← Sociology syllabus

EnglandSociology

Beliefs in Society

5 dot points across 5 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

Does religion hold society back, drive social change, or both?

The relationship between religious beliefs, organisations and social change, including religion as a conservative force and as a force for change (Weber, liberation theology, fundamentalism).
A focused answer to the AQA A-Level Sociology Beliefs topic on religion and social change, covering religion as a conservative force, Weber's Protestant ethic, liberation theology, the civil rights movement and fundamentalism.
12 min answer →

Why does religious participation vary by gender, ethnicity, class and age?

The relationship between different social groups and religious or spiritual organisations and movements, beliefs and practices, including by gender, ethnicity, social class and age.
A focused answer to the AQA A-Level Sociology Beliefs topic on religiosity and social groups, covering why women, minority-ethnic groups and older people tend to be more religious, and explanations for these patterns.
12 min answer →

What types of religious organisation exist, and why are new movements growing?

Religious organisations, including churches, sects, denominations and cults, and the relationship to religious and spiritual movements, including the growth and appeal of new religious and New Age movements.
A focused answer to the AQA A-Level Sociology Beliefs topic on religious organisations, covering churches, denominations, sects and cults, the church-sect typology, new religious and New Age movements, and explanations for their growth.
12 min answer →

Is religion declining in modern society, or simply changing its form?

The secularisation debate, including evidence and explanations for the decline of religion, the secularisation thesis and its critics, and debates about religion in the contemporary UK, Europe and the USA.
A focused answer to the AQA A-Level Sociology Beliefs topic on secularisation, covering evidence for decline, explanations (rationalisation, structural differentiation, religious diversity), critics of the thesis, and the contrast between Europe and the USA.
12 min answer →

What do the major sociological theories say religion is and what it does for society?

Different theories of religion, including functionalist, Marxist and feminist theories, and their explanations of the role and functions of religious beliefs, practices and institutions.
A focused answer to the AQA A-Level Sociology Beliefs topic on theories of religion, covering functionalist (Durkheim, Malinowski, Parsons), Marxist (Marx) and feminist accounts of the role and functions of religion.
12 min answer →