Sociology

Sociology

This question was generally answered reasonably well. The best responses were able to discuss Durkheim, Merton, Cohen and Cloward and Ohlin, and were able to show internal critiques and comparisons to demonstrate AO2 skills. The other principal source of evaluation was the criticism by Marxists, for example, of the functionalist assumption of shared values. This was also occasionally taken up by students when emphasising, separately, a subcultural response. Some schools/colleges offered Hirschi. A few students referred to the New Right, but often these answers failed to explain the connection to functionalist approaches.

Almost all students were able to use Durkheim, occasionally unattributed, but generally accurately, usually with some evaluation along the lines of “how much crime is good?” and/or “seems to ignore victims”. Answers then seemed to proceed on a school/college basis: many used Merton, though some simply listed his typology of deviant adaptations, often with errors and/or omissions. Cohen was used surprisingly poorly, if at all, and Cloward and Ohlin were often also simply juxtaposed to other material. Matza and Miller were occasionally mentioned in passing. Some offered an external critique in the form of Marxism and/or feminism, again often as a simple juxtaposition. Others became more focused on Right Realism and New Right theories but, as this was often not well applied to the question, it was hard to reward such responses significantly.

Some weaker answers relied on recycling the Item. Teachers are advised to spend time suggesting ways in which the Item can stimulate further ideas, whilst encouraging students to build on the information provided rather than simply repeating it. Some students thought that juxtaposing quantities of Marxism and/or labelling theory counted as evaluation; however, this usually just resulted in an irrelevant drift away from the question. There was a lot of misattribution in the weaker responses, especially...

Similar Essays