...which religion could be said to ‘exert social control over the members of society’ (June2006) b) Identify and briefly explain some of the ways in which functionalists see religion meeting the needs of society and / or individuals. (June 2007) New syllabus: 12 mark questions a)Using material from item a and elsewhere, briefly examine the extent to which religion can still be said to be functional for individuals and society (June 2002) b) Briefly examine the evidence and or arguments in favour of the view that religion can act as a force for change in society (June 2006) c) Briefly examine post-modernist views on the nature and role of religion (June 2007) NEW SYLLABUS: 40 mark essay questions • Assess the role and functions of religious institutions and movements in contemporary society. (40) Sample A2 paper (Issued May 2000) • Evaluate the view that religion acts as a conservative force in modern society (40) Jun 2001 “The main function of religion is to provide people with a code of behaviour which regulates personal and social life.” Assess the extent to which sociological arguments and evidence support this view of religion in modern society (40) January 2002 Assess and evaluate the relationship between religion and social change. (40) Jan 2003 Assess the view that in most societies, religion functions more to cause conflict than to bring about harmony and consensus. (40) June 2003 Assess the view...
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...your own words | Theories o religion: | Religious organisationsTypologies | Religious organisationsWhy people join. | Religious organisationsdevelopment | NAMs/NRMs | Religion in global context:Secularisation | Religion in a global contextFundamentalism- | Religion and social Change | Religion as source of conflict or consensus | Religiosity: Class | Religiosity: Age | Religiosity: Gender | Religiosity: Ethnicity | Belief Systems: Religion | Belief Systems: Science: | Belief Systems: ideology | Jun12 | Religion is still the most significant ideological influence in the world today. ’To what extent do sociological arguments and evidence support this view? (33 marks) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Critically examine sociological views of sects in society today. (33 marks) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Using material from Item A and elsewhere, assess the view that women are no longer oppressed by religion. (18 marks) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Jan 12 | The growth of New Age and similar movements is evidence of a spiritual revolution in society today.’ To what extent do sociological arguments and evidence support this view? (33 marks) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Assess the usefulness of functionalist theories in understanding religion today.(33 marks) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Using material from Item A and elsewhere, assess the view that...
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...CAMBRIDGE INTERNATIONAL EXAMINATIONS GCE Advanced Level MARK SCHEME for the May/June 2014 series 9699 SOCIOLOGY 9699/33 Paper 3 (Social Inequality and Opportunity), maximum raw mark 75 This mark scheme is published as an aid to teachers and candidates, to indicate the requirements of the examination. It shows the basis on which Examiners were instructed to award marks. It does not indicate the details of the discussions that took place at an Examiners’ meeting before marking began, which would have considered the acceptability of alternative answers. Mark schemes should be read in conjunction with the question paper and the Principal Examiner Report for Teachers. Cambridge will not enter into discussions about these mark schemes. Cambridge is publishing the mark schemes for the May/June 2014 series for most IGCSE, GCE Advanced Level and Advanced Subsidiary Level components and some Ordinary Level components. Page 2 1 Mark Scheme GCE A LEVEL – May/June 2014 Syllabus 9699 Paper 33 (a) Explain how the achievement of pupils may be influenced by pupil sub-cultures. [9] 0–4 A few general observations about pupils’ educational achievement, with no direct links to the question, would be worth 1 or 2 marks. A basic account of what is meant by pupil sub-culture, with no further development in relation to the question, would be placed in the higher part of the band. 5–9 Lower in the band, answers are likely to provide a basic...
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...population is as follows. Firstly, they may follow religions than are not declining in popularity like Sikhism and Islam whereas Christianity in certain countries is on the decline. Secondly, if they are immigrating to a new country, they may use religion as a cultural defence and so will become more religious. Finally their culture that they come from may use religion as an integral part of socialisation and so they will carry on practising it when the reach new places. Q2. Religious organisations have been around since the first civilizations, they have been integral to do the development of the human race and modern day society. In the current day, many researchers and sociologists believe that people have stopped becoming lifelong members of these organisations, in this essay I am going to assess this view and find out if it’s true. There is arguments on both sides regarding the extent to which secularisation (decline of religion) is present in the world today, some believe it is associated with the modern day societies. Modernists feel the same way seeing our societies as focusing more on developments into science and rational research. Because of this, many sociologists see religion as being “incompatible” with our societies. The sociologists Weber (1905), sees humanity as becoming disenchanted (preferring scientific explanations over religion). As we are seeing through the previously held mystique of the world, we do not need religion to give us answers. In 2002, Bruce expanded...
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...Assess the usefulness of functionalist theories in understanding religion theory Functionalist believe that religion is good for society as they believe it creates value consensus in which is a set of shared norm and values that society cannot live without. Functionalists believe that religion plays an important part in creating and maintain social solidarity and order as well as value consensus. They take on the consensus view. The first functionalist to put forward his view on religion was Durkheim who believed that religion was the origin of human thought, reason and science. Durkheim put forward a view of religion that wasn’t about gods or spirits but about the distinction between the sacred and the profane. The sacred is things that are set apart that inspire feelings of awe, fear and wonder. Durkheim said that religion practices rituals in relation to the sacred and these rituals are collective. He argued that because society is the only thing powerful to evoke such feelings, then people were actually worshipping society. Although Durkheim acknowledged different religion worshipped different sacred symbols, all religions perform a function in society in which brings each other into one moral community. Durkheim also did a case study in Australia of the Arunta clan to further his understanding. He talked about the clan having a sacred totem in which they would all come together and worship. Durkheim argued that this reinforced the group’s solidarity and sense of belonging...
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...Eugenia Akumiah 12 G….Sociology, The functions of the family Assess the contribution of functionalism to our understanding of families and households. (24) Functionalists take a consensus view of the role of family. They see it as a universal institution that performs essential functions for society as a whole and all members of the family. According to Murdock, it provides important sub-system that provides stable satisfaction for the sex drive and therefore avoids social disruption. As well as this, Murdock says the family reproduces the next generation and thus ensuring current society to continue. Parsons sees a functional fit with the nuclear family fitting modern society’s needs for a geographically and socially mobile labour force. However critics argue that he is wrong about the relationship between industrialisation and family structure. Moreover Marxists, Liberal, radical and Marxist feminist all view the functions of the family in different ways, this essay will assess the different perspectives in which all these groups view the functions of the family. Functionalists believe that society is based on a value consensus- as set of shared norms and values; into which society socialises its members. This enables them to cooperate harmoniously to meet society’s needs and achieve shared goals. They regard society as system made up of different parts or sub-systems that depend on each other, such as the family, the education...
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...Using material from Item 2B and elsewhere, assess the Marxist view that the main role of the family is to serve the interests of capitalism Marxists see all society’s institutions, such as the education system, the media, religion and the state, alone with the family as helping to maintain class inequality and capitalism. Capitalism, also known as Marxism, is a perspective based on the ideas of Karl Marx. It sees society as divided into two opposed classes, capitalist class, who own means of production and the working class, whose labour the capitalists exploit for profit. In a capitalist society, goods and businesses are owned privately for the purpose of profit. For Marxists, the functions of the family are performed purely for the benefit of the capitalist system. This view contrasts sharply with the functionalist view that the family benefits both society as a whole and all the individual members of the family. But however for Marxists, the functions of the family do not meet the needs of society as a whole but meet the needs of capitalism. Marxists have identified several functions that they see in the family fulfilling for capitalism, one of the functions is inheritance of property. Marxists argue that the key factor determining the shape of all social institutions, including the family, is the mode of production. In modern society, it is capitalist class that owns and controls these means of production. As the mode of production evolves, so does the family. Engels...
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...“Religion today is more about believing than belonging.” Assess this view. Beliefs – religiosity, do you have to attend a place of worship to believe? Grace Davie – you can believe without attending a place of worship Religious organisations – some religious organisations are happy for people to follow without belonging - NRMs membership is increasing scientology, televangelism, NAM’s- crystal therapy, tarot card readings etc Believing: (people are believing, their practices have changed, not necessarily secular) • Decreasing church attendance – however people have private practice (David Voas) Grace Davie • Religious education • Laws are based on 10 commandments • NRM’s – people believe but don’t necessarily go for formal worship. Wallis • Rise in world faiths – their attendance stats aren’t considered • Postmodernist – religion is changing – televangelism, spiritual shopping, jesus in Disneyland, supply led religion, civil religion eg USA • Methodological evaluation of church stats – are they valid indicator of secularisation? Belonging: (secularisation is happening) • Wilson – secularisation – religious beliefs, practices and institutions are declining • Brierly • Bruce • Attendance, membership, age, women, social class • Rationalisation • Disengagement • Technological worldview – Weber • Structural differentiation – parsons • Social and cultural diversity • Religious diversity ...
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...anomie; civil religions * Marxism: religion as ideology, legitimating social inequality, disguising exploitation etc * Weber: religion as a force for social change: theodicies, the Protestant ethic * Neo-Marxism: religion used by those opposing the ruling class, liberation theology * Feminism: religious beliefs supporting patriarchy * Fundamentalist beliefs: rejecting change by reverting to supposed traditional values and practices. Religious organisations, including cults, sects, denominations, churches and New Age movements, and their relationship to religious and spiritual belief and practice * Typologies of religious organisations: churches, denominations, sects and cults, with examples of each New Religious Movements and typologies of NRMs eg world rejecting/accommodating/affirming; millenarian beliefs, with examples of each * New Age movements and spirituality, with examples * The relationship of these organisations to religious and spiritual belief and practice. The relationship between different social groups and religious/spiritual organisations and movements, beliefs and practices * Reasons why people join NRMs, NAMs and other organisations * Gender and religion: women: women’s greater participation, women in religious organisations including NRMs; men’s participation and organisational roles in religions; sexuality and religion; images of gender in religions * Ethnicity and religion: religion and ethnic identity; religion in migrant...
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...anomie; civil religions * Marxism: religion as ideology, legitimating social inequality, disguising exploitation etc * Weber: religion as a force for social change: theodicies, the Protestant ethic * Neo-Marxism: religion used by those opposing the ruling class, liberation theology * Feminism: religious beliefs supporting patriarchy * Fundamentalist beliefs: rejecting change by reverting to supposed traditional values and practices. Religious organisations, including cults, sects, denominations, churches and New Age movements, and their relationship to religious and spiritual belief and practice * Typologies of religious organisations: churches, denominations, sects and cults, with examples of each New Religious Movements and typologies of NRMs eg world rejecting/accommodating/affirming; millenarian beliefs, with examples of each * New Age movements and spirituality, with examples * The relationship of these organisations to religious and spiritual belief and practice. The relationship between different social groups and religious/spiritual organisations and movements, beliefs and practices * Reasons why people join NRMs, NAMs and other organisations * Gender and religion: women: women’s greater participation, women in religious organisations including NRMs; men’s participation and organisational roles in religions; sexuality and religion; images of gender in religions * Ethnicity and religion: religion and ethnic...
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...Assess the contribution of Functionalism and New Right theories and research to our understanding of society today. (33 marks) Functionalism, devised by Durkheim and Parsons, is a structural theory focusing on the needs of the whole social system and how these shape society’s main features (e.g. social institutions, humans’ behavioural patterns). It is a consensus theory, seeing society as based on value consensus (agreement) between its inhabitants about their values, goals and rules. The New Right is a conservative, political perspective that shares similarities with Functionalism (e.g. believing some people are more naturally talented than others) but contradicts it in arguing that the state should have less involvement in society (e.g. by cutting welfare). Durkheim saw modern industrial society as based on a complex division of labour which promotes differences between groups, weakening social solidarity. He argued that the resultant freedom to the individual must be regulated by society to prevent extreme egoism from destroying all social bonds. Resultantly, he saw society as external and independent to individuals, being made up of ‘social facts’ that constrain and shape people’s behaviour to meet society’s functional prerequisites (needs). Durkheim further believed that if any one thing (‘social fact’) exists, it has a function which will help meet society’s needs, the key ones of which are goals (met through political institutions, e.g. parliament), adaptation (meeting...
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...Assess the feminist views on the role of religion in society today (18 marks: AO1: 6, AO2: 12) This question is asking you to examine the strengths/limitations of feminism in comparison to other social theories. You will need to critically analyse and evaluate the following claims in your essay. * Feminist theorists argue that religion is a: Instrument of domination A product of patriarchy Serves the interest of men * Women are always unequal to men in terms of: Institutions – leadership and hierarchy Representation – culture, in scriptures. Attitudes and beliefs - socialisation Item A Sociologists disagree about the role of religion in society. Functionalists, for example, see religion mainly as a positive force. However, Marxists see religion as a tool of capitalism. They argue that it acts to justify inequality, helping to keep the poor satisfied by giving them hope of better times to come and preventing social unrest and revolution. Feminists see religion as a force for subordination and patriarchal oppression. This view is supported by evidence such as the differential treatment of women in religious congregations. Other sociologists argue that such evidence is out of date and that women are no longer the victims of religious oppression. Introduction Briefly explain the feminist view of religion– negative – patriarchy – conservative force. Briefly compare to the Marxist view as it is similar. Feminists show us the negative elements...
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...Assess sociological explanations of the nature and extent of family diversity today. Family diversity is the theory that there are many different family types, rather than the nuclear family being the dominant type. However there are many different sociological explanations and two different conflicting views. The modernist view, and the postmodernist view. For example New Right sociologists believe that the nuclear family is the bedrock of society, and is the natural family, unlike lone-parent families which are consider unnatural and harmful as they believe that mothers cannot discipline children. This leads on to the theory that marriage is essential in the socialisation of children. They also believe that traditional roles have been undermined by divorce legislation and welfare benefits. New Right sociologist think that many social problems, such as high crime rates, are caused by the decline in nuclear families. However there are many criticisms of this, such as Oakley who believes that this view is a negative view against the feminist campaign for women's equality. New Right sociologists also fail to recognise unequal relationships in families. Another modernist view is that of Chester and his neo-conventional theory. Chester sees a shift from the conventional nuclear family to the neo-conventional family where both spouses play a bread winner role. A neo-conventional family is a dual-earner family. Chester also recognises that there has been an increase of family...
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...explain the principal sociological perspectives and explain the different approaches to health and ill health. Functionalist Perspective and the approach to Health: The functionalist perspective was published in 1951 by Talcott Parsons which studied the social structure as a whole and the ways in which it functions. This view promotes the social solidarity and value consensus; this is the belief that each person should share the same basic norms and values within society. Therefore, this would make each society run smoothly. Functionalists believe strongly that each individual has an equal opportunity of success within their life, that the nuclear family is a vital concept as it provides the most suitable environment for children to be raised within and believe if an individual has ill health that it is there responsibility to work with health professionals to re-gain good health status. This perspective has been widely criticised by individuals as it is believed that they do not value the diversity within a society. The functionalist approach to health is identified through the relationship shared between an individual who is sick and the whole of society. Talcott Parsons strongly believed that for a society to run smoothly all individuals must be free of ill health and that ‘medicine serves the wellbeing of society as a whole’. Individuals in which believe the functionalist perspective believe that having a sick role in society is classed as an act of deviance and that they should...
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...'proletariat'. • The bourgeoisie have the wealth and the power to rule. The proletariat are exploited because they are not treated fairly. • Marxists argue that the education system plays a key role in disseminating the ideology of the ruling class. • Education acts as a force of oppression for the children of the working classes Key questions (AO1) What do Marxists believe? (AO1) How do Marxist theories apply to the education system? (AO2) What strengths are there to the Marxist view of education system? (AO2) How have Marxist views been criticised by other writers? Summary of key points Marxists see capitalist society as being ruled by the economy. The minority, the ruling class or 'bourgeoisie' rule the majority, namely the workers or 'proletariat'. The bourgeoisie have the wealth and the power to rule. The proletariat are exploited because they are not treated fairly. This is the basis of class inequality. Institutions such as organised religion, the mass media, the political and the education systems all reinforce the ideology that the rich and powerful should control society. They promote an ideology or belief that our society is fair and just and that the proletariat should quietly accept capitalist society. Marxists argue that the education system plays a key role in promoting the ideology of the ruling class. Traditionally, the Labour Party has been associated with Marxist principles...
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