Cambridge IGCSE®
Sociology
NEW
Cambridge IGCSE® Sociology Jonathan Blundell •
New for the Cambridge 0495 syllabus. •
Written in clear and accessible language, Cambridge IGCSE Sociology Coursebook provides comprehensive coverage of the syllabus in a visually-stimulating format. •
Key sociological research combined with case studies and thought provoking questions help in understanding concepts. •
Features such as Key terms and Revision checklist further reinforce learning and understanding of core subject areas. •
Engaging activities help in applying knowledge in various contexts and building interpretation, analytical and evaluation skills. •
The book helps students prepare for examination with each chapter culminating in exam-style questions and a further chapter dedicated to revision, examination skills and practice. •
The Teacher Resources CD-ROM is coming soon so look on our website for details.
978-1-107-64513-4
Coursebook
978-1-107-65138-8
Teacher’s Resource CD-ROM
Introduction contextualises the U2: Theory & Methods content covered in chapter
Introduction
Clear learning objectives
Sociology is the study of people in societies. In order to study people in societies, it is necessary to have both theories and methods. This first chapter explores the main theories and methods used in sociology. In later chapters, you will encounter these theories again as they are applied to the different topic areas in sociology, and you will learn about research carried out using the main methods.
to behave. At a different level, there is a difference between theories that emphasise how societies are fairly stable, survive over time and how people get along with others, and theories that emphasises major differences between groups within a society, such as between different social classes and between men and women. These differences, and others, are explored below.
Theories are attempts to explain why things happen in the way they do and why people behave as they do. Sociology has a range of theories; there is no agreement as to which is closest to being right. This is because research provides findings, but these findings can often be interpreted in different ways. There are two main differences between types of theories in sociology. At one level, there is a difference between theories that emphasise how people’s behaviour is decided by the society they live in and the way they interact with others and theories that emphasise how people can choose
This chapter also introduces the main methods that sociologists use for research. There is a difference here too, between approaches that try to be as scientific and objective as possible and those that believe that this is not appropriate for studying people. Theory and methods are the basic tools sociologists use. The joint focus in this first chapter on theories and methods will provide an understanding of sociology that will help you through your study of topic areas.
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U2: Theory & Methods Objectives At the end of this chapter you should be able to: ■
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Understand the main theoretical approaches to the study of sociology Describe the main stages in sociological research Describe the main methods used in sociological research, and be able to evaluate them referring to practical, ethical and theoretical issues Understand the main types of information and data that sociologists use, including quantitative and qualitative data and primary and secondary data
How do different sociologists interpret society? KEY TERMS
Identity: how a person sees themselves, for example as a female and a student Interpretivism: approaches which start at the level of the individual, focusing on the small scale and usually favouring qualitative methods Macro/micro approaches: Macro approaches focus on the larger scale of whole societies, micro approaches on small scale social interaction Objectivity: absence of bias; the researcher does not allow their values to influence the research Subjectivity: lack of objectivity; the researcher’s view influences the approach taken
education.cambridge.org/cie
Structuralist and interpretivist approaches: the individual, identity and society STRUCTURALISM Approaches to sociology can be broadly categorised as structuralist or interpretivist. Structuralist approaches are those that focus on large scale social structures and institutions rather than individuals. Individuals tend to be seen as not important in their own right; it is the social roles, and the actions they carry out in fulfilling these roles, that are important. Society is seen as having its own structures which may be hidden from individuals but can be discovered by sociologists. A well known example of a structuralist approach is the work of one of the founding fathers of sociology, Emile Durkheim, on suicide. Suicide might be thought to be an individual act, but Durkheim noticed that suicide rates – the proportion of the population who committed suicide each year – did not change much. However, there were significant differences in suicide rates between countries. Durkheim attempted to show that behind the actions of individuals were social forces that could be studied by sociologists that led to the suicide rates. These might be, for, example, the ways that people were connected to support networks such as families and religious organisations. Where
Key terms
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