...Assess the relationship between sociology and social policy In order to understand the role of sociology in relation to social policy, it is important to firstly distinguish between social problems and sociological problems. According to Peter Worsley, a social problem is some piece of social behaviour that causes public friction and private misery and calls for collective action to solve it. According to Worsley, a sociological problem is “any pattern of relationships that calls for explanation.” In other words, it is any piece of behaviour that we wish to make sense of. However even when sociologists conduct research into social problems, there’s no guarantee that policy makers will study their findings, or that any solutions they propose will find their way into social policies. Many factors may affect whether or not sociological research succeeds in influencing policy. Some of these include electoral popularity, interest groups, globalisation and cost. Different sociological perspectives hold different views of the nature of the state and their 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. 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. As such, their approach was part of the Enlightenment project to use science ad reason to improve society...
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...Social policy is the actions, plans and programmes of government bodies and agencies aim to deal with a problem or achieve a goal.e.g preventing crime and reducing poverty. Policies are often based on laws that provide the framework within which these agencies operate. Sociologists findings may sometimes influence social policies but many other factors also play a part, such as political ideologies and the availability of resources. This essay will assess the relationship between sociology and social policy. Essentially, it can be argue that social policies are one of the most applicable ways in which sociology finds it simperative uses. This is because many sociologists argue that sociology should be used to solve sociological problems as defined by Peter Worsley “ a behaviour in which causes private misery or calls for collective action to solve it” This therefore means sociology can and should be used to investigate patterns of these behaviours and ways in which it can be resolved. Additionally, the relationship between sociology and social policy according to Functionalists and Positivists such as Comte and Durkheim is that a rigorous objective and scientific approach should be used in order to generate social facts which can be used by the government to develop generic nomothetic patterns of behaviour that can be used to implement policies that benefit society as a whole. As highlighted, Positivists and Functionalists adopt a positive relationship between sociology...
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...SOCIAL POLICY Social Policy – actions that are taken by the government to maintain and improve the welfare of its citizens . MARXIST – TO CRITICIZE FUNCTIONALIST The Black Report * For example, this report, carried out in 1980 on class inequalities in health made 37 far-reaching policy recommendations for reducing inequalities * These included free school meals for all children, improved working conditions, better benefits for the disabled and more spending on housing * The Labour government had originally commissioned the report in 1977 but it was only completed in 1980, the year after Mrs Thatcher’s Conservative government came to power * The new government refused to implement the reports recommendations on grounds of cost and even tried to prevent its publication * The Labour government had originally commissioned the report in 1977 but it was only completed in 1980, the year after Mrs Thatcher’s Conservative government came to power * The new government refused to implement the reports recommendations on grounds of cost and even tried to prevent its publication Post Modernism * For them, sociology has no contribution to make to policy. * The role of sociology is to simply allow people to seek out an understanding of their personal lives within a specific social context * This is because post-modernists reject the modernist idea of ‘progress’; social research cannot be used to usher in the ‘good society’ TO CRITICIZE : ...
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...SOCIOLOGY – AQA – UNIT 4 - CRIME AND DEVIANCE The exam is split into 3 questions: • Q.1 is a pure methods section which contains two parts a) 12 marks and b) 21 marks. You should spend 45 minuets on this question. • Q.2 is a method in context question. Part a) is for 9 marks [could also be a 3 and 6 mark question] and part b) is for 15 marks. You should spend 30 minuets on this question. • Q.3 is a theories essay for 33 marks. THIS QUESTION IS SYNOPTIC! You should spend 45 minuets on this question. Below is a list of all the areas and studies you need to know for each section of the exam. Don’t worry if you don’t know all the studies, each college/school are likely to teach slightly different ones, just make sure you know about that amount for each section. Q.1 For the first two pure crime parts you need to know: Functionalist theories of crime and deviance Durkheim – Social control, social regulation including suicide Merton-Strain theory, blocked aspirations Cohen – Status frustration Cloward and Ohlin – Deviant subcultures New Right/Right Realism James Wilson – Strict law enforcement needed Wilson and Kelling – Broken windows, zero tolerance Murray – Cultural deprivation, single parents and ineffective, the underclass Erdos – Families without fathers Subcultural theories Cohen – Delinquent subcultures Cloward and Ohlin – Delinquency and opportunity, criminal, conflict and retreatist...
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...Social policies are the plans and actions of government agencies, which aim to address social issues, ranging from poverty to racism. Sociology has been linked to the beginning of social policies, especially in more recent years. For example, the concept of marketisation within the school system in the early 1990’s and the reduction in funding for Higher Education Tuition Fees was influenced by contemporary sociology. Donnison believes that there are four factors that he feels shape social policy. These are changing political agendas, changing circumstances, growing knowledge and new questions. There are different sociological opinions that view the relationship between sociology and social policy differently, which means there is no simple view. For example, social policies are introduced to the belief that they will improve society by tackling social problems: affecting the welfare of the population of the country where the policy is being introduced. However, Feminists and Marxists believe that social policy is not just about improving the welfare of citizens, as they believe it is about social control; deterring rather than helping individuals. Giddens’ supports Donnison by stating that there are four practical uses of studying sociology. These include: understanding social situations, being aware of cultural differences, assessing the effects of policies and increasing self-knowledge. By understanding social situations, we are able to understand the world around us...
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...Assess the relationship between Social Policy and Sociology. (33 Marks) Sociology is a subject that wants to study and understand society. Social policy or otherwise known as the law comes from research completed by sociologists, which is then proposed to the government. Social policy can be seen to change social problems such as the economy. Peter Worsley describes a social problem as “some piece of social behaviour that causes public friction”. For example poverty, educational under-achievement, and divorce can be seen as social problems that the government may be forced to tackle with social policies. Worsley thinks that a sociological problem is “ any pattern of relationships that calls for explanation”, meaning any piece of behaviour that we want to make sense of. For example why some families are richer than others? , Why people commit crime? Or why couples remain happily married? George Simmel was intrigued about the characteristics present in all social relationships and their different settings, be it in an office, in the family home or on a busy street. However many sociologists are interested in solving social problems through their research. They will conduct their research so it is aimed at the social problem they are most interested about. Government departments such as home office employ many sociologists. They will often have a direct input into making social policies. However sometimes sociological research does not effect social polices, and there are a number...
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...Version 3.0 General Certificate of Education January 2013 Sociology 1191 SCLY2 Education with Research Methods; Health with Research Methods Unit 2 Final Mark Scheme Mark schemes are prepared by the Principal Examiner and considered, together with the relevant questions, by a panel of subject teachers. This mark scheme includes any amendments made at the standardisation meeting attended by all examiners and is the scheme which was used by them in this examination. The standardisation meeting ensures that the mark scheme covers the students‟ responses to questions and that every examiner understands and applies it in the same correct way. As preparation for the standardisation meeting each examiner analyses a number of students‟ scripts: alternative answers not already covered by the mark scheme are discussed at the meeting and legislated for. If, after this meeting, examiners encounter unusual answers which have not been discussed at the meeting they are required to refer these to the Principal Examiner. It must be stressed that a mark scheme is a working document, in many cases further developed and expanded on the basis of students‟ reactions to a particular paper. Assumptions about future mark schemes on the basis of one year‟s document should be avoided; whilst the guiding principles of assessment remain constant, details will change, depending on the content of a particular examination paper. Further copies of this Mark Scheme are available to download...
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...CCTV surveillance and the civic conversation: a study in public sociology Author(s): Sean P. Hier , Dan Lett and Kevin Walby Source: Canadian Journal of Sociology. 35.3 (Summer 2010): p437. Document Type: Report Copyright : COPYRIGHT 2010 Canadian Journal of Sociology http://www.ualberta.ca/~cjscopy/subinfo.html Abstract: Public sociology is being debated across the social sciences. This article examines how sociologists can enter concretely into a civic conversation through the research process. We present partial findings from a Canada-wide investigation into how city street video surveillance systems are implemented in various communities. Our aim is to examine some of the challenges of doing public sociology by examining sociological knowledge production and communication with diverse publics. Data gleaned from focused group interviews in the City of Kelowna, British Columbia are presented to explore the challenges of facilitating a civic conversation about public policy on city street video surveillance. Keywords: public sociology; public-area video surveillance; Burawoy; public opinion La notion captivante de << sociologie publique >> a recemment anime des debats dans le monde des sciences sociales. Bien que ces debats aient permis de soulever des questions pertinentes relativement au statut de la production du savoir sociologique, on n'a pas apporte suffisamment de reflexion sur la maniere dont les sociologues entrent reellement dans une conversation...
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...of, relating how my experiences; ‘could affect my career as a Social Worker’. This self-reflection paper is personal. It shares the impact that HUM 201 has had on me, and my understanding of; what will be expected of me as a person and professional. As I understand the goals of the essay, it is to have someone consider and think about future uses of this knowledge being acquired. As part of my preparation for this paper, I looked back on the course from the beginning of the semester. I looked at my goals as a future educator in the field of ‘Human Services’, and thought about how this semester has changed my perspective (this coming from someone not unfamiliar with human services) on what it takes, to truly be effective as a leader in the field of social work as a result of this course. Through this self-reflection I’ve noticed the inter-play between my personal knowledge and what is being taught, the ‘role’ of ‘social worker’ first came to my attention at a very young, I lived in a family constantly in need of social services. The most striking realization I came away with is, the sway the psychological and sociological perspectives relate to each other (in very complex ways), more than you’d acknowledge without serious training to ferret out the interconnecting tendrils of each ideology within the other (much more than I had thought). My previously concrete analogy that I’d built; which proposed that sociology was an emergent outcome of psychology, however I’ve come to realize...
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...Chapter 2 – Examining the Social World: How Do We Know? Ballantine, Roberts, and Korgen. Our Social World: Condensed, Fourth Edition. © 2015 SAGE Publications The Development of Sociology • Social thought before sociology: strongly influenced by religion and philosophy • Modern sociology arose in 19th century Europe, influenced by several conditions: – Colonialism: exposure to other cultures – Industrial Revolution & French Revolution: desire to know how dramatic change could be systematically explained – Advances in the natural sciences: desire to apply scientific method to the social world Ballantine, Roberts, and Korgen. Our Social World: Condensed, Fourth Edition. © 2015 SAGE Publications The Development of Sociology August Comte & the science of society • Coined the term “sociology” in 1838 • Thought society’s problems could not be understood by philosophical or religious speculation; scientific knowledge was needed • Two main concerns – What holds society together? (social statics or structure) – Why is there change in society? (social dynamics or process) Ballantine, Roberts, and Korgen. Our Social World: Condensed, Fourth Edition. © 2015 SAGE Publications The Development of Sociology Early sociology after Comte • Focus on massive social and economic change brought by Industrial Revolution • Focus on relationship between micro-, meso-, and macro-level processes • Early sociological theorists: Emile Durkheim, Karl Marx, Harriet...
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...Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science (a term with which it is sometimes synonymous) which uses various methods of empirical investigation[1] and critical analysis[2] to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity. For many sociologists the goal is to conduct research which may be applied directly to social policy and welfare, while others focus primarily on refining the theoretical understanding of social processes. Subject matter ranges from the micro level of individual agency and interaction to the macro level of systems and the social structure.[3] The traditional focuses of sociology have included social stratification, social class, culture, social mobility, religion, secularisation, law, and deviance. As all spheres of human activity are affected by the interplay between social structure and individual agency, sociology has gradually expanded its focus to further subjects, such as health, medical, military and penal institutions, the Internet, and the role of social activity in the development of scientific knowledge. The range of social scientific methods has also expanded. Social researchers draw upon a variety of qualitative and quantitative techniques. The linguistic and cultural turns of the mid-twentieth century led to increasingly interpretative, hermeneutic, and philosophic approaches to the analysis of society. Conversely, recent decades have seen the rise of new analytically, mathematically and computationally rigorous techniques...
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...Social policy as an academic subject is both descriptive and analytical. Discuss drawing on at least three academic references. In this essay the author will define social policy as an academic subject and show that despite the fact that social policy draws on other academic social science subjects it is different because it is "based upon a distinct empirical focus - support for the well-being of citizens provided through social action" (Alcock 2008:3). The author will show how as an academic subject social policy is both descriptive and analytical and will give examples. Social policy as an academic subject is difficult to describe as it is both the search of theoretical norms on how society should behave and the practical application and implementation of policies, which are considered to be social (Alcock et al 2004:1). The purpose of these policies is to improve welfare and to meet human needs (Blakemore, K. 2003:1). Spicker (2008:1) defines social policy as "the study of social services and the welfare state". The study of social policy, originally known as social administration mainly pertains to social services and includes social security, housing, health, social work and education, these being described by Spicker (2008:1) as the "big five". Social policy as an academic subject draws on other subjects such as economics, politics, history, psychology and sociology and has been described as a "magpie" subject by Blakemore (2003:3). These other subjects offer background...
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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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...Version 1.0 General Certificate of Education June 2011 Sociology 1191 SCLY2 Education with Research Methods; Health with Research Methods Unit 2 Mark Scheme Mark schemes are prepared by the Principal Examiner and considered, together with the relevant questions, by a panel of subject teachers. This mark scheme includes any amendments made at the standardisation meeting attended by all examiners and is the scheme which was used by them in this examination. The standardisation meeting ensures that the mark scheme covers the candidates’ responses to questions and that every examiner understands and applies it in the same correct way. As preparation for the standardisation meeting each examiner analyses a number of candidates’ scripts: alternative answers not already covered by the mark scheme are discussed at the meeting and legislated for. If, after this meeting, examiners encounter unusual answers which have not been discussed at the meeting they are required to refer these to the Principal Examiner. It must be stressed that a mark scheme is a working document, in many cases further developed and expanded on the basis of candidates’ reactions to a particular paper. Assumptions about future mark schemes on the basis of one year’s document should be avoided; whilst the guiding principles of assessment remain constant, details will change, depending on the content of a particular examination paper. Further copies of this Mark Scheme are available...
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...Sociology of Education Unit 10 What do Marxists say about the education system? Learning targets: • Marxists see that the ruling class or 'bourgeoisie' rule the workers or '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...
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