Chicago and Iowa Schools, Essay Example

The differing aspects of the Chicago and Iowa schools of symbolic interactionism are a little unclear. Overall, this theoretical perspective makes the most sense to me. Complications can serve to frustrate otherwise-simple situations. The environment, the society, and the individual are all unique and can combine in different ways to produce different effects.

The functionalist perspective’s description of manifest and latent functions could be utilized in many disciplines: Sociology, Psychology, Biology, Education, etc. This premise is a major component of literary analysis as well, which considers the literal depiction of situations and their added emphasis and symbolism according to subtle, complex details.

With the materialistic nature of American life, the “Haves and Have Not’s” model of conflict presents a common contemporary, nationalistic view of international politics. Specifically, the assumption is often that foreign dislike for American ways of life and international policy spring from jealousy. Even if some embitterment is caused by American materialistic affluence, it does not account for such a large portion of political prejudice as is often believed.

Personally, the participant versus non-participant discussions presented the most conflict of benefit and cost analysis. After all, the participant has the experience and first-hand knowledge, which also necessarily exposes them to the biases of personalized viewpoint; non-participant observation can often be more objective but also very impractical and not well-informed. For ethnographies in particular, a participant view could reflect projection upon the group studied. Thus, the dilemma is much like the debate between practice and pedagogy which rages in the field of education.

The most potential can be found in secondary analysis of existing data. Just as academic sources are peer-reviewed before they are included in reputable databases, an impartial criticism or application to previously-unconnected knowledge presents a brave new world of opportunities facilitated by the globalization of credible research. However, the research methods are particularly important to establishing the credibility of linking such different perspectives in a lasting and meaningful way. Experimentation is validation- a chance for non-participant readers to qualify the information presented.