AQA A-Level Sociology: Sociological Theory

Read Item A below and then answer the question that follows.

Item A — written for this exercise

Some sociologists argue that social order rests on agreement. On this view, members of a society are socialised into a shared set of norms and values, and it is this value consensus that binds people together, makes cooperation possible and allows institutions such as the family, education and religion to function smoothly. Society is pictured as an integrated whole whose parts work together for the good of the system, much as the organs of a body work together to keep it alive.

Other sociologists reject this picture. They argue that what looks like agreement is in fact the outcome of unequal power. The values that appear to be shared, they claim, are really the ideas of dominant groups, transmitted through institutions in ways that serve some interests at the expense of others. From this standpoint, conflict between classes, or between men and women, is the normal condition of society, and any apparent consensus conceals it.

Question: Applying material from Item A and your knowledge, evaluate the view that society is based on value consensus rather than conflict. [20 marks]

Read Item B below and then answer the question that follows.

Item B — written for this exercise

Functionalist theory explains social institutions by pointing to the useful effects they have for society as a whole. A practice exists, on this view, because of the contribution it makes to keeping the wider system in balance. Critics, however, have asked whether explaining something by its effects really explains anything at all, and whether a theory built around order and integration can make sense of a social world that is so often marked by division, instability and rapid change. Others object that, in concentrating on the needs of the system, functionalism loses sight of the individuals who actually make society happen.

Question: Applying material from Item B, analyse two criticisms of the functionalist theory of society. [10 marks]

Outline and explain two differences between positivist and interpretivist approaches to studying society. [10 marks]

Outline three features of the functionalist view of society. [6 marks]

Outline two differences between Marxism and feminism as conflict theories. [4 marks]

Outline two reasons why some sociologists argue that sociology cannot be a science. [4 marks]