Theory and Methods

Question 1

what is positivism?

Answer 1

• society shapes the individual
• Peoples’ actions can be explained by the social norms they have been exposed to through their socialisation
• the prefer quantitative methods which allow the researcher to remain unbiased

Question 2

what is interpretivism?

Answer 2

• individuals are intricate and complex, and different people experience and understand the same ‘objective reality’ in different ways
• they prefer qualitative methods which allow for close interaction with respondents.

Question 3

is sociology a science?

Answer 3

YES:
- positivism/fucntionalism/marxism
- It is the job of science to study the natural world and discover objective facts that will tell us about its behaviour. society should be studied in the same way to reveal social facts
- sociologists should use objective methods as they are mathematically precise
-Durkheim believed sociology is a science because we can study social facts as things to observe and measure eg suicide rate study
NO:
- interpretivism/postmodernism
- individuals are not puppets on a string who react to external, social forces
- sociologists should use qualitative methods which allow us to see the world from different points of view: unstructured interviews, participant observations, and documents.
- Popper argues for sociology to be a science, it must undergo a process of falsification. In order to do this, the theory must use an inductive method and then be challenged by a deductive method to prove it wrong. However, sociology cannot be a science because it cannot undergo falsification, due to how many sociological ideas are too abstract to be tested.

Question 4

can sociology be value-free?

Answer 4

this means research is free from the personal biases of the researcher.
Weber fits between the two and argues sociology cannot be free from values in the research process, but it can be free from values when collecting data.
YES:
positivists believe sociology can be value-free if we use scientific methods, meaning the researcher is detached e.g. lab experiments
NO:
interpretivists believe value creeps into quantitative research through the social construction of statistics. They also believe research is influenced by the choice of research topic, method, and funding body
- Marxists and feminists think sociology should be aimed at achieving political goals.

Question 5

functionalism

Answer 5

this is a structural consensus theory which focuses on the positive functions of institutions and social structure.
Family: Murdock’s 4 universal functions of the family
Education: meritocracy, school as a bridge between home and society
Crime: Merton’s Strain Theory
Research Methods: Durkheim’s positivist approach to suicide
Organic Analogy: parsons identifies the similarities between society and a biological organism. The function for any system is based on the contribution it makes to meeting the system needs, ensuring its survival

Question 6

Marxism

Answer 6

a structural conflict theory focusing on the class analysis of the bourgeoisie and the proletariat
Family: capitalism and inheritance
Education: ideological state apparatus
Crime: Criminogenic Capitalism
Research Methods: comparative analysis, objectivity/critical research
Althusser sees changes as the outcome of ‘structural determinism’

Question 7

Feminism

Answer 7

Liberal feminism: don’t seek revolutionary changes; want change to take place in the existing structures. Liberal feminists recognise the successive progress towards gender equality such as changes in socialisation and anti-discriminatory laws and policies which bring about progress to society in which gender is no longer important
Radical feminism: society is patriarchal, dominated and ruled by men
Difference feminism: women aren’t a homogenous group - we experience disadvantages in different ways

Question 8

Social Action Theory

Answer 8

an approach which focuses on the interaction between people. they believe individuals are intricate and complex, and all experience the same ‘objective reality’ in different ways
Family: Personal Life Perspective
Education and Crime: labelling theory
Methods: critique of official statistics as they are socially constructed, and lack of objectivity in positivist methods
Weber’s social action theory believes social behaviour should be understood through the level of cause and meaning. Symbolic interactionism sees us as creating meanings through interactions in which we take the role of the other.

Question 9

Modernity

Answer 9

society reflects the underlying class and patriarchal structures e.g. nuclear family is the norm - one-way communication reflects reality
positivism/functionalism: researching to find out how societies function and build a better world
Marxism/Feminism: emancipation
Giddens believes the changes from globalisation results from a late-modern society, not postmodern

Question 10

Post-modernity

Answer 10

culture is free from structure: more diverse and fragmented; relationships more diverse; media
Postmodernists argue the causes from globalisation indicate the arrival of a postmodern society

Question 11

Social Policy

Answer 11

things the government do to steer society in a certain way
positivists believe researchers should work with the government to collect objective knowledge to assess the impact of social policies
New Right: recently had the most influence on policy e.g. marketisation
Marxism: prefers policies which favour the redistribution of wealth e.g. abolition of private schools
Feminism: prefer policies which emphasise gender equality
Post modernists reject policy in determining it aims to fix issues that don’t exist.