STUDYING SOCIETY REVISION. The key parts to this topic What is sociology? Perspectives Social structure Social class Social process Social issue Quantitative.

STUDYING SOCIETY

REVISION

The key parts to this topic• What is sociology?• Perspectives• Social structure• Social class• Social process• Social issue• Quantitative research• Qualitative research

UNIT 1• REMEMBER, THERE ARE NO 12

MARK QUESTIONS FOR THIS PART OF UNIT 1. • The marks are:1, 1, 2, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 6 (30)

UNIT 1•Studying Society•Education•Family1 hour 30 (30 mins a topic – minute a mark)

1.What is sociology?1. Fill in the missing words:

Sociology is the study of the _______ in which we live and it examines how we are ___________ and shaped through being members of ___________ and organizations. It concentrates on the way we ______ society what it is and the way society makes us what ____ are.

We; influenced; society; groups; make

2. What is society?• the whole way of life of a group of people

passed from one generation to the next• a set of written rules regulating what may or

may not be done by members of a society• A group of people who have common

interests and a distinctive culture• An informal rule that guides our behaviour in

a particular situation

3. Which of the following is not an example of British ‘culture’ (way of life)• Education for all children• The common usage of pubs as a place to

socialise• The smoking of shisha pipes• The importance of sports

4. True or falseSociologists believe that we always act in the same way no matter what the social situation

5. Identify three commonly held British

values

Nature vs. nurture• One of the key questions that sociologists

grapple with is the question of whether or not we are most influenced by society or genetics.

• Watch the following video clip and answer the following questions:

1. What type of child is this?2. Why is the child acting in this way?3. What does it prove, nature or nurture?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PR-cWZ4CChI

SOCIALISATIONThe process of learning the norms and value of our society – how to behave. People’s socialization will vary according to one’s gender, ethnicity, religion, social class, nationality, region etc…

Primary?Secondary?

ALL OF THESE SOCIALISATION AGENCIES COULD BE CONSIDERED EXAMPLES OF SOCIAL CONTROL

DO MARXISTS THINK THAT SOCIAL CONTROL IS A GOOD OR BAD THING AND WHY?

DO FUNCTIONALISTS THINK SOCIAL CONTROL IS A GOOD OR BAD THING AND WHY?

DO FEMINISTS THINK SOCIAL CONTROL IS A GOOD OR BAD THING AND WHY?

Perspectives• Sociological perspectives help us understand

society. • There are two major types, conflict and

consensus perspectives.• Conflict perspectives think that society contains

groups that are working against each other• Consensus perspectives think that society is

held together by shared norms and values

Conflict or consensus?Marxists argue that society is split into different social classes. The upper social classes are in power and they act in a way which reproduces their power and also reinforces capitalism. The working classes on the other hand are exploited and are powerless.

Conflict or consensus?Functionalists see all the different parts of society as working together like the parts of a well oiled machine. Each part has a function and they all need to work well in order for the machine to work well.

Conflict or consensus?Feminists argue that society is deeply patriarchal (male dominated) and therefore women are exploited.

Social stratification

• Societies are divided according to different groups and these groups can have a powerful influence on individual’s lives.

• GENDER• ETHNICITY• SOCIAL CLASS

What is social class?Social class refers to the socio-economic position of someone in society. Your social class depends on both yours and your family’s background:

- Education- Friends- Occupation- Income

GIVE ONE EXAMPLE OFHOW SOCIAL CLASS MIGHT AFFECT AN INDIVIDUAL’S LIFE

What is the difference between gender and sex?

Gender is a social construction. It is different depending on the culture and the time. Different cultures often have different gender roles.

Sex is the biological difference

GIVE ONE EXAMPLE OFHOW GENDER MIGHT

AFFECT AN INDIVIDUAL’S LIFE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VqsbvG40Ww

What is ethnicity?

Ethnicity refers to an individual’s cultural, national and racial background. EG: Afro-American or White British

Often people will have a mixed ethnicity.

GIVE ONE EXAMPLE OFHOW ETHNICITY

MIGHT AFFECT AN INDIVIDUAL’S LIFE

• Black people were more likely to be detained under section 136 of the Mental Health Act

• Chinese communities have one of the highest rates of inter-ethnic marriages and also have a record of extremely high academic achievement.

• For a period of around three decades, experts have found the prevalence of poor physical and mental health to be significantly higher amongst Irish people than that of the general population.

RESEARCH METHODS

QUANTITATIVEor

QUALITATIVE

Unstructured interviews

Structured interviewsQuestionnaires

Observation

ADVANTAGESAND

DISADVANTAGES?

Unstructured interviews

Structured interviews

Questionnaires

Observation

• Interactionists advocate that qualitative research is the best because it helps sociologists understand them truly understand individual’s actions and beliefs because they have the chance to either observe it first hand or at least allow people to talk in depth. This approach is high in validity.

• Positivists argue that sociology should be studied like a science therefore reliability is the key. It is vital that the researcher keeps their distance from the subject and is completely unbiased.

DEFINE THE FOLLOWING 1 minute a term.

A*-BExtension – types,

strengths, weaknesses

SAMPLE

REPRESENTATIVE

PILOT STUDY

PRIMARY DATA

CLOSED QUESTIONS

OPEN QUESTIONS

VALIDITY

Going native

Bias

Hawthorn effect

RELIABILITY

QUALITATIVE RESEARCH

PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION

OVERTOBSERVATION

COVERTOBSERVATION

TRIANGULATION

WHAT RESEARCH METHOD WOULD YOU USE AND WHY?

• White working class underachievement in education

WHAT PROBLEMS MIGHT THIS METHOD FACE?

WHAT RESEARCH METHOD WOULD YOU USE AND WHY?

• Street gang activity

WHAT PROBLEMS MIGHT THIS METHOD FACE?

WHAT RESEARCH METHOD WOULD YOU USE AND WHY?

• White collar crime

WHAT PROBLEMS MIGHT THIS METHOD FACE?

WHAT RESEARCH METHOD WOULD YOU USE AND WHY?

• Media violence effects

WHAT PROBLEMS MIGHT THIS METHOD FACE?

WHAT RESEARCH METHOD WOULD YOU USE AND WHY?

• Domestic violence

WHAT PROBLEMS MIGHT THIS METHOD FACE?

WHAT RESEARCH METHOD WOULD YOU USE AND WHY?

• Voting intentions

WHAT PROBLEMS MIGHT THIS METHOD FACE?

12 mark question•Discuss how far sociologists

would agree that qualitative research is the best methodological approach.

YES – 50% NO – 50%