sociology

Question 1

Applying functionalism to crime + deviance #1

Answer 1

• durkhiem (French functionalist sociologist) believed (this sentence applies to #1, #2 and #3):
  o a limited amount of crime and deviance is inevitable and even necessary
   crime and deviance is inevitable because not every member of society can be equally committed to the collective sentiments (the shared values and moral beliefs of society)
   in a ‘society of saints’ populated by perfect individuals, deviance would still exist

Question 2

Applying functionalism to crime + deviance #2.1

Answer 2

o crime and deviance performs positive functions (this sentence applies to #2.1, #2.2 and #2.3):
 social regulation
* ^ reaffirming the boundaries of acceptable behaviour
* For example, each time the police arrest a person, they are making it clear to the rest of society that the particular action concerned is unacceptable

Question 3

Applying functionalism to crime + deviance #2.2

Answer 3

 social integration
* ^social cohesion
* for example, when particularly horrific crimes have been committed the whole community joins together in outrage and the sense of belonging to a community is therefore strengthened

Question 4

Applying functionalism to crime + deviance #2.3

Answer 4

 social change
* A further action performed by the criminals is to provide a constant test of the boundaries of permitted action

Question 5

Applying functionalism to crime + deviance #3

Answer 5

o however too much crime and deviance is bad for society
 could bring about society’s collapse

Question 6

Evaluation of functionalism and crime + deviance strength #1

Answer 6

it is true that a certain level of crime and deviance can be beneficial to society and help bring about social change

Question 7

Evaluation of functionalism and crime + deviance strength #2

Answer 7

it is true that deviance would still exist no matter what - and that that is probably a good thing

Question 8

Evaluation of functionalism and crime + deviance weakness #1

Answer 8

terms are too general – doesn’t distinguish between different types of crimes

Question 9

Evaluation of functionalism and crime + deviance weakness #2

Answer 9

assumes the criminal justice system is fair and benefits everyone – which isn’t always true

Question 10

Functionalism and crime + deviance study #1

Answer 10

• for example, travis Hirschi carried out a study ‘bonds of attachment’ (1969) in an attempt to understand the relationship between social bonds and delinquent behaviour

Question 11

Functionalism and crime + deviance study #2

Answer 11

• the findings were that individuals with weak social bonds were more likely to engage in delinquent behaviour – for example, those reporting low levels of attachment to parents or teachers were statistically more prone to commit crimes

Question 12

Evaluation of functionalism and crime + deviance study strength #1

Answer 12

includes detailed statistics = enhanced credibility

Question 13

Evaluation of functionalism and crime + deviance study strength #2

Answer 13

specific statistics and examples = policymakers have concrete information to design interventions that strengthen social bonds as a means of crime prevention

Question 14

Evaluation of functionalism and crime + deviance study weakness #1

Answer 14

possible sampling bias as surveys were used which are self-reporting – potentially leading to inaccuracies

Question 15

Evaluation of functionalism and crime + deviance study weakness #2

Answer 15

no definite casual link provided between social bonds and delinquency – could be other contributing factors

Question 16

Applying functionalism to education #1

Answer 16

• durkhiem (French functionalist sociologist) believes in social solidarity - according to functionalism, the major function of education is to transmit society’s norms and values, and a vital value of our society is social solidarity

Question 17

Applying functionalism to education #2

Answer 17

• social solidarity is ‘the welding of a mass of individuals into a united whole’

Question 18

Applying functionalism to education #3

Answer 18

• social solidarity entails a sense of belonging, a belief that the social unit is more crucial and significant than the individual, and a commitment to society – and a way these attributes are brought about is by the teaching of history

Question 19

Applying functionalism to education #4

Answer 19

• the teaching of history issues the link between society and the individual – history being brought alive allows children to develop that sense of commitment to society and to realise that they are a part of something bigger than themselves

Question 20

evaluation of functionalism and education strength #1

Answer 20

education remains important as it provides a form of social integration

Question 21

evaluation of functionalism and education strength #2

Answer 21

education is vital in the economic competition between nations, as governments see education as the key to economic progress

Question 22

evaluation of functionalism and education weakness #1

Answer 22

it is assumed that education successfully socialises individuals, however not all students abide by the values taught at school

Question 23

evaluation of functionalism and education weakness #2

Answer 23

on the other hand, there is ultimately a weak link between economic success and educational achievement

Question 24

Functionalism and education study #1

Answer 24

• for example, a study that links to the functionalist perspective on education is Talcott Parsons’ ‘The School Class as a Social System’ (1961)

Question 25

Functionalism and education study #2

Answer 25

• this study links to functionalism as it explores how education is important in transmitting the norms and values of society in an individual as they progress from a child to an adult

Question 26

Functionalism and education study #3

Answer 26

• parsons explains that once primary socialisation has taken place and it is no longer the family’s responsibility, it is left up to the schooling system to (secondarily) socialise children in preparation for adult life

Question 27

Functionalism and education study #4

Answer 27

• within the family, children are treated by particularistic standards - as the family’s particular child, whereas at school children are treated in terms of universalistic standards that are applied to anyone and everyone – providing children with a more realistic depiction of adult life

Question 28

evaluation of functionalism and education study strength #1

Answer 28

parsons outlined what has become the accepted functionalist view of education

Question 29

evaluation of functionalism and education study strength #2

Answer 29

parsons was building upon the views and analysis of durkheim, making the theories and data Parsons created more reliable

Question 30

evaluation of functionalism and education study weakness #1

Answer 30

even if schools are treating students equally, inequalities within the class structure still exist, and result in inequal opportunities

Question 31

evaluation of functionalism and education study weakness #2

Answer 31

the possibility that the values the education system transmit may be those of the ruling minority instead of society as a whole, is ignored