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12 mark essay title questions..some possible questions to consider……………
Year 10
Family:
Discuss how far that it is no longer possible to describe what a typical family type
looks like in the U.K.
View that agrees with this View that disagrees with this
• 20% of families now only ‘nuclear’
• Single parent families
• Re-constituted (step) families
• Vertical/Horizontal variations
• Gay families
• Cohabitation arrangements
• Cultural variations
• Post modern living has no fixed rules
• Rise in divorce rates
• Increase in one-person households
• Increase in friend households
• Falling fertility changes made
families smaller in size
• Most people start off life in a nuclear
family and may depart from this ideal
to return to it later e.g. divorcees
• Nuclear family still the norm in T.V
and advertising – Cereal Packet
Image
• Heterosexual nuclear family is still
common place, still 20%.
• Most people who do cohabitate do
end up in a nuclear family eventually
• People who cohabitate are only
delaying marriage and later become
nuclear family
Discuss how far the functionalist’s view of the family is an accurate one.
View that agrees with this View that disagrees with this
• Family shown as a harmonious
system.
• Main functions of family are
socialisation of the young,
reproduction, emotional support and
economic provision.
• Warm bath theory of the family
• Romantic view of family ‘rose tinted
spectacle view’
• Feminist view family as patriarchal
and unfair on women. Women
become domestic slaves, dual burden
• Domestic abuse in the family is very
common for women and children
• Conflict in general within the family
is common
• Marxist view family as a place of
exploitation for women and men.
Family soaks up the stresses and pains
of working for an unreasonable wage.
• The ‘family’ is just a system to ensure
the rich keep their money in their own
networks.
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Discuss how far men nowadays help out equally with housework.
View that agrees with this View that disagrees with this
• Willmott and Young study
demonstrated that males help out
equally (in their symmetrical family
study).
• Rise of the ‘New Man’
• Changing expectations of men in
media
• Changing ambitions of women,
putting careers before home
• Use of contraception means women
not forced to just look after children
at young age
• Increased interest in home life where
men and women spend more time at
home doing DIY and DVD’s etc
• Willmot and Young’s study was
reliant upon asking one key question
‘does your husband help out at least
once per week’! Easy to reach this
standard.
• The ‘New Man’ is a myth, men have
not changed at all. Still do not help
out.
• Research points out that women have
a ‘double burden’ which means they
do paid and unpaid work.
• Women still have the responsibility
for taking care of the home and
children which is reflected in
Maternity leave being more generous
for women, men have shorter
paternity leave and expected to go to
work.
• Research highlights even when men
and women both have full time jobs it
is women who do most of the
housework.
Discuss how far relationships within the family have changed over time.
In the past family relationships were.. Today family relationships have
changed...
• Extended families dependent upon
each other
• Patriarchal – father was head of house
and highest status
• Roles of what each person did clearly
defined such as mother was
housewife and children knew their
place
• Power and money in marriage use to
be unequally split, man in charge
• Children not appreciated and families
spent leisure time apart.
• High ‘face to face’ contact due to
living close to family members so
close support networks
• Isolated nuclear family living miles
apart
• Mother in charge (matrifocal) or
maybe single parent family
• Roles may be blurred -Mother may
not be housewife but full time
employed or Father looks after house
• Not so hierarchal ordered, all have
equal status even children.
• Role of Grandparents: Look after
grandchildren when parents at work
• Power and money in marriage more
equally split, often woman in charge.
• Children appreciated and families are
‘child centred’.
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• Low ‘face to face’ contact due to
living far away from family members
so no close support
What are the changing patterns of
marriage?
What are the changing patterns of
divorce?
• Decline in marriage rate
• Increase in civil partnerships (same
sex)
• People getting married at a later age
• Increase in cohabitation
• Increase in births outside of marriage
Rising divorce rates due to below:
• Changing social attitudes and values
• Changes in law (easier and quicker)
• Changes in social position of women
• Secularisation (decline of religion)
• Media influence
Education :
Discuss how far a pupil’s educational success is dependent on their home background.
View that agrees with this View that disagrees with this
• Money can buy success: lack of this
known as material deprivation
• If have a wealthier home background
may buy private tutor
• More room to revise and concentrate
at home
• More money to go on school trips and
suffer fewer self esteem issues due to
lack of money
• Private School – Eton
• Good diet at home improves
concentration at school
• Parents who spend time with pupils at
home help prepare them for school
• Parents who support children such as
attending school meetings can help
child progress
• Home background major factor to
success!
• Middleclass families have essential
networks of contacts such as bank
managers and solicitors which gives
children experience of dealing with
• In side of school factors also very
important such as..
• Labelling/Teachers expectations
• Positive role models
• Quality of teaching
• Pupil subcultures
• Gender
• Ethnicity
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professional persons as well as
respect for authority
Discuss what is the purpose or function of schools.
Positive view Negative view
• Education provides essential function
of secondary socialisation, in
particular a place to learn about our
history and culture.
• Education seen as a positive system
allocating people fairly to the most
suitable jobs based upon achievement
in examinations.
• Social control – teaches pupils
acceptance of rules and authority
• Political role – teaching pupils to be
effective CITIZENS and create social
cohesion by learning about British
culture and laws
• Marxist view: Hidden curriculum is
learnt, working class are controlled
via acceptance of following:
• Hierarchy: Schools reflect hierarchy
in society, making pupils more likely
to be obedient of people in charge at
work
• Competition: Schools reflect the
importance of competition as in wider
society
• Boredom: Pupils learn to deal with
boredom at schools so as to cope with
this in mundane dull jobs later in life
Discuss how far the current structure of the education system is a fair one for all
pupils to achieve their highest attainment.
View that agrees with this View that disagrees with this
• Current system based upon
Education Reform Act 1988 which
imposed...
• National Curriculum, was good as
made everyone study same topics,
• Sats Tests for ages 7 onwards, good
to get early indication of pupils ability
• League Tables, good for parents to
know how a school compares to
others in performance
• Ofsted etc. – Good to know the
standard e.g. Outstanding or
unsatisfactory status of a school
• National curriculum chosen by
Government departments, ethnocentric.
• Testing pupils too early/labelling
• League tables not fair on poor areas
• Ofsted inspections only once every 5/6
years is not regular enough, and if a
school labelled as unsatisfactory then it
would be doomed! Good teachers leave
and parents keep children away from
school so school could close
• Middle class pupils always do better due
to home background reasons
• Other barriers such as gender/ethnicity
are relevant anyway for achievement
Discuss what changes have happened in Britain’s education system over last 150
years.
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Law made Changes to Education system
• 1870: Education Act –
• 1944 Butler Education Act (Tri-
partite Act)
• 1965: Comprehensive Act
• 1988 Education Reform Act
• basic education for 5-11 olds
• Introduced Grammar Schools,
Secondary Modern & Technical
Modern Schools
• Banned Grammar Schools
• Every pupil went to same school
• Beginning of National Curriculum
• Ofsted inspections
• Sats from age 6
• Academies/Free Schools
• League Tables
Discuss how far internal school factors are important in educational success.
View that agrees with this View that disagrees with this
• In school factors such as labelling
important – self fulfilling prophecy
• Racism/Sexism in schools
• Setting/Streaming in schools
• Pupil subculture/ peer pressure in
schools
• Teacher role models
• School organisation – were schools
are organised well pupils will do well
• Social class important
• Gender important
• Ethnicity important
• Material deprivation
• Cultural deprivation – lacking correct
language skills or values of education
at home
• Parental attitudes essential
Discus how far girls improved attainment is a result of external factors alone.
View that agrees with this View that disagrees with this and sees in
side school factors as important
• Feminist movement improved girls
grades by making them work harder
to achieve independence
• Changing job opportunities
• Legal changes: Sex Discrimination
Act, Equal Pay Act
• Primary socialisation – girls more
likely to be read at home when young
than boys and more closely
• Introduction of National Curriculum
allowed girls to choose science and
other subjects typically seen as boys
subjects
• Female role models – lots of women
teachers
• Coursework – favours girls as they
are generally neater and more
organised
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supervised which prepares them
better for school
• Less sexism tolerated in society
• Changing job market – more service
sector than manufacturing jobs
• Schools now less sexist
• Girls less likely to form anti school
subcultures like boys and mess
around
• Teachers nicer to girls than boys and
have higher expectations
• Girls better behaved at school than
boys
• Boys have lower self esteem in school
than girls
Year 11
Media:
Discuss how far the hypodermic syringe model of the mass media is a valid one.
View that agrees with this View that disagrees with this
• Hypodermic Syringe approach
• Use and Gratification Approach:
Needs which television satisfied where:
- Information
- Personal Identity
- Personal Relationships
- Entertainment
• Decoding Approach
This approach suggests that the
content of T.V has several possible
meanings and can be decoded or
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interpreted in a number of ways.
Discuss how far the mass media is the most important role in the socialisation
process.
View that agrees with this View that disagrees with this
• Hypodermic Syringe approach
• Mass media as an agency of
socialisation
• Identity and mass media e.g.
Lifestyles/gender
stereotypes/purchasing influences
• Political socialisation and voting
• Use and Gratification Approach:
• Decoding Approach
This approach suggests that the
content of T.V has several possible
meanings and can be decoded or
interpreted in a number of ways.
• Family more important – primary
socialisation
• Peers more important – secondary
socialisation
• Religion more important – secondary
socialisation
Discuss how far ownership of the mass media reflects control over content of the
mass media.
View that agrees with this View that disagrees with this
• Conflict view sees press giants such
as Murdoch as able to control all
content of media by methods such as:
• Agenda setting:
• Role of media gatekeepers:
• Pluralist view – so many different
media companies and influences than
no one company dominates. No real
link between press ownership and
content
• Not possible for owners to control
everything that goes on in their large
company
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• Norm referencing:
• Global monopoly empires – News
International
• Owners could not dictate content of
press because people would see
through this and not buy their
products/papers etc.
• News values: media operate by a set
of values about what is considered
‘newsworthy’, if they move from this
people will not buy their products
• Profit motive – if papers don’t run
stories that attract peoples interests
they will lose profits and go out of
business
• Advertisers – major influences on
newspapers, if paper annoys
advertisers by giving one sided
message they may take away their
revenue
• State and Legal Constraints – you
cannot say what you want as the law
stops this happening so OFCOM,
High Court would intervene if any
irregularities occurred from owners –
recent Phone Hacking Scandal
demonstrates this.
Discuss how far the pluralist approach to press ownership is a valid one.
View that agrees with this View that disagrees with this
Pluralist approach
Decoding approach
Uses and gratification
Conflict/Marxist approach
Rupert Murdoch as owner of news
corporation
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Discuss how far gender identities in the media have changed over the last 50 years.
View that agrees with this View that disagrees with this
• Up to 1970’s television very sexist,
women in typical secondary roles
rarely playing main parts
• Women up to 70’s often portrayed
just as sexual objects in magazines
and stereotypical roles as housewives
and secretaries in employment
• Even up to 90’s Cumberbatch found:
- Men dominated advertisements
- Voice overs in adverts mostly male
- Women in adverts typically blond and
young
- Males usually only showed as
professionals
- Women usually seen with male
partner
• Women in sports news today still
often sexist and focus is often on their
appearance and not performance
• Men’s magazines still have too much
obsession with female body and
sexualise women in a negative
manner e.g. Nuts/Loaded
• Women and men shown in sexual
manner nowadays
• Television not as sexist, women play
dominant roles though still have to be
pretty.. Lara Croft (Tomb Raider)
• Women portrayed in much more
different and varied roles and not so
stereotypical
• Media for women much more typical,
such as magazines now deal with
sexism and are written by women as
Editors
• Anti-sexism laws stop blatant sexism
in media so situation not as bad
• Men also shown in domestic roles and
not just women e.g. Mr Muscle
Discuss how far ethnic groups are presented in a fairer light than in the past.
View that agrees with this View that disagrees with this
• During 50’s-70’s black people often
unrepresented.
• When represented shown in
stereotypical roles such as musician
or dancer.
• News programmes focuses on
negatives such as Famine in Africa,
poverty or war in Africa.
• 1960s-70’s black people stereotyped
as criminal and muggers by
Newspapers and prone to rioting e.g.
Tottenham riots
• Obsession in soap operas with
• 1990’s much better period, more
black actors in varied roles e.g. Cosby
show however situation still not very
good for ethnic minorities:
• Mass media still represent black
people in criminal ways, as do many
films involving stereotypical
gangsters and music videos etc.
• Recent riots in Summer 2011 again
demonstrated racial overtones that
ethnic minorities disproportionately
involved
• Soap operas e.g. Coronation St. have
Asian shop keepers, arranged
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arranged marriage etc stereotypical
topics of ethnicity
marriage and domestic violence as
issues so nothing really changed
Social inequality
Discuss how far class as a stratification system is no longer a useful predictor of life
chances in Britain today.
View that agrees with this View that disagrees with this
`
Discuss how far the functionalist view of stratification is a fair one.
View that agrees with this View that disagrees with this
Functionalism – Meritocracy,
UK – stratification
open system
Marxist – class inequality
Feminist – gender inequality
Apartheid (ethnicity) , Caste System
(Religion)
Closed system
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Discuss how far the Marxist view of stratification is a fair one.
View that agrees with this View that disagrees with this
Marxist (class) Functionalism (meritocracy)
Feminists (gender)
Discuss how far that gender is no longer a barrier to social mobility in Britain today.
View that agrees with this View that disagrees with this
Functionalism (talent, meritocracy) Feminists (sex discrimination, glass
ceiling)
Discuss how far ethnicity is no longer a barrier to social mobility in Britain today.
View that agrees with this View that disagrees with this
Ethnicity (racism in the work, education)
Gender
Social class
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Discuss how far Britain is an open society where achievement is based upon
meritocratic principles.
View that agrees with this View that disagrees with this
Sir Alan Sugar
Functionalism
Royal Family
Marxists
Feminists
Discuss how far poverty is caused by a person’s upbringing as stated by the New
Right.
View that agrees with this View that disagrees with this
Culture of dependency/poverty
Cycle of deprivation
Marxism
Crime
Discuss how far crime is the result of a person’s upbringing alone.
View that agrees with this View that disagrees with this
• Inadequate socialisation due to
negative experiences at home leading
to delinquency life style
• Home background – growing up in a
criminal networks or seeing family
involved in criminal networks
• Psychological reasons – may be
depressed
• Biological explanations – may be
born criminal minded or have
criminal genes
• Sub cultural explanations – people
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• Lack of formal parenting and passing
on of society’s values
• Watching parents take drugs/alcohol
• Poverty – seeing family struggle with
debt or unemployment and turn to
crime so as to break cycle of poverty
• Crime is more common in poorer
areas so is expected if brought up in a
poorer area as crime is seen as more
normal and acceptable
may join a group of friends and be
influenced by them to turn to crime
• Some people may carry out crime due
to boredom and a way to have fun
• Marxist explanations – police target
the poor and criminalise them as a
means of control, the rich are let off
and as a result free to commit crime
without anyone notice so working
class take all the blame
• Labelling/Stereotyping – poor more
likely to be labelled as criminal so
leads to self fulfilling prophecy as
well as police attitudes more likely to
arrest working class people e.g.
hoodies
Discuss how far the Marxist view of the causes of crime is a fair one.
View that agrees with this View that disagrees with this
See Marxist view above right and use
all of the other reasons stated in a
different manner but relate to
question
• White collar crime – business
crime is a major problem but
ignored in society due to it
involving rich people
Discuss how far statistics on crime provided by the government are an accurate
reflection of the true figure of crime.
View that agrees with this View that disagrees with this
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Discuss how far women are treated equally with regards to crime and deviance.
View that agrees with this View that disagrees with this
Discuss how far ethnic minorities are treated equally with regards to crime and
deviance.
View that agrees with this View that disagrees with this
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