Summary Theories and Methods - Sociology A Level (A*)
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Course
Theory and Methods
Institution
AQA
These are my condensed revision notes for all topic areas within the Theory and Methods section of AQA A-Level Sociology. These notes helped me achieve an A-A* across all assignment modules for this topic and an A* in my final exam.
Theories and Methods (Sociology) – Condensed Notes:
Action Approaches:
Action app: Weber level of cause and meaning. Cause = objective, structural
factors that shape behaviour. Meaning = subjective, attach to actions. Type of
action: instrumentally rational, value-rational, traditional, affectual. Verstehen =
put self in actor’s place to understand meaning.
Never truly understand motive. Individualistic; shared action? Typology difficult
to apply – Trobriand Islanders ritual gifts either traditional or instrumentally
rational.
Symbolic Interactionism: Mead symbols vs instincts, interpretive phase,
taking role of the other. Blumer actions based on meanings not automatic
responses, meanings arise from interaction processes; not fixed, meaning result
of interpretive procedures. Labelling theory: real consequences; Cooley
looking glass self, see self mirrored in way others respond to us. Becker career
progress through occupation, e.g. mental patient. Goffman dramaturgy;
presentation of self and impression management; analogies with drama as
framework for analysing social interactions.
Descriptive concept > explanatory theory. How do actors create meanings?
Ignores wider social structures. Not all action is meaningful.
Phenomenology: Husserl world only makes sense because we impose
meaning and order on it by constructing mental categories to classify
information coming from our senses. Schultz typifications– shared categories
with other members. Natural attitude – assume social world as solid natural
thing, e.g. Amazon delivery.
Once reality constructed becomes external, e.g. religious ideas embodied in
church which then constrains us.
Ethnomethodology: Garfinkel breaching experiments, undermined
assumptions, anxious. Indexicality and reflexivity: Index = nothing fixed
meaning, reflex = common sense knowledge to construct sense of meaning, e.g.
language. Suicide: common sense understandings and labels to try and identity
patterns.
Uncover rules that aren’t surprise. No reason to accept views if fiction. Ignores
wider structures. Assumes norms exist beyond specific contexts.
Feminism:
(Feminist theories are both structural/consensus and action theories)
Liberal (Oakley): Sexist attitudes and stereotypical beliefs transmitted through
socialisation. Oppression ends by laws, policies and cultural change.
Changed media representations, policies such as equal pay. Over optimism;
ignores deep-seated structures, fail to recognise the underlying causes – not
enough to bring equality.
, Marxist: Rooted in capitalism, maintained through roles in home, cheap labour,
absorb anger, reproduce force. Barrett familism ideology. Ansley takers of shit.
Oppression ends by overthrowing capitalism and ideology of familism.
Freudian theory, recognises importance of structural factors. Subordination
found in non-capitalism societies, insufficient emphasis on how men oppress and
benefit, unpaid domestic labour not cheapest way of reproducing labour force.
Radical: Firestone patriarchy is universal, all men oppress all women.
Maintained through work, politics, family and relationships. Ended through
separatism and consciousness-raising (Greer).
Intimate relationships involve domination, political dimension of marriage and
pornography included. Class > patriarchy, assumes all women in same position,
neglects women’s violence, vague utopian notions of separatism. Circular
violence argument (violence result of patriarchy, patriarchy result of violence).
Dual-systems: Hartmann patriarchal capitalism. Walby relationship between
paid work and domestic labour.
Interact and structure on another. Patriarchy descriptive term, not with internal
dynamic system.
Difference: Other feminism claim false universality, essentialist, fail to reflect
diversity.
Post-structuralist: Butler discourses and power knowledge – seeing, thinking,
speaking, power to define. Enlightenment period legitimated domination and
false universal womanhood.
Deconstruct discourses to reveal subordination. Walby importance of
similarities, infinite no. of subgroups, oppression = real inequality not just
discourses.
Consensus/Structural Approaches:
Functionalism: System; organisms such as human body and society are self-
regulating system of interrelated parts, society = institutions. System needs;
organisms need nutrition, social system needs socialisation. Functions; meeting
needs for survival; circulatory system, economy maintains social system by
meeting needs for food/shelter. Value consensus and social order; Parsons
central value system provides framework for cooperation, rules and define goals.
Integration of individuals: value consensus integrates into society, material
needs met so value of need for people to work. Conformity; socialisation:
internalise norms/values part of personality, include media, family and
education. Social control: positive and negative sanctions, behaviour is
predictable.
Parts of social system: bottom-up = actions governed by specific norms that
come in clusters called status roles, clusters = institutions, related instits
grouped into subsystems = whole social system.
- AGIL schema: Adaptation; meet material needs through economic subsystem.
Goal attainment; set goals, allocate resources, political subsystem. Integration;
integrate parts of system to pursue shared goals, religion, education and media
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