Human Society

An SQA Higher Sociology answer on feminism, the conflict perspective on gender. Covers how feminists explain society through patriarchy and gender inequality, the liberal, Marxist and radical strands of feminism, key concepts such as patriarchy and gender socialisation, and the main criticisms of the perspective.

An SQA Higher Sociology answer on functionalism, the consensus perspective. Covers how functionalists explain social order through shared values and institutions, the key thinkers Durkheim and Parsons, core concepts such as value consensus and social functions, and the main criticisms from conflict and social action sociologists.

An SQA Higher Sociology answer on interactionism, the social action perspective. Covers how interactionists explain society from the bottom up through shared meanings, labelling and the self-fulfilling prophecy, key thinkers such as Mead and Becker, and how the perspective differs from and is criticised by structural perspectives.

An SQA Higher Sociology answer on Marxism, the conflict perspective. Covers how Marxists explain society through class conflict between the bourgeoisie and proletariat, the economic base and superstructure, ideology and false consciousness, alienation, and the main criticisms from functionalists, feminists and social action sociologists.

An SQA Higher Sociology answer on postmodernism and on the difference between sociological and common-sense explanations. Covers the postmodernist view of a fragmented, diverse, media-saturated society of choice, key concepts such as the decline of metanarratives, and why sociological explanations are evidence-based and theoretical while common sense is assumption-based.