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Eduqas A-Level Sociology A200QS
Culture and the Social Construction of Culture
Topic overviewCulture as a way of lifeNorms, values and beliefsRoles, status and role conflictDress, appearance and cultural identityLanguage and cultural transmissionFood, diet and cultural rulesMusic, the arts and high and popular cultureThe social construction of cultureFeral children and extreme isolationThe nature and nurture debateCulture and social changeCultural diversity, multiculturalism and hybriditySubcultures and countercultures
Socialisation and Its Agencies
Topic overviewPrimary socialisationSecondary socialisationRole models and imitationSanctions and the enforcement of normsThe family and cultural transmissionPeer groups and peer socialisationEducation as an agency of socialisationReligion as an agency of socialisationThe media as an agency of socialisationWork and occupational socialisationInformal social controlFormal social controlCultural reproduction and the limits of socialisation
Socialisation and Identity
Topic overviewPersonal identity and the selfSocial identity and collective belongingSociological theories of identityConsumption, globalisation and identityGender socialisation and gender identityChanging femininitiesChanging masculinitiesClass identity and the working classMiddle-class, upper-class and underclass identitiesThe decline of class identityEthnicity and ethnic identityHybrid identities and cultural changeNational identity and Britishness
Option: Families and HouseholdsFamilies
Topic overviewDefining families and householdsFamily forms and family diversityEthnic, religious and cultural diversity in family lifeMarriage, cohabitation and singlehoodDivorce and separationFertility, life expectancy and the ageing populationConjugal roles and the domestic division of labourPower, decision-making and domestic violenceChildhood and relationships between the generationsFunctionalist perspectives on the familyThe New Right and social policy on the familyMarxist and feminist perspectives on the familyPostmodernist perspectives, the life course and personal life
Option: Youth CulturesYouth cultures
Topic overviewYouth and the social construction of adolescenceThe media and the formation of youth cultureEconomic change, affluence and the youth marketGlobalisation and youth cultureSocial class and youth subculturesGender and youth cultureEthnicity and youth cultureNeo-tribes and the changing nature of youth cultureDelinquency, crime and youth offendingAnti-school subcultures and youth in educationMoral panics and media representations of youthFunctionalist and Marxist perspectives on youth cultureFeminist, interactionist and postmodernist perspectives on youth culture
Option: EducationEducation
Topic overviewThe role and function of education in societyFunctionalist perspectives on educationMarxist perspectives on educationInteractionist perspectives and labelling in educationFeminist perspectives on educationThe New Right and educationPostmodernist perspectives on educationPatterns and trends in attainment and participationMaterial factors and educational achievementCultural factors: deprivation, language and cultural capitalExplaining the gender and ethnicity gapsStreaming, setting and pupil subculturesEducation policy and marketisation
Option: MediaMedia
Topic overviewThe role and function of the media in societyOwnership and control of the mediaMarxist and neo-Marxist perspectives on the mediaPluralist perspectives on the mediaFeminist perspectives on the mediaPostmodernist perspectives on the mediaNews values, newsworthiness and agenda settingModels of media effects and the active audienceMoral panics and folk devilsNew media, globalisation and the digital divideRepresentations of social class and age in the mediaRepresentations of gender, ethnicity and disability in the mediaMedia regulation and social policy
Option: ReligionReligion
Topic overviewDefining religion and its role in societyFunctionalist perspectives on religionMarxist and neo-Marxist perspectives on religionFeminist perspectives on religionWeberian perspectives on religionPostmodernist perspectives on religionSecularisation: the evidence for declineSecularisation: the case againstChurches, denominations, sects and cultsNew religious movements and the new ageFundamentalism and religion in a globalising worldReligiosity by class, gender, ethnicity and ageReligion and social policy in contemporary society
Research Methods: Primary and Secondary
Topic overviewQuestionnaires: writing them and delivering themStructured interviewsUnstructured and semi-structured interviewsFocus groups and group interviewsParticipant observation, overt and covertNon-participant and structured observationSocial surveysEthnographic methodsLongitudinal studiesMethodological pluralism and triangulationExisting sociological research as secondary dataOfficial statisticsPersonal documents, public documents and newspaper reports
Sampling, Ethics and Practical Issues
Topic overviewTarget populations and sampling framesSimple random and systematic random samplingStratified random and quota samplingSnowball and volunteer samplingPurposive and opportunity samplesGatekeepers and gaining accessInformed consent and vulnerabilityDeception and covert researchConfidentiality, anonymity and privacyThe right to withdraw and protection from harmSensitivity and researching difficult subjectsOperationalisation and the choice of research topicTime, cost and the practical limits on research
Key Concepts and Theories of Research
Topic overviewValidity and what threatens itReliability, standardisation and replicationRepresentativeness and the sampleGeneralisabilityObjectivity, value freedom and biasEthics as a criterion for judging researchPositivism and the scientific study of societyInterpretivism and verstehenInteractionism, phenomenology and interpretivist research in practiceRealism and the search for underlying causesThe suicide debate as a test of the three positionsChoosing a method: theory, practicality and ethics
Social Inequality: Evidence and Patterns
Topic overviewSocial inequality and stratificationMeasuring social class in the contemporary UKClass inequality in income and wealthClass inequality in health and life expectancyClass inequality in education and employmentGender inequality in work and payGender inequality beyond the workplaceEthnic inequality in employment and incomeEthnic inequality in health, education and criminal justiceAge and inequalityThe changing distribution of income and wealthSocial mobility in the contemporary UK
Theories and Explanations of Inequality and Stratification
Topic overviewFunctionalist theories of stratificationCriticisms of functionalist stratification theoryThe New RightMarxist theories of classNeo-Marxist theoriesWeberian theories of stratificationNeo-Weberian theoriesFeminist explanations of inequalityExplaining gender inequality beyond feminismTheories of racism and ethnic inequalityExplaining age inequalityPostmodernist accounts of inequalityComparing and evaluating the theories
Option: Crime and DevianceCrime
Topic overviewDefining crime and deviance as social constructsThe media, moral panics and the social construction of crimeMeasuring crime: official government statisticsVictim studies and self-report studiesThe social distribution of crime by class and ageThe social distribution of crime by genderThe social distribution of crime by ethnicityFunctionalist explanations of crime and devianceSub-cultural explanations of crime and devianceMarxist and neo-Marxist explanations of crimeInteractionist explanations and labelling theoryRight realism, left realism and crime control policyFeminist and postmodernist explanations of crime
Option: Health and DisabilityHealth
Topic overviewDefining health and illness as social constructsThe medical and social models of disabilityOfficial statistics, patterns and trends in healthHealth and social classHealth and genderHealth and ethnicityHealth and ageArtefact and self-selection explanationsCultural and material explanationsAccess to and provision of health care in the UKThe biomedical model, medicalisation and health professionalsFunctionalist and Marxist approaches to healthInteractionist, feminist and postmodernist approaches to health
Option: PoliticsPolitics
Topic overviewPower, authority and legitimacyPluralist theories of powerElite theories of powerMarxist and neo-Marxist theories of powerFunctionalist, Weberian and postmodernist theories of powerPatterns and trends in political participationPolitical participation and social classVoting behaviour and partisan de-alignmentPolitical participation and genderPolitical participation, ethnicity and agePolitical parties and the democratic processPressure groups and policy makingNew social movements and anti-capitalist movements
Option: World SociologyWorld sociology
Topic overviewDefining and measuring developmentGlobal inequality in healthGlobal inequality in educationEmployment and the global division of labourGlobal poverty, marginalisation and exclusionPopulation, urbanisation and demographic changeAid and its criticsDebt, structural adjustment and development policyGlobalisation, transnational corporations and world tradeNon-governmental organisations and international institutionsModernisation theoryMarxist, dependency and world systems theoriesFeminist and people-centred accounts of development
Option: Crime and Deviance
- 13 subtopics
- 39 things to know
- Component 3 Section B
- Crime and Deviance, one of four Component 3 Section B options
What Option: Crime and Deviance covers
Option: Crime and Deviance is examined in Component 3 Section B, on the theme of power — one option of four. It covers defining crime and deviance as social constructs, the media, moral panics and the social construction of crime, measuring crime: official government statistics, victim studies and self-report studies, the social distribution of crime by class and age, the social distribution of crime by gender, the social distribution of crime by ethnicity, functionalist explanations of crime and deviance, Sub-cultural explanations of crime and deviance, Marxist and neo-Marxist explanations of crime, interactionist explanations and labelling theory, right realism, left realism and crime control policy and feminist and postmodernist explanations of crime.
Where it is assessed
Component 3 Section B
Social Differentiation, Power and Stratification, one option of four.
Check the Eduqas specification ↗The 13 subtopics
Each one has its own page.
- Defining crime and deviance as social constructsAct that is deviant but not criminal, act that is criminal but widely tolerated and calling crime a social construct.Open →
- The media, moral panics and the social construction of crimeMoral panic, term folk devil and deviancy amplification spiral.Open →
- Measuring crime: official government statisticsOfficial crime statistics, stages an incident must pass through to become recorded crime and dark figure of crime.Open →
- Victim studies and self-report studiesVictim study, main victim survey used in England and Wales and local victim survey.Open →
- The social distribution of crime by class and ageWhite-collar crime, shape of the age-crime curve and state crime.Open →
- The social distribution of crime by genderChivalry thesis, double deviance thesis and heidensohn's control at home.Open →
- The social distribution of crime by ethnicityStop and search powers, institutional racism and gilroy's argument about Black criminality.Open →
- Functionalist explanations of crime and devianceAnomie as Durkheim used the term, american Dream in Merton's account and merton's five adaptations to strain.Open →
- Sub-cultural explanations of crime and devianceDelinquent subculture, illegitimate opportunity structure and three subcultures identified by Cloward and Ohlin.Open →
- Marxist and neo-Marxist explanations of crimeTerm criminogenic, selective enforcement and neo-Marxist criminology.Open →
- Interactionist explanations and labelling theoryCentral claim of labelling theory, master status and self-fulfilling prophecy in the study of deviance.Open →
- Right realism, left realism and crime control policyRational choice theory in criminology, murray's underclass thesis and broken windows thesis.Open →
- Feminist and postmodernist explanations of crimeMain feminist criticism of mainstream criminology, malestream criminology and transgressive criminology.Open →
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
Your recallNot started
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How did Hall and colleagues connect race to the crisis of the 1970s?
Evaluation
Give three criticisms of Merton's strain theory.
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What did Hall and colleagues add to Marxist analysis of crime?
Key term
What do sociologists mean by deviance?
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What are official crime statistics?
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What is a victim study?
Key term
What pattern do official statistics show for social class and conviction?
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What do recorded statistics show about the gender of offenders?
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What is a delinquent subculture?
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State the central claim of labelling theory.
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What do right realists say criminology should concentrate on?
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State the main feminist criticism of mainstream criminology.
Key term
How does crime differ from deviance?
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What is a moral panic?
Process
Outline the stages an incident must pass through to become recorded crime.
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Name the main victim survey used in England and Wales.
Key term
Why do Marxists doubt the class pattern in official statistics?
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Roughly what share of the prison population of England and Wales has been female in recent years?
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What do official figures show about ethnicity and imprisonment in England and Wales?
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Why did Durkheim argue that crime is inevitable?
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What did Albert Cohen mean by status frustration?
Key term
How do Marxists explain the existence of crime under capitalism?
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Who are moral entrepreneurs?
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Outline rational choice theory in criminology.
Key term
What is meant by malestream criminology?
Key term
Give an example of an act that is criminal but widely tolerated.
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Which study established the idea of the moral panic in British sociology?
Key term
What is the dark figure of crime?
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Why was the British Crime Survey renamed?
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Define white-collar crime.
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What is the chivalry thesis?
Key term
What are stop and search powers?
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What did Durkheim mean by boundary maintenance?
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How did Cohen say boys resolved status frustration?
Key term
Define the term criminogenic.
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Distinguish primary from secondary deviance.
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What is Murray's underclass thesis?
Key term
What do liberal feminists argue about women and crime?
Take Option: Crime and Deviance further
The same content, four other ways.
Commonly confused
Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.
Primary deviance vs Secondary deviance
Primary deviance: rule-breaking that nobody has reacted to. Secondary deviance: behaviour that follows a public label.
Questions from this topic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
What do sociologists mean by deviance?
Model answer
Deviance is behaviour that breaks the norms of a social group. Deviance ranges from the merely eccentric to the seriously harmful.
- 2
How does crime differ from deviance?
Model answer
Crime is behaviour that breaks the criminal law of a society. Crime carries a formal legal penalty, while much deviance does not.
- 3
Give an example of an act that is deviant but not criminal.
Model answer
Talking loudly to yourself on a crowded bus is deviant but not criminal. No law is broken, yet an unwritten norm is.
- 4
Give an example of an act that is criminal but widely tolerated.
Model answer
Driving a few miles per hour above the speed limit is criminal but widely tolerated. Many drivers treat the behaviour as normal.
- 5
What is meant by calling crime a social construct?
Model answer
Calling crime a social construct means that no act is criminal in itself. Crime exists because a society has defined and labelled the act as such.
- 6
Explain how the meaning of an act can vary between societies.
Model answer
Drinking alcohol is lawful in Britain and criminal in Saudi Arabia. Sociologists use such contrasts to show that definitions are cultural rather than natural.
What is inside Levo
Six ways to work the same material.
Option: Crime and Deviance revision questions
- What does Option: Crime and Deviance cover in Eduqas A-Level Sociology?
- 13 subtopics: defining crime and deviance as social constructs, the media, moral panics and the social construction of crime, measuring crime: official government statistics, victim studies and self-report studies, the social distribution of crime by class and age, the social distribution of crime by gender, the social distribution of crime by ethnicity, functionalist explanations of crime and deviance, sub-cultural explanations of crime and deviance, marxist and neo-marxist explanations of crime, interactionist explanations and labelling theory, right realism, left realism and crime control policy and feminist and postmodernist explanations of crime. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
- How is Option: Crime and Deviance organised?
- By the Eduqas A200QS specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.
Every question in Option: Crime and Deviance, on a schedule.
Attempt a question from memory, write the correct version, then attempt it again. Levo records the jump between your first attempt and your last, and brings each question back on the day you are due to forget it.
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