Sociology and social policy

Question 1

What is sociology

Answer 1

An academic discipline that involved throughly studying society and how it works

Question 2

Define social policy

Answer 2

Political proposals designed to change or improve society, usually implemented by the government

Question 3

Functionalist view - Comte + Durkheim

Answer 3

Argue that sociology CAN influence social policy to restore order

Question 4

Giddens - 9 ways sociology contributes to social policy

Answer 4

1. Providing awareness of cultural difference
2. Providing self awareness and understanding

3.

Question 5

Worsely

Answer 5

Argues that social and sociological problems differ
- e.g. gangs, crime, poverty and inequality

. social problems : ‘some piece of social action that causes public friction and/or private misery and calls for collective action to solve it’

. Sociological problems : ‘any patterns of relationships relationships that calls for an explanation’

Question 6

Define ‘social problems’

Answer 6

Some piece of social action that causes public friction and / or private misery and calls for collective action to solve it

Question 7

Define ‘Sociological problems’

Answer 7

Any patterns of relationships that calls for an explanation

Question 8

Define ‘social facts’

Answer 8

One of Emile Durkheim most significant contributions to sociology

. Social facts are things such as institutions, norms and values which exist external to the individual and constrain the individual

Question 9

Define ‘clash of ideologies’

Answer 9

Critical approaches such as Marxism often clashed with more moderate and conservative ideologies

Question 10

Define ‘costs’

Answer 10

Sociologists look at ideal solutions that might not be practical

• e.g. black report recommendations too costly to implement

Question 11

Define ‘methodologies’

Answer 11

Intepretivist methods often are too small-scale to be implemented by governments that look for big impact policies to ensure public support

Question 12

Define ‘think tanks’

Answer 12

Often government policy is influenced by groups of experts that propose ideas for social policies and these often have closer connections to serving ministers than sociologists

Question 13

Should social policy influence sociology ?

Answer 13

. Functionalist - Produce rational policies reinforces social solidarity and value consensus

.

Question 14

Why shouldn’t social policy influence sociology

Answer 14

. Weber - It is not the job of sociologists to intervene in the social world - that is the job of politicians

. Worsley - Sociology should not influence social policy as they deal with different issues - Sociological problems differ to social problems

Question 15

Feminist view ~

Answer 15

. Society is patriarchal - The state perpetuated the subordination of women through - E.g. family policy that before the idea of the nuclear family - like offering benefits to married couples

. Feminist research has impacted numerous social policies - E.g. in education - training teachers to avoid gender bias

Question 16

Marxist view ~

Answer 16

believe that sociology should highlight the exploitation by the bourgeois and the oppression of the working class

• Marxists argue that social policies generally protect the interests of the wealthy and that governments ignore research done by them because governments typically consist of the upper middle class

.

Question 17

Functionalist View ~

Answer 17

. Functionalists see society based on value condense and so want to produce rational policies that help society run more smoothly

• argue that social facts should be applied to society

. Comte - Sociology should be the ‘preisthood’ which guides the government about how to make society better