THEORY

Question 1

Name 2 characteristics of Modern society:

Answer 1

Capitalist and mass production - businesses promote private ownership after industrialistion.

Scientific thinking and technology - rise of scientific rationality to create technology.

Question 2

Is modern society part of the enlightenment project?

Answer 2

Yes - use science and reason to discover truth about society and how to better it.

Question 3

How do marxists, fems and functionalists believe we can better modern society?

Answer 3

Functionalist - human body analogy to control social cohesion and control deviance.

Marxist - Overcome false class consciousness and can create W/C revolution.

Feminism - overcome patriachy.

Question 4

Describe 2 features of globalisation?

Answer 4

Technological changes - introduction of new media, compressed time and space, global news, global problems.

Culture and identity changes - Americanisation - coca colanisation, RITZER - MCDONALDISATION,

Question 5

Describe 2 features of a postmodern society:

Answer 5

Decline of grand narratives - scientific knowledge available.
Conspiracy theories = decline in trust

Identity becomes uncertain - class does not define ability, gender is uncertain, hybrid-identities.`

Question 6

Is postmodern society part of the enlightenment project?

Answer 6

No - Unachievable.
Absolute truths do not exist - too many to distinguish what is right, no sense of reality to make society better.

Question 7

What did Marx say about capitalism?

Answer 7

Increased human misery but will eventually give way to a classless communist society where humans are free to fulfill their potential.

Question 8

Summarise Marx’s key idea of HISTORICAL MATERIALISM:

Answer 8

Humans have material needs so must work to meet these using the means of production.

Humans co-operate with one another.

As the means of production develop, a DIVISION OF LABOUR BECOMES A DIVISION BETWEEN 2 CLASSES.