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Debates in contemporary society (Component 3, Section B)

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

How do functionalist and subcultural theories explain crime, and why do they see deviance as rooted in society's structure?

Component 3 Section B: functionalist explanations of crime (Durkheim's anomie and the functions of crime, Merton's strain theory) and subcultural explanations (Cohen's status frustration, Cloward and Ohlin's differential opportunity).
An OCR A-Level Sociology Crime and deviance guide to functionalist and subcultural theories. Covers Durkheim's anomie and the functions of crime, Merton's strain theory, Cohen's status frustration and Cloward and Ohlin's differential opportunity, with evaluation and the exam skills Component 3 Section B rewards.
15 min answer →

How have globalisation and the media reshaped crime, from transnational and green crime to moral panics and surveillance?

Component 3 Section B: globalisation and crime (transnational organised crime, green crime, state crime), the media and crime (representation, moral panics and deviancy amplification), and surveillance and punishment (Foucault).
An OCR A-Level Sociology Crime and deviance guide to globalisation, media and crime. Covers transnational organised crime, green crime and state crime, the media's representation of crime, moral panics and deviancy amplification (Cohen), and surveillance and punishment (Foucault), with the synoptic links and exam skills Component 3 Section B rewards.
15 min answer →

How do interactionist labelling theory and Marxist criminology explain crime as a product of social reaction and class power?

Component 3 Section B: interactionist labelling theory (Becker, Lemert, Cicourel, the deviancy amplification spiral) and Marxist and critical criminology, including the selective enforcement of law and the crimes of the powerful.
An OCR A-Level Sociology Crime and deviance guide to interactionist and Marxist theories. Covers labelling theory (Becker's master status, Lemert's primary and secondary deviance, Cicourel's negotiation of justice, the deviancy amplification spiral) and Marxist criminology (selective enforcement, the crimes of the powerful), with the exam skills Component 3 Section B rewards.
15 min answer →

How is crime measured, and why do official statistics fail to capture the true extent of crime?

Component 3 Section B: defining crime and deviance, and the measurement of crime through official statistics, victim surveys and self-report studies, including the dark figure of crime and the social construction of crime statistics.
An OCR A-Level Sociology Crime and deviance guide to measuring crime. Covers definitions of crime and deviance, official statistics, the Crime Survey for England and Wales, self-report studies, the dark figure of crime, and the interpretivist view that statistics are socially constructed, with the exam skills Component 3 Section B rewards.
14 min answer →

How do right and left realism explain crime, and how do sociologists account for the gender patterns in offending?

Component 3 Section B: right realism (rational choice, broken windows) and left realism (relative deprivation, marginalisation, subculture), control theory (Hirschi), and feminist and gender explanations of crime (Heidensohn, Carlen, Adler).
An OCR A-Level Sociology Crime and deviance guide to realism and gender. Covers right realism (rational choice, Wilson and Kelling's broken windows), left realism (Lea and Young's relative deprivation, marginalisation, subculture), Hirschi's control theory, and feminist explanations of gender and crime (Heidensohn, Carlen, Adler), with the exam skills Component 3 Section B rewards.
15 min answer →