Key term
WJEC A-Level Sociology 601-5237-0
Culture and the Social Construction of Culture
Topic overviewCulture as a way of lifeNorms, values and beliefsRoles, status and role conflictAspects of culture: dress, language, food and musicHeritage and cultural tradition in WalesHigh culture, popular culture and global cultureNature, nurture and the social construction of cultureCultural diversity and sub-cultures
Socialisation and Its Agencies
Topic overviewPrimary and secondary socialisationRole models, imitation and sanctionsFamilies and primary cultural transmissionPeer groups as an agency of socialisationEducation as an agency of socialisationReligion as an agency of socialisationThe media as an agency of socialisationWork, resocialisation and total institutionsFormal and informal social control
Socialisation and Identity
Topic overviewPersonal and social identityTheories of identity: structural, interactionist and postmodernGender socialisation and gender identityMasculinity, femininity and change in gender identitiesSocial class and identityClass change, mobility and the underclassEthnicity and identityNationality, national identity and BritishnessWelsh identity and the Welsh language
Families and HouseholdsAcquiring Culture
Topic overviewDefining families and householdsFamily forms and family diversity in England and WalesEthnic, cultural and religious diversity in family lifeMarriage, cohabitation and singlehoodDivorce and separationFertility, birth rates and family sizeLife expectancy, ageing and the beanpole familyThe domestic division of labourPower, decision-making and domestic violenceChildhood and parent–child relationshipsFunctionalist and New Right theories of the familyMarxist and feminist theories of the familyPostmodernism, the life course and personal life
Youth CulturesAcquiring Culture
Topic overviewYouth and the social construction of adolescenceThe media and the formation of youth cultureEconomic change, consumption and the youth marketGlobalisation and youth cultureSocial class and youth subculturesGender and youth cultureEthnicity and youth cultureNational identity, Welshness and youth cultureNeo-tribes and the changing nature of youth cultureYouth deviance, delinquency and crimeAnti-school subcultures and the labelling of youthFunctionalist and Marxist theories of youth cultureFeminist, interactionist and postmodernist theories of youth culture
Research Methods: Primary and Secondary
Topic overviewQuestionnairesStructured interviewsUnstructured and semi-structured interviewsFocus groupsParticipant observationNon-participant and structured observationThe social surveyEthnographic methodsLongitudinal studiesExisting sociological research as secondary dataOfficial statistics and Welsh Government dataPersonal and public documents
Sampling, Ethics and Practical Issues
Topic overviewTarget populations, sampling frames and accessSimple random and systematic random samplingStratified random samplingQuota samplingSnowball and volunteer samplingPurposive and opportunity samplingInformed consent, deception and the right to withdrawAnonymity, confidentiality and privacySensitivity, vulnerability and protection from harmPractical constraints: operationalisation, time and cost
Key Concepts and Theories of Research
Topic overviewValidity in sociological researchReliability and replicationRepresentativeness and generalisabilityObjectivity, value freedom and biasEthics as a criterion for judging researchPositivism and the scientific study of societyInterpretivism and verstehenRealism and the critical realist approachChoosing an approach: theory and method in practice
EducationUnderstanding Society
Topic overviewThe role and function of education in societySocial class and differential attainmentGender and differential attainmentEthnicity and differential attainmentParticipation, choice and the marketisation of educationEducation policy in England and Wales since 1944Welsh-medium education and the Curriculum for WalesMaterial factors and educational attainmentCultural capital and cultural deprivationLabelling, streaming and pupil subculturesFunctionalist and New Right theories of educationMarxist theories of educationFeminist, interactionist and postmodernist theories of education
MediaUnderstanding Society
Topic overviewThe role and function of the media in contemporary societyModels of media effects: the hypodermic syringe and cultural effectsActive audiences: uses and gratifications and reception theoryMoral panics and folk devilsNew media, globalisation and the digital divideOwnership and control of the mediaMedia professionals, news values and agenda settingRepresentations of social class and ageRepresentations of genderRepresentations of ethnicity, nationality and disabilityMedia policy and regulation in Wales and EnglandPluralist and Marxist theories of the mediaFunctionalist, feminist and postmodernist theories of the media
ReligionUnderstanding Society
Topic overviewThe role and function of religion in contemporary societyReligion in Wales: chapel, nonconformity and the Welsh languageReligion as a conservative force and as a force for changePatterns of religious participation by social class and ageGender and religiosityEthnicity and religiosity in England and WalesChurches, denominations, sects and cultsNew religious movements and new age movementsFundamentalism and religion in a globalised worldSecularisation in England and WalesReligion and social policy in England and WalesFunctionalist, Marxist and neo-Marxist theories of religionWeberian, feminist and postmodernist theories of religion
Crime and DeviancePower and Control
Topic overviewDefining crime, deviance and social controlCrime and deviance as social constructsThe media, moral panics and the fear of crimeSocial class and crimeGender and feminist explanations of crimeEthnicity, policing and the criminal justice systemAge and crimePolice recorded crime and the dark figureVictim surveys and self-report studiesCrime, policing and social policy in WalesFunctionalist and subcultural theories of crimeMarxist and neo-Marxist theories of crimeInteractionism, labelling and postmodernist theories of crimeLeft realism, right realism and crime control policy
Health and DisabilityPower and Control
Topic overviewDefining health, illness and diseaseThe biomedical model and the social model of healthThe social construction of disabilityOfficial statistics and the measurement of healthSocial class and health inequalitiesGender and healthEthnicity and healthAge and healthArtefact, selection, cultural and material explanationsAccess to and provision of health care in England and WalesMedicalisation and the role of health professionalsHealth policy in England and WalesFunctionalist, Marxist and interactionist theories of healthFeminist and postmodernist views of health and disability
World SociologyPower and Control
Topic overviewDefining and measuring developmentGlobal inequalities in health and educationEmployment, poverty and the global division of labourPatterns of inequality in England and WalesPopulation, demographic change and developmentUrbanisation and marginalisationAid, debt and non-governmental organisationsGlobalisation and developmentTransnational corporations and world tradeModernisation theory and its criticsMarxist, dependency and world systems theoriesFeminist explanations of development
Applied Methods: Designing Sociological Research
Topic overviewChoosing a research topic and framing the aimHypotheses, operationalisation and indicatorsJustifying the chosen methodAnticipating problems with the chosen method and their impactSelecting and justifying a sampleAnticipating problems with the sample and their impactEthical issues in a research designPractical issues in a research designPresenting collected data
Social Inequality: Evidence and Patterns
Topic overviewMeasuring social class in BritainThe distribution of income and wealthWork and pay: occupational inequalityClass inequality: the evidenceGender inequality: the evidenceEthnic inequality: the evidenceAge inequality: the evidenceDisability and inequalityPower and political inequalityPoverty and social exclusionInequality in Wales: the evidence base
Theories and Explanations of Inequality and Stratification
Topic overviewSocial stratification: the core conceptsFunctionalist explanations of inequalityMarxist explanations of inequalityNeo-Marxist explanations of inequalityWeberian explanations of inequalityNeo-Weberian explanations of inequalityFeminist explanations of inequalityPostmodernist explanations of inequalityNew Right explanations of inequalityComparing and evaluating theories of stratification
Religion
- 13 subtopics
- 39 things to know
- AS Unit 2
- AS Unit 2, one option of three
What Religion covers
Religion is examined in Unit 2 Section B — one of three options, studied instead of Education or Media. It covers the role and function of religion in contemporary society, religion in Wales: chapel, nonconformity and the Welsh language, religion as a conservative force and as a force for change, patterns of religious participation by social class and age, gender and religiosity, ethnicity and religiosity in England and Wales, churches, denominations, sects and cults, new religious movements and new age movements, fundamentalism and religion in a globalised world, secularisation in England and Wales, religion and social policy in England and Wales, functionalist, Marxist and neo-Marxist theories of religion and Weberian, feminist and postmodernist theories of religion.
Where it is assessed
AS Unit 2
Understanding Society — one option of three, studied instead of the other two.
Check the WJEC specification ↗The 13 subtopics
Each one has its own page.
- The role and function of religion in contemporary societyDurkheim's distinction between the sacred and the profane, collective effervescence and collective conscience.Open →
- Religion in Wales: chapel, nonconformity and the Welsh languageNonconformity in Welsh religious history and connection between the National Eisteddfod and chapel tradition.Open →
- Religion as a conservative force and as a force for changeLiberation theology, religion as cultural defence and religion as cultural transition.Open →
- Patterns of religious participation by social class and ageVicarious religion, relationship between social class and religious attendance in Britain and weber's theodicy of disprivilege.Open →
- Gender and religiosityRecall questions on why women are more religious than men, the holistic milieu, New Age spirituality, feminist critiques of religious authority, the hijab, and the limits of generalising.Open →
- Ethnicity and religiosity in England and WalesReligion as cultural defence for minority ethnic groups and religion as cultural transition for recent migrants.Open →
- Churches, denominations, sects and cultsStark and Bainbridge's three types of cult, audience cult and client cult.Open →
- New religious movements and new age movementsNew religious movement, new Age and spiritual revolution claim.Open →
- Fundamentalism and religion in a globalised worldReligious fundamentalism, three characteristics common to fundamentalist movements and project identity in Castells's account.Open →
- Secularisation in England and WalesThree measures used to test the secularisation thesis, disenchantment as Weber uses the term and sacred canopy.Open →
- Religion and social policy in England and WalesFaith school, required of maintained schools in England regarding collective worship and quadruple lock in the legislation on same-sex marriage.Open →
- Functionalist, Marxist and neo-Marxist theories of religionRecall questions on religion as social glue, ritual and totemism, religion legitimating inequality, hegemony, liberation theology, and the feminist objection to both traditions.Open →
- Weberian, feminist and postmodernist theories of religionDoctrine of predestination, this-worldly asceticism and theodicy in Weber's sociology.Open →
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
Your recallNot started
Key term
Explain how the same religion can act as both a conservative and a radical force.
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Distinguish belief, belonging and practice as measures of religiosity.
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Distinguish an ageing effect from a generational effect in religiosity.
Evaluation
Explain the argument that Britain remains a state with Christian institutions but a largely non-practising population.
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Why did nonconformity become so strongly identified with Welsh national identity?
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What is the general pattern of gender and religiosity in Britain?
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What did the 2021 Census find about the largest religious groups in England and Wales?
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How did Troeltsch distinguish a church from a sect?
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What is a new religious movement?
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What does Giddens argue about the relationship between fundamentalism and globalisation?
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How did Wilson define secularisation?
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Summarise the functionalist theory of religion.
Evaluation
What is the central argument of Weber's The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism?
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How does Durkheim define religion?
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What was the Welsh Revival of 1904 to 1905?
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How did Marx describe religion's effect on the oppressed?
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How does Davie explain women's closer relationship with religion?
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Which minority ethnic groups report the highest levels of religious commitment?
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Define a denomination.
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What does Heelas mean by self-spirituality?
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How does Giddens contrast fundamentalism with cosmopolitanism?
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Name three measures used to test the secularisation thesis.
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What does the Equality Act 2010 say about religion?
Evaluation
Give one criticism of the functionalist claim that religion integrates society.
Evaluation
What is the doctrine of predestination, and why did it matter to Weber's argument?
Key term
What did Durkheim conclude from his study of totemism among Australian Aboriginal clans?
Numbers
What did the Sunday Closing Act do in Wales?
Key term
Give two ways religion has historically legitimated inequality.
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Define religiosity.
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Why has the gender gap in attendance narrowed in recent decades?
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Explain religion as cultural transition for recent migrants.
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What did Niebuhr argue about the fate of sects?
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Define detraditionalisation.
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What does Bauman say fundamentalism offers its followers?
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What does the long-run trend in Church of England attendance show?
Evaluation
Give one argument against faith schools.
Key term
How does functionalism explain religion in a largely secular society?
Key term
How did Calvinist asceticism lead to the accumulation of capital?
Take Religion further
The same content, four other ways.
Questions from this topic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
How does Durkheim define religion?
Model answer
Durkheim defines religion as a unified system of beliefs and practices relating to sacred things, which unites its followers into a single moral community.
- 2
Explain Durkheim's distinction between the sacred and the profane.
Model answer
The sacred is set apart and treated with awe, while the profane is the ordinary and everyday, and religion consists in marking the boundary between them.
- 3
What did Durkheim conclude from his study of totemism among Australian Aboriginal clans?
Model answer
He concluded that the totem stood for the clan itself, so in worshipping the sacred emblem the clan was in fact worshipping society.
- 4
What is collective effervescence?
Model answer
Collective effervescence is the heightened emotional energy people feel in shared ritual, which Durkheim argued binds them to the group and renews its shared beliefs.
- 5
What is the collective conscience?
Model answer
The collective conscience is the shared body of beliefs and moral sentiments that turns a group of separate individuals into a society.
- 6
What psychological functions did Malinowski give religion?
Model answer
Malinowski argued that religion relieves anxiety at times of life crisis and where an outcome is beyond human control, restoring the confidence to act.
What is inside Levo
Six ways to work the same material.
Religion revision questions
- What does Religion cover in WJEC A-Level Sociology?
- 13 subtopics: the role and function of religion in contemporary society, religion in wales: chapel, nonconformity and the welsh language, religion as a conservative force and as a force for change, patterns of religious participation by social class and age, gender and religiosity, ethnicity and religiosity in england and wales, churches, denominations, sects and cults, new religious movements and new age movements, fundamentalism and religion in a globalised world, secularisation in england and wales, religion and social policy in england and wales, functionalist, marxist and neo-marxist theories of religion and weberian, feminist and postmodernist theories of religion. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
- How is Religion organised?
- By the WJEC 601-5237-0 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.
Every question in Religion, 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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