamism in Parsons's work, especially his evolutionary theory and the generalized media of exchange.

2004 McGraw-Hill Higher Education

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