soc aice

Functionalism

Q: What is Functionalism in sociology?
A: A consensus theory that sees society as a stable system where institutions work together to maintain social order.

Q: Who introduced the concept of "social facts"?
A: Émile Durkheim.

Q: What are social facts?
A: External and collective forces that influence individual behavior, like laws or moral codes.

Q: What is value consensus?
A: Shared norms and values that help maintain social stability.

Q: What is anomie?
A: A state of normlessness, often during rapid social change or breakdown of norms.

Q: What is the organic analogy?
A: Society is like a human body, where each part (institution) has a function and works together for the whole.

Q: What is a manifest function?
A: An intended and obvious function of an institution (e.g., schools teach knowledge).

Q: What is a latent function?
A: An unintended or hidden function (e.g., schools reinforce class divisions).

Q: Criticism of Functionalism?
A: It ignores inequality and conflict; overemphasizes harmony.

🔹 Marxism

Q: What is the main focus of Marxism?
A: Class conflict between the bourgeoisie (owners) and proletariat (workers).

Q: What is false consciousness?
A: When the working class is misled to believe capitalism is fair (e.g., through media or education).

Q: How do schools support capitalism according to Althusser?
A: By acting as Ideological State Apparatuses that teach obedience and conformity.

Q: What do Marxists say about social policies like welfare?
A: They help maintain capitalism by reducing dissatisfaction without real change.

Q: What is the Marxist solution to inequality?
A: Revolution to create a classless society.

🔹 Feminism

Q: What is patriarchy?
A: A system of male dominance in society.

Q: What are the three waves of feminism?
A: 1st – Suffrage, 2nd – Equal pay/reproductive rights, 3rd – Modern issues like #MeToo.

Q: What does Liberal Feminism focus on?
A: Achieving gender equality through legal reforms (e.g., equal pay).

Q: What is Radical Feminism's main view?
A: Patriarchy is deeply rooted; advocates for women-only spaces and cultural change.

Q: What does Marxist Feminism argue?
A: Women’s domestic labor supports capitalism by reproducing labor power.

Q: What is Intersectional Feminism?
A: Highlights how gender intersects with race, class, etc., to create unique forms of oppression.

Q: What are Sylvia Walby’s Six Structures of Patriarchy?
A: State, Violence, Domestic labor, Paid work, Sexuality, Culture.

🔹 Symbolic Interactionism

Q: What is Symbolic Interactionism?
A: A micro-level theory focusing on how individuals give meaning to social interactions.

Q: What is the "looking-glass self"?
A: Cooley’s idea that we see ourselves through how others perceive us.

Q: What is labeling theory (Becker)?
A: People become deviant when labeled that way by society, especially by powerful institutions like schools.

Q: What is the self-fulfilling prophecy?
A: When a label leads to behavior that confirms the label.

Q: What is a "labelling career"?
A: The process through which a label becomes someone's master status (e.g., being seen as a "criminal").

Q: What is Goffman’s dramaturgy?
A: Life is like a performance, with "front stage" (public role) and "back stage" (private self) behavior.

Q: Criticism of Interactionism?
A: Overlooks larger social structures (like class or gender); too focused on small-scale interactions.

🔹 Max Weber (Social Action Theory)

Q: What is Verstehen?
A: Understanding social behavior by putting yourself in others’ shoes (empathetic understanding).

Q: What are Weber’s 4 types of social action?
A: Instrumental-rational, Value-rational, Traditional, Affectual.

Q: What are Weber’s levels of explanation?
A: 1. Structural causes (e.g., rise of capitalism), 2. Subjective meanings (e.g., Protestant work ethic).

🔹 Research Methods

Q: What is Positivism?
A: Belief in studying society using scientific methods and quantitative data (e.g., surveys, statistics).

Q: What is Interpretivism?
A: Focuses on understanding meaning through qualitative data (e.g., interviews, observations).

Q: What are key features of Positivist research?
A: Objectivity, reliability, causality, large samples.

Q: What are key features of Interpretivist research?
A: Verstehen, validity, small samples, in-depth data.

Q: What is triangulation?
A: Using multiple methods (e.g., survey + interview) to improve reliability and validity.

Q: Define reliability.
A: The ability to repeat research and get the same results.

Q: Define validity.
A: How accurately the research reflects reality.

Q: What is a hypothesis?
A: A testable prediction (e.g., "High income leads to higher grades").

Q: What is a pilot study?
A: A small-scale test of research methods before the full study.

Q: What is ethnography?
A: Long-term immersion in a group to study its culture (e.g., living with a religious sect).

Q: What is a case study?
A: A detailed study of one case or group (e.g., one school’s discipline policy).

Q: What is longitudinal research?
A: Research conducted over a long period to track changes (e.g., following students over 10 years).

🔹 Ethics & Practical Issues

Q: What is informed consent?
A: Participants agree to take part with full understanding of the study.

Q: What is covert research?
A: Studying people without their knowledge (raises ethical issues).

Q: Why is confidentiality important?
A: To protect participants’ identities and personal information.

Q: What are practical issues in research?
A: Time, cost, access to participants, researcher’s skills.