A-LEVEL SOCIOLOGY
PAPER 1 — COMPLETE REVISION NOTES
Education with Methods in Context & Socialisation, Culture and Identity
TOPIC Agencies of Socialisation · Identity · Deviance · Research Methods
LEVEL A-Level Sociology — Paper 1
THEORIES Functionalism · Marxism · Feminism · Interactionism · Post-Modernism
INCLUDES Family · Education · Religion · Peer Groups · Media · Nature vs Nurture
GRADE A* Comprehensive Notes — Exam Ready
AUTHOR Rafia Azhar
,TABLE OF CONTENTS
PART 1 AGENCIES OF SOCIALISATION
1.1 Family
1.2 Education
1.3 Religion
1.4 Peer Groups
1.5 Media
PART 2 COMBINED QUESTIONS — IDENTITY
2.1 Family & Gender · Social Class · Age · Ethnicity
2.2 Education & Gender · Social Class · Ethnicity
2.3 Peer Groups & Gender · Social Class · Ethnicity · Age
2.4 Media & Gender · Social Class · Ethnicity · Age
2.5 Religion & Social Class · Ethnicity · Gender · Age
PART 3 NATURE VS NURTURE
3.1 Nurture — Herbert Mead, Cooley, Feral Children
3.2 Nature — Sociobiology & Twin Studies
PART 4 DEVIANCE
4.1 Subcultures & Undersocialisation
4.2 Marginalisation & Cultural Deprivation
4.3 Mass Media & Deviance
4.4 Sociological Explanations of Deviance
4.5 Durkheim — Anomie · Merton — Strain Theory
4.6 Marx — Conflict Theory · Becker — Labelling Theory
PART 5 RESEARCH METHODS
5.1 Key Concepts: Reliability, Validity, Objectivity
5.2 Representativeness, Generalisability, Value Freedom
, PART 1 — AGENCIES OF SOCIALISATION
1.1 FAMILY
Functionalism – Durkheim – Family assists in the transmission of norms and values, creating social
solidarity and collective conscience.
Functionalism – Parsons – Family provides Primary Socialisation where the child learns his/her
instrumental roles. Gender Socialisation occurs through canalization, manipulation, imitation etc.
Stabilisation of Adult Personalities achieved by providing economic and emotional support. Instrumental
roles instilled as hegemonic masculinity (male breadwinner) and hegemonic femininity (female
care-taker). (Ann Oakley)
Functionalism – Warm Bath Theory – When the husband comes home, the family acts as a warm cosy
bath and provides a haven that relaxes the husband. (Ann Oakley)
Marxism – Althusser – Family has an ideological function — producing a passive workforce and being
used as a unit of consumption of capitalist products.
Marxism – David Cooper – Family as an ideological conditioning device. Children learn to submit to
authority from an early age. This makes children accept hierarchy and respect authority in later stages of
life.
Marxism – Family Absorbs Anger – Mainly performed by women. When oppressed men return from
alienated work, aggression is vented onto women who absorb anger and provide emotional support to
keep the husband functional under exploitative conditions.
Feminism – Radical Feminism – Family burdens women biologically (childbirth, motherhood) and
culturally, resulting in women being treated as submissive and docile.
Feminism – Family supports patriarchy — Dual Burden — Triple Shift — Domestic Violence.
✔ Sanctions / Social Control: Praise · Support · Verbal comments · Rewards · Grounding · Scolding
1.2 EDUCATION
Functionalism – Durkheim – Transmission of norms and values and ensuring social solidarity.
Functionalism – Parsons – Meritocracy. Education bridges the gap between family and workplace and
allows talented individuals to achieve upward social mobility. Through secondary socialisation, individuals
gain skills and knowledge to become active and productive members of society.
Functionalism – Davis and Moore – Education is a means to role allocation. Justifies adequate roles
being allotted based on educational performance. Highly skilled individuals take upper C-Suite positions;
unskilled low performers occupy roles at the bottom of the hierarchy — a fair and just system.
Marxism – Althusser – Main function of education is to socialise working-class individuals into accepting
hierarchy. Education supports the ruling class. It is an Ideological State Apparatus (ISA).
Marxism – Bowles and Gintis – Hidden Curriculum. Legitimating class inequality in education.
Working-class individuals are taught exactly what the ruling class wants them to know. Information is
withheld from working classes to ensure success is always translated to children of the ruling class only.
PAPER 1 — COMPLETE REVISION NOTES
Education with Methods in Context & Socialisation, Culture and Identity
TOPIC Agencies of Socialisation · Identity · Deviance · Research Methods
LEVEL A-Level Sociology — Paper 1
THEORIES Functionalism · Marxism · Feminism · Interactionism · Post-Modernism
INCLUDES Family · Education · Religion · Peer Groups · Media · Nature vs Nurture
GRADE A* Comprehensive Notes — Exam Ready
AUTHOR Rafia Azhar
,TABLE OF CONTENTS
PART 1 AGENCIES OF SOCIALISATION
1.1 Family
1.2 Education
1.3 Religion
1.4 Peer Groups
1.5 Media
PART 2 COMBINED QUESTIONS — IDENTITY
2.1 Family & Gender · Social Class · Age · Ethnicity
2.2 Education & Gender · Social Class · Ethnicity
2.3 Peer Groups & Gender · Social Class · Ethnicity · Age
2.4 Media & Gender · Social Class · Ethnicity · Age
2.5 Religion & Social Class · Ethnicity · Gender · Age
PART 3 NATURE VS NURTURE
3.1 Nurture — Herbert Mead, Cooley, Feral Children
3.2 Nature — Sociobiology & Twin Studies
PART 4 DEVIANCE
4.1 Subcultures & Undersocialisation
4.2 Marginalisation & Cultural Deprivation
4.3 Mass Media & Deviance
4.4 Sociological Explanations of Deviance
4.5 Durkheim — Anomie · Merton — Strain Theory
4.6 Marx — Conflict Theory · Becker — Labelling Theory
PART 5 RESEARCH METHODS
5.1 Key Concepts: Reliability, Validity, Objectivity
5.2 Representativeness, Generalisability, Value Freedom
, PART 1 — AGENCIES OF SOCIALISATION
1.1 FAMILY
Functionalism – Durkheim – Family assists in the transmission of norms and values, creating social
solidarity and collective conscience.
Functionalism – Parsons – Family provides Primary Socialisation where the child learns his/her
instrumental roles. Gender Socialisation occurs through canalization, manipulation, imitation etc.
Stabilisation of Adult Personalities achieved by providing economic and emotional support. Instrumental
roles instilled as hegemonic masculinity (male breadwinner) and hegemonic femininity (female
care-taker). (Ann Oakley)
Functionalism – Warm Bath Theory – When the husband comes home, the family acts as a warm cosy
bath and provides a haven that relaxes the husband. (Ann Oakley)
Marxism – Althusser – Family has an ideological function — producing a passive workforce and being
used as a unit of consumption of capitalist products.
Marxism – David Cooper – Family as an ideological conditioning device. Children learn to submit to
authority from an early age. This makes children accept hierarchy and respect authority in later stages of
life.
Marxism – Family Absorbs Anger – Mainly performed by women. When oppressed men return from
alienated work, aggression is vented onto women who absorb anger and provide emotional support to
keep the husband functional under exploitative conditions.
Feminism – Radical Feminism – Family burdens women biologically (childbirth, motherhood) and
culturally, resulting in women being treated as submissive and docile.
Feminism – Family supports patriarchy — Dual Burden — Triple Shift — Domestic Violence.
✔ Sanctions / Social Control: Praise · Support · Verbal comments · Rewards · Grounding · Scolding
1.2 EDUCATION
Functionalism – Durkheim – Transmission of norms and values and ensuring social solidarity.
Functionalism – Parsons – Meritocracy. Education bridges the gap between family and workplace and
allows talented individuals to achieve upward social mobility. Through secondary socialisation, individuals
gain skills and knowledge to become active and productive members of society.
Functionalism – Davis and Moore – Education is a means to role allocation. Justifies adequate roles
being allotted based on educational performance. Highly skilled individuals take upper C-Suite positions;
unskilled low performers occupy roles at the bottom of the hierarchy — a fair and just system.
Marxism – Althusser – Main function of education is to socialise working-class individuals into accepting
hierarchy. Education supports the ruling class. It is an Ideological State Apparatus (ISA).
Marxism – Bowles and Gintis – Hidden Curriculum. Legitimating class inequality in education.
Working-class individuals are taught exactly what the ruling class wants them to know. Information is
withheld from working classes to ensure success is always translated to children of the ruling class only.
