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Sociology - Year 12 to 13 Summer Independent Learning 2020

There are 2 sections of your SIL:

1. Review of Year 12 work

2. Preview of Year 13 work

1. Review of Year 12 work

This is the revision of the first year of your A level course. For this part of your summer work you need to:

Know the content of the first year – use the revision checklists at the back of this document

Organise your folders effectively and make sure there are no gaps

Revise the content fully - Use the revision resources you have already created for your Cedar monthly

assessments and create more where necessary

Use Moodle for past papers – plan questions

Use the link to AQA to check papers and mark schemes

Progression Exam

This part of your SIL will be assessed in your Progression Exam which will take place in September, as soon as we

return to College. There will be very little time to go through this content in lesson time, so it is essential that you

complete this revision before we return. (Please note all return to College plans are subject to change and you will

be given more details – check Teams for updates re the structure and date of the Progression Exam)

2. Preview of Year 13 work

a. For this section of your SIL you will need to read ahead to complete one new booklet. This booklet is 11 T&M

Social Policy. (We know you haven’t completed 7-10 T&M we will complete these in September) Read and

complete all activities in this resource. This topic “Sociology and Social Policy” appears in the “Theory and

Methods” section of the A Level.

b. Revise the theories we have done so far – they are covered in 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 T&M.

This second part of your SIL will be assessed in Cedar 1. There will be a 10 mark question on Social Policy

(11T&M) a Methods in Context question and one more 10 marker. This will take place in the second half of

September.

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Sociology and Social Policy

Learning Objectives:

• Understand what is meant by social policy and know some examples.

• Understand the difference between a social problem and a sociological problem. • Know the benefits of studying sociology. • Understand how different sociological perspectives explain the relationship between sociology

and social policy, and some criticisms of these perspectives.

For most sociologists the subject simply sets out to explore and understand the workings of society. For

those working in universities and research centres however sociological research is undertaken to inform

and influence government policy. This is especially true if the government or a pressure group is funding it.

An applied branch of sociology called “Social Policy” concerns itself with studying and influencing how

governments respond to social problems.

Social Problems and Sociological Problems

In order to understand the relationship between sociology and social policy, it is useful to distinguish first

between social problems and sociological problems.

Social Problems: Worsley (1977) says “a social problem is some piece of social behaviour that causes

public friction and/or private misery and calls for collective action to solve it.”

E.g. poverty, educational underachievement, crime and divorce may all be seen as social problems by

members of society, and governments may be called upon to produce policies to tackle them.

Define social policy:

Note 3 other examples of social policies from either family and/or education.

1 Academy schools in education policy.

2

3

4.

11T&M

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Sociological problems: Worsley says a sociological problem is “any pattern of relationships that calls for

explanation” – in other words, a piece of behaviour that we wish to make sense of.

This might be something that society regards as a social problem, for example why some people are poor

or commit crime. But it can also include behaviour that society doesn’t regard as a problem – for example

why people are prosperous or law-abiding. As Worsley puts it

“From the point of view of the state or the neighbours, quiet families are not problem families.

Sociologically speaking, they are”.

In other words, “normal” behaviour is just as interesting to sociologists as behaviour that people see as a

social problem. In fact, some sociologists show little or no interest in solving social problems. They see

their goal as being to discover knowledge for its own sake.

On the other hand, some sociologists are interested in solving social problems through their own research.

Some sociologists are directly employed by government depts such as the Home Office to help inform the

development of social policy.

Giddens 2001 notes four benefits of studying sociology:

1. Understanding social situations- e.g. Unemployment, Differential Achievement, Divorce or Poverty. Reports by Townsend 1979 showed that poverty remained a huge hidden problem despite government’s claims to the contrary. Evidence gained suggested social policy needed to prioritise women and children to reduce poverty overall.

2. Awareness of cultural differences: Sociology, through awareness raising, can help people to see others’ point of view. This has enabled governments to tackle discrimination in the areas of disability and race.

3. Assessment of the effects of policies: As well as the initiation of policy, sociology is the key subject in providing research into the relevance and effectiveness of social policy initiatives. Government initiatives are evidenced based, which means the people running them have to show that they are being effective. Sociologists do the research to measure the effectiveness of government policies.

4. Increase in self-knowledge: Sociology allows groups of people to reflect on their experiences and be aware of their shared identities. Certain groups, such as those with disabilities, minority ethnic groups and the feminist and gay movements, have all benefitted from this aspect of sociology. Sociology has highlighted discrimination against social groups and this has led to a wider range of antidiscrimination laws.

THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIOLOGY ON SOCIAL POLICY

However, even when sociologists do conduct research into social problems, there is no guarantee that

policy-makers will study their findings, or that any solutions they propose will find their way into social

policies.

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Many factors may affect whether or not sociological research succeeds in influencing policy:

Electoral popularity – research findings and recommendations might point to a policy that would be unpopular with

voters

Ideological and policy preferences of governments – if the researcher’s values or perspective is similar to the political

ideology of the government, they may stand more chance of influencing its policies

Interest groups – these are pressure groups that seek to influence government policies in their own interests e.g.

business groups may succeed in persuading government not to raise the minimum wage even though this might be an

effective measure to reduce poverty

Globalisation – social policy isn’t just made by nation states in isolation. International organisations such as the EU and

the IMF (International Monetary Fund) may influence the social policies of individual governments

Critical sociology – sociologists who are critical of the state and powerful groups, such as Marxists, may be regarded as

too extreme, hostile or impractical and therefore unlikely to influence policy

Cost – even if the government is sympathetic to the sociologist’s findings, it may not have sufficient funds to implement

an appropriate policy, or it may have other spending priorities

Funding sources – sociologists may tone down their findings and policy recommendations so as to fit in with their

paymasters’ wishes. Similarly, policy-makers may recruit sociologists who share their assumptions and political values,

thus the research findings may then be used to justify what the policy-makers intended to do in the first place

Sociological research is thus only one possible element in shaping social policy. Ultimately, any policy is the

result of a political decision by those in power. As Tom Burden (1998) says, social policies:

“cannot be very well understood if they are simply treated as ‘neutral’ attempts to deal with ‘problems’.

Indeed, what is to count as a problem is itself generally a matter of political debate.”

Often, those with power are the ones who are able to define what is and what is not a problem, and what

if anything should be done about it.

Task: Give an example of a social policy which was largely unpopular with voters. (you may need to do

some online research for this).

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

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Different sociological perspectives hold different views of the nature of the state/government and the

social policy it produces. As a result, each perspective tends to take a different view of the role of sociology

in relation to social policy.

POSITIVISM AND FUNCTIONALISM

Early positivists such as Comte and Durkheim took the view that sociology was a science and would

discover both the cause of social problems and scientifically based solutions to them. For example,

Durkheim’s analysis led him to propose a meritocratic education system as a way of promoting the idea

that society was fair, which would promote social cohesion.

Functionalists see society as based on value consensus and free from fundamental conflicts.

Like positivists, they see the state as serving the interests of society as a whole, producing

and implementing rational social policies for the good of all.

TASK: identify and explain three examples of social policies which Functionalists would argue play a

key role in helping society run more smoothly and efficiently. This could be from “family” or “education” or any

other area of policy that you are familiar (e.g. crime, health, social services).

1.______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

2.______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

3.______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

For both functionalists and positivists, the sociologist’s role is to provide the state with objective, scientific

information. By investigating social problems and discovering their causes, sociologists provide the

necessary information on which the state can base its policies.

Functionalists favour social policies that are sometimes referred to as ‘piecemeal social engineering’ i.e.

they favour a cautious approach, tackling one specific issue at a time. However, the piecemeal approach

has been criticised e.g. Marxists argue that educational policies aimed at equalising opportunity of

different classes are often ineffective because of poverty in wider society and so we need to change the

basic structure of society in order to solve these specific problems.

Perspectives on Social Policy and Sociology

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THE SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC PERSPECTIVE

The social democratic perspective on social policy is that sociology can conduct research which can help

governments reduce poverty and narrow the gap between the rich and poor.

Sociologists adopting this perspective, such as Peter Townsend (1979), conducted extensive research on

poverty and on the basis of his findings he made recommendations for policies such as fairer, higher

benefit levels, and more public spending on health, education and welfare services.

Similarly, The Black Report (1980) on social class inequalities in health made 37

radical policy recommendations such as free school meals for all children, better

benefits for the disabled and more spending to improve housing.

Interesting fact: The Labour government had originally commissioned the report in

1977 but it was only completed in 1980 (the year after Thatcher’s Conservative

government came to power!) and so the new government refused to implement the

report’s recommendations on grounds of cost, and even tried to restrict its

publication.

Marxists criticise the social democratic perspective. Although they agree that social problems such as class

inequalities in health are deep-rooted, they reject the idea that even policies as far-reaching as those

proposed by the Black Report are enough to solve the problem. Ultimately, capitalism is to blame and so

these problems cannot be solved without abolishing capitalism.

Task: Which of the following policies would the social democratic perspective favour? (tick)

1. Education maintenance allowance.

2. Marketisation in education.

3. Cuts to unemployment benefits.

4. More government money to be spent on affordable housing for poorer families.

5. Free school meals.

6. Removal of university fees.

7. Lower taxes for the highest earners.

8. Homework clubs in schools in deprived areas.

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MARXISM

Unlike functionalists, they do not see the state and its policies as benefitting all members

of society. In the Marxist view, the state represents the interests of the ruling class, and its

policies serve the interests of capitalism, not those of society as a whole:

They provide ideological legitimation to mask capitalist exploitation e.g. the welfare state

gives capitalism a ‘human face’, making it appear that the system cares about the poor, sick and old.

They maintain the labour force for further exploitation e.g. the NHS serves capitalism by keeping workers fit

to work

They are a means of preventing revolution when class conflict intensifies and threatens capitalism e.g. the

policies that created the welfare state after WWII were a way of buying off working-class opposition to

capitalism

TASK: According to Marxists, what functions might the following policies perform for capitalism?

Benefits for the unemployed:

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

Compulsory schooling:

_______________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

Winter fuel payments for pensioners:

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

For Marxists, therefore, the sociologist’s main role should be to criticise capitalist social policy, not to serve

the capitalist state. The sociologist must reveal the exploitation that underpins capitalism, and the way in

which the ruling class use social policies to mask this exploitation and prevent revolution by providing

minor concessions to the subject class.

However, critics argue that Marxist views on social policy and the role of sociologists are impractical and

unrealistic. Social democrats criticise them for rejecting the idea that sociological research can help bring

about progressive policies within the existing capitalist system e.g. poverty researchers have at times had

some positive impact on policy.

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FEMINISM

Like Marxists, feminists see society as based on conflict, but the fundamental conflict is between genders,

not classes. Society is patriarchal, benefitting men at women’s expense, and the state perpetuates

women’s subordination through its social policies.

Feminist research has had an impact in a number of policy areas e.g. in education, it has influenced policies

such as:

Learning materials in schools that promote more positive images of

females.

Teacher training to sensitise teachers to the need to avoid gender bias

and promote inclusiveness for both sexes.

Many of these policies reflect the liberal feminist view that anti-discrimination reforms will ultimately

bring about gender equality.

Radical feminists have also had some influence on social policy. Radical feminists see men as the direct

oppressors of women, especially though the family, they therefore favour separatism – the idea that

women need to separate themselves from men to be free from patriarchy. One area of social policy that

reflects this view is the establishment of women’s refuges for women escaping domestic violence.

Overall, feminist sociological research has had some impact on social policies in areas that affect women.

However, many feminists reject the view that reformist social policies can liberate women e.g. both

Marxist and radical feminists call for more far-reaching changes that the existing state cannot deliver.

Task:

Identify two social policies that may have improved the position of women in society.

Identify two social policies that may have a negative impact on women in society. (You can use global examples if needed).

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THE NEW RIGHT

The New Right believe that the state should have only minimal involvement in society. State intervention

in areas such as family life, income support, education and health care robs people of their freedom to

make their own choices and undermines their sense of responsibility. This in turn leads to greater social

problems, such as crime and delinquency. A key New Right theorist is Charles Murray, an American

political thinker.

TASK: using existing knowledge construct a brief paragraph on Charles Murray (include terms such as

‘dependency culture’ and ‘underclass’)

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

The New Right are therefore highly critical of policies that they believe encourage people to rely on the

state instead of being self-reliant. They believe policies should aim to restore individuals’ responsibility for

their own and their families’ welfare, rather than leaving this to the state. They are also encouraging of

private businesses and enterprise, but have less support for public services, often believing them to be

operated inefficiently. New Right thinking has tended to be favoured by the Conservative Party, however,

some New Labour policies (1997-2010) also showed the influence of New Right views.

Task: Identify which of the following social policies are likely to be favoured by the New Right.

1. Marketisation in education policy – competition and choice.

2. Removal of university tuition fees.

3. Reduction in unemployment benefits.

4. Married persons’ tax allowance.

5. Education Action Zones.

6. Divorce being made harder to obtain.

7. The use of private businesses/contractors to provide public services e.g. refuse collection.

However, the quality and the objectivity of the social research used by the New Right has been questioned

e.g. the validity of the data on which Murray bases his claims about a link between absent fathers and

delinquency has been widely challenged.

Similarly, New Right policy proposals tend NOT to use sociologists’ research findings, but instead the

findings of politically sympathetic think tanks e.g. the study Breakdown Britain (2007) which concluded

that the government had stripped citizens of responsibility for their own welfare, was set up by former

Conservative Party leader Iain Duncan Smith.

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Task: Read the Item and essay question below. An introduction and a conclusion has been written for

you – fill in the gaps using these missing words.

Next…Construct a detailed essay plan for this question. Make

certain you show evaluation in your plan.

Introduction:

Sociology is an academic subject that seeks to explain society and individual behaviour within it. Sociology can also be of use to _______________ and policy makers, who may use sociological research findings to help them develop new policies in areas such as crime, ____________ or family. Some sociologists argue, however, that the job of sociology is to criticise __________and not serve the interests of the government. Sociological research therefore has a varying influence on government ________.

Missing words (intro and conclusion)

society Giddens policies

effects governments laws

cultural criticise education

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Conclusion:

___________ argues there are a range of benefits to sociology. It can help us to understand society and develop awareness of __________ differences. This has had an impact for example, the development of _______ to protect groups from discrimination. In addition, social research can be used to check the ________ of social policies, and see if they are successful. However, there are some theories that argue that sociology’s job is to __________ the system, not support it.

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Year 1 Content checklists

Education

1. Introduction to Education

Formal/Informal education General functions of Education

1. 6. Social class and achievement 2.

External factors – Material deprivation

External factors – Cultural deprivation, language, attitudes, cultural capital.

Internal factors – Processes in schools

2. Education Policy

Political theories that have influenced education policy

1944 Butler Education Act

Comprehensive Schools

Vocationalism

1988 Education Reform Act

Labour and Education.

Current Education reforms.

Privatisation

Globalisation

Other aspects – gender, ethnicity, disabilities, faith schools, private schools

3. 7. Ethnicity and achievement 4.

External factors – material deprivation.

External factors – cultural deprivation

External factors – racism in society

Internal factors – labelling, subcultures, ethnocentric curriculum, institutional racism, selection and segregation

3. Functionalist theory of education The role and functions of education in society. Durkheim Parsons Davis & Moore

5. 8. Gender and achievement

Females external factors.

Females internal factors Explaining male underachievement.

6. 4. Marxist theory of education The role and functions of education in society. Bowles and Gintis Althusser Willis

9. Gender and subject choice

Subject choice factors Gender Identity

7. 5. Interactionist theory of education

Labelling

Self-fulfilling prophecy

Setting and streaming Pupil subculture

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Family

1.Introduction to the Family 9.Changing patterns of family life – marriage, divorce, cohabitation Cockett & Tripp Fletcher Giddens Mitchell & Goody Chester Benson

2.Functionalist theory of the family Parsons Murdock Fletcher

10.Changing patterns of family life – family diversity Rapoport & Rapoport Ballard Chester Weeks Giddens

3.New Right theory of the family Murray Dennis &Erdos

11.Demography – Births

4.Marxist theory of the family Engels Zaretsky Cooper

12.Demography – Deaths Tranter McKeown Hirsch

5.Feminist theory of the family

Radical

Marxist

Liberal

Difference Barrett Ansley Firestone Greer Somerville

13.Migration and Globalisation Ballard Cohen Erikson

6.Gender, power and domestic labour Willmott & Young Oakley Future Foundation Man Yee Kan Devine Gershuny Ferri & Smith Silver & Schor Duncombe & Marsden Edgell

14. Childhood Aries Hood-Williams Palmer Postman Buckingham Stainton-Rogers Jenks

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Dunne Braun et al

7.Postmodernist theory of the family Hareven Giddens Beck

15. Social Policy and the Family Allan Drew Donzelot

8.Personal life theory of the family Smart Nordqvist & Smart Tipper

Research Methods

1.Introduction to sociological research

Types of method: primary and secondary

Types of data: quantitative and qualitative

The process of doing sociological research

Strategies for research

Evaluating sociological research methods

Examples of sociological research

Choosing a research topic

Choosing a research method

5.Observations

Participant observation

Non-participant observation

Overt vs. covert observation

Structured observation

2.Sampling

Random sample

Systematic sample

Stratified sample

Quota sample

Snowball sample

Volunteer sample

Opportunity sample

6.Experiments

Hypotheses

Experimental vs. control groups

Lab experiments

Field experiments

Natural experiments

3.Questionnaires

Postal questionnaires

Filled in with researcher present

Operationalising concepts

Open-ended vs. fixed-response questions

Pilot studies

7.Official statistics

Hard vs. soft statistics Examples: crime, religion, unemployment, education, health, family

4.Interviews

Structured

Unstructured

Semi-structured

Group interviews

8.Documents

Personal, public, historical documents

Examples: diaries, letters, newspaper articles, photographs

Mass media

9.Multi-methods

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