...0 8 Assess the contribution of Marxism to our understanding of society. (33 marks) http://filestore.aqa.org.uk/subjects/AQA-SCLY4-QP-JUN13.PDF Marxism is a conflict theory which was developed by Karl Marx. It is a structural approach to society, meaning that it looks at the large-scale societal structure in order to see how society functions and operates. They believe that structure is categorized into two kinds of structure; the infrastructure and the superstructure. The superstructure is the culture, institutions, political power structures, roles, rituals, and norms that influence how we behave in society. The infrastructure means the basic systems and structures that a country or an organization needs in order to work properly. Marxism is useful to our understanding of society as it shows us how society is based on capitalism which caused the division of two opposed classes. Marx believed that in society we have two main classes; the bourgeoisie or the ruling class and the proletariat or the working class. The bourgeoisie are the owners of the means of production (factories e.g.). Marx argues that the bourgeoisie’s ownership of the means of production also gives them ideological and political power that they to exploit the proletariat. The proletariat are the working class in capitalist society. They own no means of production and are wage slaves who are forced to sell their labour power to the bourgeoisie in order for them to survive. The bourgeoisie construct the relations...
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...Assess the contribution of Marxism to our understanding of society (33 marks) - June'13 A popular group of sociologists , who have conducted various amounts of research in regard to society, are Marxists, who believe that power in society is largely stemmed from wealth, which has created a capitalist society (a society in which people are employed for wages, and businesses are set up with the aim of making profit). In capitalism the working-class employees (proletarian) are exploited by the bourgeoisie (the ruling-class), because they were not paid the full value of their work since the bourgeoisie kept surplus value. According to Marxism, family developed so that men were able to feel certain of the paternity of their children. Engels (Marxist) believes that marriage would allow men to control women's sexuality and minimise the chances of women having an affair. This is supported by Murdock (Functionalist) who believes there are 4 functions to the family, one being the sexual function, which states that family prevents disruption to society by limiting sexuality to monogamous relationships, therefore preventing any conflict that may arise from sexual desire. This suggests that Marxists believe that society created the idea of family in order for men to feel confident they are passing down their property to their biological offspring. In addition, Marxist Feminists believe that society is controlled by men and the ruling-class; and that family encourages the working-class...
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...The Marxist view of the family is that the primary responsibility of its existence is to continue to develop the industrial society due to the fact that, in the eyes of Marxists, its main role is to perpetuate capitalism. The bourgeoisie, or higher class, remain rich whilst the proletariat, otherwise known as the lower class, remain poorer. The proletariat are socialised by the family to not question their role in society and to always remain hard working employees in order to keep society in the order that it is in now. The Marxist views of the nuclear family can be assessed in whether or not they are effective theories as they can be compared to other theorists’ views of the family. Functionalists and Feminists have varying theories on the existence of the family that both coincide with the Marxist view and also contrast with it. Marxists have concluded that one of the sole reasons the nuclear family exists is the inheritance of property. A theorist named Fredrich Engels believes the existence of monogamous marriage – being married to one person in one time – exists exclusively in society so that the inheritance of private property can be easily passed down throughout generations without confusion of which child it should go to. This aims to aid money staying within the family, which therefore means the bourgeoisie can pass down property to their heirs and the rich stay rich, while the poor who have nothing to pass onto their future generations stay poor. However, this theory...
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...Capitalist society is essentially a two-class system, with ruling class exploiting the working class. Marxists see education as being run in the interests of the ruling class. For example, Althusser argues that education is an important ideological state apparatus that helps to control people’s ideas and beliefs. He suggests education has two purposes. It reproduces class inequalities through the generations by ensuring that most working-class pupils experience educational failure. Education also legitimates this inequality, persuading the working class to accept educational and social inequalities. Other Marxists have also pointed to the existence of a hidden curriculum in schools. Using material from Item A and elsewhere, assess the contribution of Marxism to our understanding of the role of education. (20 marks) Marx believed that the ruling class do not just own the means of production but they also rule as thinkers and producers of ideas. From a young age the ruling class were taught that you should rule by ideas, which is more powerful than ruling by force. This is because some people become angry when they say no. In education you are taught certain norms and values. For example attendance, punctuality, obedience, respect – hand up in class before speaking. If the pupils do not conform to these rules then they would get punished. Marx believes that education teaches young people that you need to accept the ideas of the ruling class even if they don’t agree with them. For...
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...Using material from Item A and elsewhere, assess the contribution of Marxism to our understanding of families and households. (24 marks)Marxists see all society’s institutions as helping to maintain class inequality and Capitalism. Therefore, the main contribution of Marxism to the sociology of families and households has been to explain how the family functions to maintain the interests of the bourgeoisie, and maintain the Capitalist system. Marxists’ contributions have drawn much criticism from Feminist and Functionalist sociologists, who question whether Marxism can help us to understand the family in contemporary society. Marxists argue that the key factor determining the shape of all social institutions, including the family, is the mode of production. Engels (1891) argues that the Capitalist mode of production has shaped the family in many ways. He argues that Capitalism depends on the patriarchal monogamous nuclear family. In Engel’s view this family structure is essential to Capitalist society because of the inheritance of private property- men have be certain of the paternity of their children in order to ensure that their legitimate heirs inherit from them. For Engels, it is the nature of Capitalism which dictates the structure of the nuclear family, and in turn the nuclear family maintains class inequality as inheritance of private property ensures that class divisions between the proletariat and bourgeoisie are maintained. However, Engel’s view can be criticized...
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...Sociological Theory Assess the contributions of Marxism to our understanding of society. (33 marks) Marxism looks at the large scale societal structure in order to gain answers about how society work and operates. Marxism at its core is about the class struggle between those who own the means of production and those who use the means of production. These two groups are called the bourgeoisie, the ruling class and the proletariat, the working class. The Marxism perspective looks at the development of the western world, in particular capitalist countries. They believe that in a capitalist society, the owners of the means of production, the bourgeoisie, continually seek to exploit their labours, the proletariats for profit of their own gain. So majority off the working class who are the labourers work to earn a poor wage while the profit exceeds into the pockets of the owners, the business men, the ruling class. The owners of these productions control the state and institutions such as education and the media. The media portrays ideas to keep the working class under false class consciousness and alienation. If the proletariat members of society were to be class conscious then they would also be aware of the need to overthrow capitalism. Society as a whole alienates the working class by separating them from materials they have made or the work that they have done, stripping them of their identities. Keeping them away from other workers puts a stop to any thought processes about...
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...Assess the contribution of Marxist theories to our understanding of society today Within sociology there are many varieties of conflict perspectives. Marxism is one of these. It is both a structural and a conflict theory. From a structural perspective, Marxists analyse the way society as a whole fits together. It views society as a structure in which the economic base determines the shape of the superstructure. The superstructure is made up of all the institutions such as the family, the media and the education system. Their function is to serve ruling class interests and maintain a capitalist society, according to traditional Marxists. Traditional Marxism has been extended through the work of neo Marxism. Neo Marxism is a more modern, new and up to date version of traditional Marxism. Karl Marx is the founding father of Marxism and Marxism is based on the ideas of Karl Marx, hence the name Marxism. Marx describes the concept ‘Polarisation of the Classes’. This describes the historical process of the class structure becoming increasingly polarised. Marx describes how in capitalist society the class structure becomes polarised into a wealthy bourgeoisie and an impoverished proletariat. One way in which Marxist theories helps us to understand society is through explaining historical materialism. Materialism is the view that all humans are beings with material needs, such as food, clothing and shelters and must therefore work in order to meet them. Overtime tools have been developed...
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...Assess the usefulness of these theories in our understanding of society. (20 marks) In this essay I will be writing about how useful macro and micro theories are in our understanding of society. Macro theories are explanations that look at society as a whole, and the effect society has on people within it. In academics, macro theories attempt to explain the entirety of a subject in general or broad terms and example of a macro theory is Marxism. Micro theories are explanations that look at individuals how they act and interact with others, and how they make sense on the world. Micro theories also focus in detail on more specific elements of the discipline. An example of a macro theory is Feminism which was first introduced by the Suffragettes which was solely focused on political equality and then brought light to the topic in 1918, when women were given the right to vote if they owned their own house and were over the age of 30, shockingly it took another 10 years for the age to lower to vote to 21. They focused on the gender division between men and women. Feminists characterise our society as patriarchal, which means male dominated, and they argue that mainstream sociology focus on the concern of men and not on the concern of women. There are many elements within feminist attitudes and this incudes Marxism feminists. Liberal feminists, Radical feminists and Black feminists all have a similar goal which is to end male patriarchy in society and free society of exploitation...
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...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 most people today choose not to be lifelong members of religious organisations. (18 marks) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Jun ’11: | Assess the view religion is a force for social change (18 marks). | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Assess the view secularisation has been a feature only...
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...Assess the usefulness of the functionalist view for an understanding of the family today? Functionalism is a structural theory. In functionalism, social institutes like families are the key parts of the structure/system. These institutions are seen as working in an integrated way that keeps society in a state of consensus. Functionalists stress the positive role of a family for society and its members. They argue that the families’ role is universal and functional. A famous functionalist, called Murdock believed that the family is a social group characterised by common residence, economic co-operation and reproduction. It includes adults of both sexes, at least two of whom maintain a socially approved sexual relationship. Murdock believes that the family has 4 important functions, sex, reproduction, economic and socialisation. The family however does not always execute all of these functions, but it makes an important contribution to all of them and no other institution has yet been devised to match its efficiency in this respect. Another key functionalist is Parsons, who accepted that modern families do have functions that they need to fulfil, however he believed that outside agencies had taken over some of the main functions of the family but that two irreducible functions remained. These functions are stabilisation of adult personality and primary socialisation of the young. He added that he believed children needed two clear, stereotypical role models. The man was the...
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...------------------------------------------------- Scly1 Summer 2013 Using material from Item 2B and elsewhere, assess the contribution of functionalist sociologists to our understanding of the family. INSTRUCTIONS to candidates AS ESSAY – Scly1 Family/Households - 24marks – 24 minutes i.e. 2-2.5 pages average sized handwriting (2 pages typed) (AO1-10 & AO2-14) * ADD your Name/Option Group to the header * Size 12 font/calibri * Email a copy to MY. * Print /submit hard copy to your sociology teacher [print off the whole document] Essay Cover sheet MTG (circle): | A | B | C | Grade (circle): | A | B | C | D | E | Teacher Name: MARK YELLAND | Raw Mark: | | Unit (circle): | Scly | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Section (circle): | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Green Pen (when you ‘green pen’ add your comments/extra points in the box below) | Student self-evaluation (circle the numbers successfully completed) i.e. I have: 1. Used largely accurate spelling, grammar and punctuation. 2. Written 3/4/5 sentences for every paragraph, in continuous prose ( & No bullets & No hyphens & No forward slash) 3. Written 1 page every 10mins (e.g. 30mins=3 pages). 4. Written the first paragraph outlining the ‘big picture’ including key specialist vocabulary. 5. Referenced the key terms from the question in every paragraph (& underlined them in the question). 6. Used the majority of the key concepts/ideas from the MS (& ER). 7. Used at least 5 sources...
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...P2 Explain different sociological approaches to health and ill health There are different approaches to health and ill health in sociology, and these include Functionalism, Marxism, Feminism and Interactionism. The World Health Organisation (WHO) in 1974 defines positive health as a state of complete physical mental, social, spiritual and well-being not merely the absence of disease. The holistic approach is based on addressing the individual’s physical, social, emotional and spiritual health needs. The functionalist approach to health and ill health In the functionalist model, Parsons argued that illness is a form of deviance that disturbs the social function of a society; within the functionalist approach to health it studies the relationship between a sick individual and the society as a whole. Parsons stated that for the society to function efficiently the members of the society must be free from illness and must be of well health. Functionalists argued that stability and cooperation are very crucial for a society to function efficiently; functionalists explain that through the process of socialisation we learn our society’s general norms, values and social roles. An example of this is, saying “thank you or please” these are some of the values that are treasured within societies, and an example of a social role would be a grandmother fulfilling the role as a grandmother. For the grandmother to fulfil her role, the individual has to look after the grandchildren so...
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...Assess the Marxist contribution to an understanding of the role of education Marxism is one of a group of theories collectively called structural theories. Marxists tend to see the role of education as a process of conflict. They believe that the education system creates class inequality. Working classes accept that they will be working in the manual work force in the future, unlike the middle class students who believe they will be doing the higher and more skilled jobs, this is due to the myth of meritocracy. According to a Marxist perspective, the role of education is to create a better economy in the future. Both Bowles and Gintis identify this role as they created the correspondence theory, which means that school will always correspond to work as they both have similar features, preparing for the working world. Bowles and Gintis also believe that children mostly learn from the hidden curriculum which is based on your learning in school like obedience, manners, competition etc. This means that Marxists believe education plays a big part in society because schools are preparing students for jobs in the future. Furthermore, Willis suggests that education also promotes conflict because he recognised that schools do not produce an obedient work force just like Bowles and Gintis said as they don’t follow ruling class ideology. Willis studied a group of 12 working class boys and he said that they developed an anti-school subculture which shows a lack of authority through school...
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...Assess the contribution of functionalist sociologists to our understanding of the family (24 marks) Functionalists employ the idea of the nuclear family being the main universal family in society and most benefitting. The nuclear family functions to meet the pro dominant means of society (sexual reproduction, educational and economic functions). The family allows each member of the family to shine individually and enjoy success. The functionalist sociologist Murdock believed that the nuclear family is found in every society because it performs four main functions that are essential to the existence of society and no other institution can perform. The four are reproductive, sexual, educational and economic. He said that the reproductive function was vital because it was vital for society to survive; he saw the family as the best place for reproduction to take place. Similarly, he believed that the sexual function should take place within the family, because if sex is controlled by keeping it in the family it helps maintain stability and it binds the couple together rather than having a free for all. Murdock saw education as an important function for the family. The family socialises children into society’s values and norms. The final function that Murdock identified was the economic one. The family provides for its members’ basic needs such as food and shelter. There are other sociologists who have criticised Murdock’s views of the family. He sees the family as only nuclear...
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...Using material from Item A and elsewhere, assess the contribution of functionalism to our understanding of families and households (24 marks) According to functionalist sociologists, the family is a key institution of society. It performs vital functions for the maintenance of society as a whole and for the benefit of all its individual members. For example, according to George Peter Murdock, it provides for the stable satisfaction of the sex drive and thus avoids the social disruption and conflict that could be caused by a sexual ‘free for all’. Similarly, the family reproduces the next generation and thereby ensures the continuation of society over time. Functionalists tend to see the nuclear family as the ideal family type for modern society. For example, Talcott Parsons argues that it is the family structure best equipped to meet the need of industrial society for a mobile labour force. Similarly, the nuclear family performs two essential functions for its members and for society as a whole. However, not everyone accepts the functionalist view of the family and its role. Marxists and feminists reject its consensus assumptions about who benefits from the family. Similarly, historians and sociologists have put forward evidence to challenge Parsons’ view that there is a ‘functional fit’ between the type of society and the type of family structure found within it. When considering the question, we need to understand that functionalism has contributed towards our understanding...
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