Introductory topic

Question 1

what is sociology?

Answer 1

Sociology is the study of society - patterns of social relationships and social interactions within and between groups, and the culture that surrounds everyday life.

Question 2

what is modernity?

Answer 2

It is the modernising process whereby agricultural societies gave way to industrial and urban societies.

Question 3

who were the founding fathers?

Answer 3

Marx, Durkheim, Weber, Comte

Question 4

what did Karl Marx believe in?

Answer 4

Saw modernisation as an opportunity for creating a progressive society hat could reflect the interests of the people- communism

Question 5

what did Emile Durkhem believe in?

Answer 5

She advocated reform but was concerned that too much rapid social change could undermine the stability of society

Question 6

What did Mark Weber believe in?

Answer 6

Mark Weber believed in social action theory - people and their interactions with others contribute to the shaping of society.

Question 7

What did Auguste Comte believe in?

Answer 7

he believed all human life passed through distinct historical stages and that, if one could grasp this progress, one could prescribe the remedies for social problems.
-he was a positivist, believing in the natural rather than the supernatural.

Question 8

what are the types of theoretical perspective?

Answer 8

They are structural theories vs action theories and consensus vs conflict

Question 9

what is a structural theory vs an action theory?

Answer 9

a structural theory is concerned with the way social institutions like the family and education system mould us through socialisation. The individual is like a puppet whose strings are pulled by society, so these theories are described as deterministic.
An action theory argues that society is constructed and shaped by the decisions of individuals.

Question 10

what is functionalism?

Answer 10

Functionalism is a consensus, structural theory
they believe that society works like the human body and that any society has functional basic needs or requirements that must be met if society is to survive.
They study how each system is interconnected and contribute to the overall workings of society.

Question 11

what are the counter arguments for functionalism?

Answer 11

-It is challenged by Marxist and interactionist thinking and critiques that it looks through rose tinted glasses .
-not all subsystems are required. Where education fails the family could provide socialisation.
-people aren’t always socialised into fitting into society- e.g cults
-there are influences on our behaviour like gender ,class and ethnicity

Question 12

What is the new right?

Answer 12

-It is more of a political philosophy and is mainly associated with the conservative government.
-It argues that inequality is inevitable and necessary for the functioning of society, as it provides motivation for people to strive and achieve.
-The New Right consists of conservative activists who oppose various issues, including abortion, homosexuality, affirmative action, and most forms of taxation
-first came into use by Margret Thatcher

Question 13

what are the four main features of the new right?

Answer 13

-An emphasis on freedom and self-interest- priority of yourself over others so against benefits and the welfare system
-Reduce spending by the state by making individuals more self reliant- cutting welfare benefits and lower taxes as an incentive for individuals and businesses to succeed.
-A defence of the free market
-A stress on the importance of traditional institutions and values- nuclear family- critiques lone parent families.

Question 14

What are some critiques of the new right?

Answer 14

-its outdated in its views of the family
-it blames the most vulnerable
-privatisation of education and healthcare putting profit before pupils and parents
-focus on traditional values has been seen as excluding many social groups- LGBTQIA

Question 15

What is Marxism?

Answer 15

• comes from the works of Karl Marx who lived from 1818 to 1883
  -Marxism emphasises the inequities between the societal structures, and that society is based on a fundamental conflict.
  -Marx believes that the economy was the driving force in society
  -believes that society is made up of the economic base and the superstructure.

Question 16

Marx believes society is divided into the economic base and the superstructure. What are these?

Answer 16

-The economic base is the infrastructure that underpins everything else- the means of production and the relations of production e.g owners and non owners
-The superstructure includes society’s social institutions - family, education, law

Question 17

what is surplus value and exploitation?- Marxism

Answer 17

• Marx argues that workers produce more than is needed for employers to pay them their wages- this extra is called surplus value and provides profit for the employer.

Question 18

what are the bourgeoisie and the Proletariat?

Answer 18

Bourgeoisie- a small wealthy and powerful class who own the means of production
Proletariat- much larger, poorer class of non-owners/ working class

Question 19

What are disadvantages of Marxism?

Answer 19

-working class has no got poorer as Marx suggested.
-Compulsory education has given the working class more chance of upwards social mobility.
-unemployment benefits reduce extreme hardships
-concentration of ownership has not occurred
-Marx ignores women and fails to analyse their place in society
-voting rights and the formation of trade unions have given the working class more power.
-there is a middle class

Question 20

What did Karl Marx believe about revolution?

Answer 20

-Marx thought that one day the circumstance would arise in which the workers did become aware of their exploitation.
-They would develop class consciousness
-This would result in the overthrowing of the bourgeoisie therefore the means of production would be put in the hands of the state and run in the interest of everyone therefore creating a communist society

Question 21

what is feminism?

Answer 21

It is a conflict structural theory which views society as in conflict between men and women.
-It is a structural theory that is centred on how the patriarchy shapes the experiences of women.

Question 22

What do Marxist-feminists believe?

Answer 22

-These feminists focus on the economic dependence women have on men as a result of capitalism
-cheap female workers are exploited
-they argue the solution to women’s oppression is the abolishment of capitalism

Question 23

What do liberal feminists believe?

Answer 23

-They view inequality as stemming from the ignorance of men though the socialisation and sex-role conditioning
-They believe women need the obstacles removing from them-e.g childcare

Question 24

why are liberal feminists criticised?

Answer 24

-They gloss over the true oppression and men are not simply ignorant but have a vested interest in maintaining the patriarchal ways of living and thinking.

Question 25

what do radical feminists believe?

Answer 25

-They argue all women are oppressed
-they argue that women share the same sex-class position because they are controlled and sometimes abused by he violence of men
-can only be achieved by actively challenging and eradicating the prevailing systems of the patriarchy

Question 26

What do black feminists believe in?

Answer 26

-Black women felt that white women failed to recognise that women were not only oppressed by the patriarchy but also by racism
-they believe feminism has a blinkered focus

Question 27

what do postmodern feminists believe in?

Answer 27

-They believe in intersectional feminism as different groups women belong to overlap and all shape each women’s experiences

Question 28

what are the negatives of feminism?

Answer 28

There is now childcare which takes away an obstacle and there is the equal pay act
Marxist-feminist have an outdated view on the family as women now work

Question 29

what is symbolic interactionalism?

Answer 29

-Individuals are constantly giving meanings to symbols
-it is an action micro perspective
-it is a bottom up approach as it looks at how individuals mould society

Question 30

What is the self?

Answer 30

The self was developed by Goffman 1959 and explores how we imagine we appear to others, how we imagine they judge and our response to that judgement.

Question 31

What the looking glass self?

Answer 31

The self is a social product that develops through mixing with others. It is through interactions of others that build up an awareness of themselves.

Question 32

What is the self fulfilling prophecy and labelling?

Answer 32

-Introduced by Becker in 1963 which explores how powerful groups impose labels on the less powerful which they then start to live up to and view themselves as

Question 33

What is structuration?

Answer 33

-it is a mix between structural and action theories which can be used as a conclusion point for the debate structure vs action.

Question 34

What is Postmodernism?

Answer 34

-it argues that society is changing rapidly and is marked by chaos and uncertainty.
-argues social structures are being replaced by constantly changing social relationships
-suggests society and social structures have ceased to exist and have been replaced by a mass of individuals making individual choices free from constraints.

Question 35

What criticisms are there for postmodernism?

Answer 35

-Critics say postmodernists exaggerate this change and that we still live in modern era
-Marxists argue society is still capitalist and class inequality remains a key feature