ANSWERS TO THE SOCIOLOGY TEST ON KEY CONCEPTS

NORMS

Expected patterns of behavior and are defined by the wider values of a society’s culture.

Examples: wearing black when attending a funeral, eating without using a fork and spoon

VALUES

General beliefs about what is right or wrong and about the important standards which are worth maintaining and achieving in any society.

Examples: respect, honesty

ROLES

a set of normative expectations

Examples: Student, Teacher, Parent

ACHIEVED STATUS

Status which is achieved through an individual’s own efforts

Examples: Doctor, Lawyer, Pilot

ASCRIBED STATUS

Status which is given to an individual at birth and usually can’t be changed

Examples: Male, Female

SOCIALISATION

The process of learning norms and values in society

Examples: Primary and secondary socialisation, gender socialisation

SOCIOLOGY

The study of human behavior in society

Examples: Sociology of Education, Sociology of crime and deviance

PERSPECTIVE

A way of looking at and seeing something

Examples: Functionalist, Marxist perspectives

POLYANDRY

One woman having more than one husband

Examples: In Tibet, Todas of Southern India, among Marquesan Islanders

POLYGYNY

One husband and two or more wives

Examples: Found in Islamic countries like Egypt and Saudi Arabia

SOCIOLOGY ESSAY WRITING SKILLS

Introduction

Comment on the question
State or list what issues you are going to present in your essays
Use some of the words from the question

Content

Basics:

You should not write less than three sides/pages for your essay assignments (and questions that are worth 25 marks in the exam). There should only be two or three paragraphs on each page that you write.
You should have more than two sociological perspectives in your essay. Four is recommended to get the best result.
You should follow the instructions stated in the question, i.e. you should start your essay by presenting arguments for the question followed by arguments against the question. Provide criticisms for each theory that you use.
Provide plenty of evidence: references are crucial in justifying your arguments. Always write down the date and name of the study/publication done by the theorist/author.
Link your ideas together i.e. how you would relate one paragraph with another. Look for similarities and differences between your arguments.

Each paragraph:

Must contain references
Should include a lot of sociological terms
Must show how the ideas presented in the paragraph can be used to answer the question
Must contain three sentences or more

Conclusion

Give a short summary on the ideas that you have presented.
Comment on the need to consider different perspectives: be neutral.
Suggest what is not included in the question i.e. possible areas of research or issues beyond the topic that is set in the question.