A Level Sociology OCR

This subject is broken down into 50 topics in 10 modules:

  1. Socialisation, Culture and Identity 3 topics
  2. Families and Relationships 3 topics
  3. Youth Subculture 3 topics
  4. Media 3 topics
  5. Research Methods and Researching Social Inequalities 3 topics
  6. Understanding Social Inequalities 5 topics
  7. Globalisation and the Digital Social World 5 topics
  8. Crime and Deviance 6 topics
  9. Education 10 topics
  10. Religion, belief and faith 9 topics
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  • 10
    modules
  • 50
    topics
  • 19,141
    words of revision content
  • 2+
    hours of audio lessons

This page was last modified on 28 September 2024.

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Sociology

Socialisation, Culture and Identity

What is Culture?

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What is Culture?

Understanding Culture

  • Culture is a complex combination of the practices, beliefs, values, and behaviours that characterise a society or group.

  • It involves shared expectations, symbols, and norms that guide and inform individuals' interactions with each other.

  • Culture is a dynamic social phenomenon, which is to say it is influenced by interactions between people, and changes over time and through different contexts.

  • It is a learned behaviour, not innate or biologically determined.

Components of Culture

  • Material culture comprises of the physical, tangible objects produced by a society or group. This could include art, architecture, technology, clothing, and food.

  • Non-material culture refers to the non-tangible aspects of culture, such as beliefs, practices, aesthetics, norms, and values.

  • Symbols and Language: Culture generates and uses symbols, including language, to derive meaning and communicate complex ideas. Symbolic interaction is a key element in maintaining and changing culture.

Levels of Culture

  • There are several 'layers' to culture, starting with universal culture, the common behaviour patterns and institutions that are typical of all human societies.

  • National culture is a shared set of norms, beliefs, customs and traditions that characterises a country or nation.

  • Subculture is a cultural group within a larger culture, often possessing beliefs or interests that contrast with those of the larger culture.

  • Counter-culture is a type of subculture that rejects and opposes significant elements of the dominant culture.

Culture and Society

  • Culture provides a framework for social structure, defining roles and relationships within a society.

  • It shapes the way individuals perceive and react to their social environment and provides them with patterns of behaviour.

  • Cultural diversity acknowledges the variety of cultures co-existing in a society and the importance of maintaining this variety.

  • Culture clash or culture conflict happens when significantly differing cultures or subcultures come into contact, often leading societal tension or conflict.

Course material for Sociology, module Socialisation, Culture and Identity, topic What is Culture?

Sociology

Crime and Deviance

Defintion and measurement of crime and deviance

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Defintion and measurement of crime and deviance

Defining Crime and Deviance

  • Crime is defined as behaviour that violates legally enshrined rules and principles, which can lead to formal punishment by the state.
  • Deviance refers to behaviour or actions that contravene social norms or values. Deviance can be both criminal and non-criminal in nature.
  • Both crime and deviance are socially constructed concepts that vary over time, across cultures, within social groups and between individuals.

Understanding Crime and Deviance

  • Labelling theory posits that social reactions to alleged deviant behaviours contribute to the deviant identity of the accused, leading to further deviance.
  • The functionalist perspective views crime and deviance as necessary elements for maintaining social order, emphasising their roles in reinforcing collective values and norms.
  • Conflict or Marxist theories suggest crime is a product of social inequality and power relationships. Those with power create laws that protect their interests, while disadvantaged groups resort to crime due to their social circumstances.
  • Interactionist approaches focus on the small-scale, everyday interactions that lead to the labelling of certain behaviour as deviant or criminal.

Measuring Crime

  • Official crime statistics, compiled from reports to the police, are commonly used to measure crime. However, they can suffer from underreporting and dark figure of crime.
  • Victim surveys, such as the Crime Survey for England and Wales, provide alternative data, capturing crimes that aren’t reported to or recorded by the police.
  • Self-report studies inquire about individuals' own law-breaking behaviours, providing a different perspective on actual crime rates.

Issues in Measuring Crime

  • Issues associated with official crime statistics include selective enforcement (the police focusing on certain crimes or areas) and non-reporting (not all crimes are reported to the police).
  • Victim surveys may be skewed due to memory recall issues, non-response bias (people refusing or forgetting to participate in the survey), or victims overriding legal definitions of crime.
  • Self-report studies may be affected by the honesty of respondents and are likely to be biased towards minor, petty crimes as respondents will be less likely to admit to serious offences.

Controlling Crime

  • The criminal justice system (police, courts, and prisons) plays a key role in controlling crime through detection, prosecution, punishment, and rehabilitation.
  • Situational crime prevention strategies aim to reduce opportunities for crime, for example, by making the environment less conducive to crime (e.g., increased lighting, CCTV).
  • Societal and community interventions (educational programs, improving housing and employment opportunities etc.) focus on tackling the root causes of criminal behaviour.

Course material for Sociology, module Crime and Deviance, topic Defintion and measurement of crime and deviance

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