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A 4 page research paper that, first of all, defines critical theory and then compares it to the work of Cooley and Mead and to functionalism. It concludes by discussing critical theory as a sociological theory. Bibliography lists 2 sources.
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4 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_khcritt.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
the eighteenth century European Enlightenment, which proposed that it would be impossible for modern capitalist society to achieve the Enlightenment ideal of a "rational, just, and humane society," -- at
least not without considerable reformation or substantial transformation (Nowlan, 2001). The Enlightenment ideal holds that an ideal society embodies the highest values of human society and, thereby, ensures that consistent
progress toward the attainment of liberty, justice, and prosperity for all citizens (Nowlan, 2001). In contrast to this conceptualization of the world, critical theory questions and challenges the "seeming
obviousness, naturalness, immediacy and simplicity of the world around us" (Nowlin, 2001). As this suggests, critical theory involves questioning and challenging the status quo. It explores what is accepted and
considered as "inevitable." Critical theory is-- ...always particularly concerned with inquiring into the problems and limitations, the blindness and mistakes, the contradictions and incoherence, the injustices and inequities in how
we as human beings, operating within particularly kinds of structures and hierarchies of relations with each other, facilitated and regulated by particular kinds of institutions, engaged in particular kinds of
processes and practices, have formed, reformed and transformed ourselves, each other and the communities, cultures and world in which we live (Nowlan, 2001). As this indicates, critical theory
is highly involved in sociological perspectives. Yet it also differs from both the conceptualizations of Cooley and Mead and that of functionalism. R.H. Anderson (2003), of the University of
Colorado at Denver, points out that there are two broad categories that are useful in discussing sociological knowledge: micro and macro. Micro sociology focuses on the actions of individuals and
small groups. Macro sociology focuses on societies as a whole, the relationships between large groups, structures and institutions. Critical theory is a macro-sociological approach that considers the broader picture when
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