aqa a level sociology topic essays

AQA A Level sociology

Topic EssaysCrime & Deviance

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AQA A Level Sociology topic essays: crime & Deviance

1. Applying material from Item B and your knowledge, evaluate the Functionalist perspective of crime and deviance. (30 marks)

2. Applying material from Item B and your knowledge, evaluate the view that a lack of opportunity in society is the main cause of criminality. (30 marks)

3. Applying material from Item B and your knowledge, evaluate the view that ethnicity is the most significant cause of crime. (30 marks)

4. Applying material from Item B and your knowledge, evaluate the view that men commit more crime than women. (30 marks)

5. Applying material from Item B and your knowledge, evaluate the view that labelling is the main cause of criminality. (30 marks)

6. Applying material from Item B and your knowledge, evaluate the view that globalisation has caused an increase in crime. (30 marks)

7. Applying material from Item B and your knowledge, evaluate the view that the mass media causes crime. (30 marks)

8. Applying material from Item B and your knowledge, evaluate the view that state crimes are one of the most serious forms of crime. (30 marks)

9. Applying material from Item B and your knowledge, evaluate the view that punishments are the best way to prevent crime. (30 marks)

10. Applying material from Item B and your knowledge, evaluate the view that class is the main issue influencing the likelihood of being a victim of crime. (30 marks)

CRIME & DEVIANCE topic essays



ITEM B Unlike other sociological perspectives such as Marxism, Functionalist sociologists have a positive view of crime and deviance, seeing it as a necessary and useful part of social life. Functionalist sociologists believe that crime performs a range of important social functions such as maintaining boundaries and promoting social change. However, critics would argue that crime is simply a manifestation of an unequal society and therefore it is a sign of social dysfunction. Applying material from Item B and your knowledge, evaluate the Functionalist perspective of crime and deviance. (30 marks) Functionalistsociologistswouldarguethatbothcrimeanddeviancehavepositivefunctionsforsocietyandthattheyareaninevitablepartofsociallife.Withoutcrimeanddevianceitwouldbedifficulttoestablishnormsandvaluesandasharedsystemofbeliefsasnomemberofsocietywouldeverdeviatefromnormalsocialbehaviour.FunctionalistssuchasDurkheim(1983)regardcrimeanddevianceasanormalandinfactinevitableconsequenceofsociallife.Thisisthecasebecausenoteveryoneinsocietyhashadthesameexperienceofsocialisation(theprocessoflearningthenormsandvaluesofsociety)andthereforetheirbeliefsarealwaysgoingtobeslightlydifferenttooneanother.Assuch,individualmembersofsocietywillofcoursecarryoutdifferentbehavioursinsocialsituationswhich,eveniftheyarenotconsideredcriminal,mayindeedbeconsidereddeviant.Durkheimalsoarguedthatinamodernsocietytherehasbeenatendencytowardsanomie–astateofnormlessnesswhichmeansthereisgreaterdiversityinhumanbehaviourandassuchmembersofsocietynaturallychoosedifferentbehavioursorpaths.AccordingtoItemB,however,thesedifferencescanhavebeneficialconsequencesforboththeindividualandsocietyascrimeanddevianceperform“arangeofimportantsocialfunctionssuchasmaintainingboundariesandpromotingsocialchange”.Durkheimelaboratesontheseideasbyarguingthatcriminalbehaviourbringsaboutasocialreactionamongstmembersofsocietythatamountstoacondemnationoftheirbehaviour.HoweverDurkheimbelievedthatinsteadofforcingsufferingorpainupontheoffender,thepurposeofpunishmentwastorestoretheboundariesacceptedbywidersocietythroughmakinganexampleofmemberswho

AclearintroductionwhichbrieflyoutlinesfundamentalprinciplesofFunctionalisttheoriesofcrime.AdetailedanalysisoftheideasofaspecificFunctionalistsociologist(Durkheim)whichintroducesnewconceptswhichareusedappropriatelyandarewellexplained.ThereisreferencetoItemBandithasbeendirectlyquoted,aswellaselaboratedupon.Acontinuationofthepreviousanalysisandnewconceptshavebeenintroduced.Pointshavebeensupportedbyappropriatesociological


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failtoadheretothenormsandvalues.Similarlyhearguedthatinorderforanysocialchangetooccur(positiveornegative)itmuststartwithanactthatdeviatesfromthenorm,andthereforewouldbeconsidereddeviantorevencriminal.AfamousexampleofthiswouldbethepoliticalactivismofNelsonMandelaagainstApartheidinSouthAfrica,forwhichhewasimprisoned.However,hisbehaviourandalternativeviewsultimatelyhadabeneficialimpactuponsocietyasitresultedinaredistributionofwealthandpower.ThisshowsthatFunctionalistideasaboutcrimeanddeviancerevealthepositivesocialfunctionsperformedbysuchbehavioursanddonotsimplyviewthemasa“signofsocialdysfunction”(ItemB).Durkheim’sideashavebeenfurtherdevelopedbyothersociologistssuchasKingsleyDavis(1967)whodescribedcriminal/deviantbehaviourasasafetyvalveforsociety.Hecommentedspecificallyonthepositivesocialfunctionperformedbyprostitution,anactwhichtypicallywouldhavebeenregardedasdeviantatbest,andmostlikelycriminal,asitallowsmensexualreleasewithoutthreateningthesocialinstitutionsofmarriageandfamilysincemenwillnotformemotionalattachmentstosexworkersinthewaytheymightiftheyhadanaffair.ThisagainshowsthewaysinwhichFunctionalistideascanportrayapositiveviewofcrimeanddeviance.However,conflicttheoriessuchasFeminismwouldbehugelycriticalofthisnotion–asitfailstorecognisethehighlevelsofexploitationandpatriarchalcontrolthatexistinsocietyandparticularlywithinthesextrade.HoweverCohen,anotherFunctionalist,arguesthatoneofthemostobviousfunctionsofcrimeanddevianceisasasignifierofadeepersocialmalaiseorthatthereisaprobleminsocietythatneedsaddressing.Heoffersexamplessuchastruancyinschoolsindicatingissueswithinsocialinstitutionssuchaseducation,andhisviewscanbeappliedtocurrentaffairsinreligionwherebyterrorismcouldberegardedasasignofpoliticaldissatisfaction.HoweverFunctionalistsdogenerallyrecognisethatcrimeanddevianceisonlyfunctionaltoanextentandifitreachesepidemiclevelsthenitactuallyunderminessocialstabilityentirely.OneofthekeycriticismsofFunctionalisttheoriesofcrimeanddevianceisthatalthoughtheyofferaclearexplanationofthepositivefunctionsperformedbycrime,theyfailtoconsiderthenegativeaspects,orindeedwhycrimeand

examplesandthereisfurtherreferencetoItemB,thistimeinanevaluativecontext.AnintroductionofalternativeFunctionalistsociologistswhohavedevelopedtheideasofDurkheim.ExplicitevaluationofthepointsmadewithreferencetoconflicttheoriessuchasFeminism.Newconceptshavebeenintroducedandclearlyexplained.FurtheranalysisofFunctionalistideasillustratedbyanewsociologicalstudy.Someinternalevaluationinthefinalsentences.ExplicitanddevelopedevaluationofFunctionalistideasthroughacomparisontoStrainTheory.



devianceexistsinthefirstinstance.Straintheories,forexample,arguethatoneofthekeyreasonsforcriminalityisthatmembersofsocietyhaveunequalaccesstoachievesociallyapprovedgoalsandassuchtheymaygoontoexperiencestatusfrustration(Cohen)anddevelopcriminalordeviantsubculturesinwhichtheycanachievesuccessthroughillegitimatemeans(ClowardandOhlin).Anexampleofthiscouldbeaviolentganginwhichitsmembersgainacceptancethroughaviolentinitiationactandthencontinuetoclimbthehierarchybaseduponthelevelsofviolencetheyarewillingtocarryout.TheseideasarecriticalofFunctionalistperspectivesofcrimeanddeviancebecausetheywouldargueitpaintstoopositiveapictureofcrimeanddevianceandalsothatitmakestheassumptionofameritocraticsocietywhichmanytheoriesbelievetobeamyth.Marxism,forexample,wouldcontinuetocriticisetheFunctionalistviewofcrimeastheywouldarguethatmembersoftheworkingclassesarefarmorelikelytobeforcedintocriminalbehaviourthanthemiddleclassessimplytobeabletosurviveinanunequalsocietyandthatthisisevenmorepronouncedatatimeofglobalrecession.Marxistsalsofocusontheviewthatcapitalismasaneconomicsystemiscriminogenicandcausescrimeasitisbaseduponexploitationoftheworkingclasses,anditisthisexploitationthatcanultimatelycausecrimeaspeoplemayfeelthepressuretoconsumetothelevelsshownintheglobalisedmassmedia,ormayexperienceasenseoffrustrationoralienationaroundtheirliveswhichcanresultincrimesagainstpeopleorproperty.ThisshowsthattherearemanyaspectsofcrimeanddeviancewhichhavenotbeenaccountedforbyFunctionalisttheory.Similarly,Marxistswouldalsoarguethatthelaws,normsandvaluesofsocietythatweareforcedtoconformtobyagentsofsocialisationandsocialcontroldonottrulybenefitusastheyarenotreflectiveoftheinterestsofthewholeofsociety,ratherofthepowerfulrulingelite.Lawenforcementfocuseslargelyonthepettycrimesoftheworkingclasseswithoutfocusingenoughonthecrimescommittedbyorganisations,thestateorenvironmentalcrimeiftheyconflictwiththeinterestsofcapitalism.ThisshowsthatFunctionalismagainignoressomeimportantissuesregardingthefunctionsofcrimeandagainpaintsaone‐sidedpicture.

Sociologicalconceptsandstudiesareusedappropriatelyassupportingevidenceandpointsareclearlyexplained/analysed.Conflicttheoriesareintroducedasfurtherevaluationandadeepunderstandingofthetheoryisshown.Keyconceptsareusedeffectivelybutspecificsociologicalstudiescouldhavebeenreferencedhereasevidence.Clearlinksbacktotheoriginalquestion.FurtherdevelopmentofMarxisttheoryandthewayitcriticisesFunctionalism.Synopticlinksaremadebutcouldbebetterdeveloped(statecrime/greencrime).Thereareclearlinksbacktotheoriginalquestion.


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Functionalismalsofailstoconsiderothersocialcausesofcrimeanddeviancesuchasbiologicaldifferencesandtheimpactofsocialisation(RightRealism)orrelativedeprivationandmarginalisation(LeftRealism).Italsofailstocommentuponthedifferencesbetweenmenandwomenintermsoftheiropportunitytocommitcrime(Feminism)orthelinksbetweenthelevelsofcrimeandmediarepresentations.ThisshowsthatalthoughFunctionalismprovidesausefulbasisforourunderstandingofcrimeanddeviancethereisstillmuchtobeconsideredintermsofexplainingtheoriginsofcriminality.Toconclude,Functionalisttheoriescanbecreditedintermsoftheirfocusonthepositivesocialfunctionsperformedbycrimeanddeviancebuttheirviewscouldbeconsideredtoosimplisticastheydonotgivegreatenoughattentiontotherootcausesofcrimeandthesocialsystemsofinequalitythatbringthemabout.[1,231words]

Abriefsummaryofadditionalcriticismsbuttheseneededgreaterdevelopment.Aclearconclusionwhichdoesn’trepeatcontentbutwhichdrawsappropriateconclusionsbasedonthecontentoftheessay.

Examinerstylecomments:Markband25–30Thisisatopmarkbandessay.ItusesItemBwellandclearlyoutlinesthekeyaspectsofFunctionalisttheoriesofcrimeanddeviance.Itusessociologicaltheories,studies,conceptsandexamplesappropriatelyandideasarewelldevelopedinthemajorityoftheessay.Thereisclearevidenceofanalysisandevaluation,althoughthiscouldbemoreconsistentthroughout,andthebriefreferencetoRealism/Feminismtowardstheendsuggestedthecandidatehadmoretosaybutwasconfinedbytime.Toimprovefurther,therefore,theearlieroutliningofFunctionalismcouldbemoreconciseorevaluativepointscouldbeembeddedaftereachofthepositivefunctions.

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aqa a level sociology topic essays

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