text: Talcott Parsons ( December 13 , 1902 â `` May 8 , 1979 ) was an American sociologist who served on the faculty of Harvard University from 1927 to 1973 .
simplified: Talcott Parsons ( December 13 , 1902 - May 8 , 1979 ) was a American who created an idea called structural functionalism .