" The media helps to advance public interest by publishing facts and opinions without which a democratic electorate cannot make responsible judgements." Explain this perspective and assess its effects on the audience.

Stephen Rooney " The media helps to advance public interest by publishing facts and opinions without which a democratic electorate cannot make responsible judgements." Explain this perspective and assess its effects on the audience. The question seems to be taken from a functionalist approach to the media and sees the media as non-problematic. It suggests a Pluralist perspective that we get the media we deserve. It shows the media as a helpful tool in which a person can vote without being influenced by bias or manipulation but can vote knowing both sides of the story and can make a responsible judgement. It does not take into account who owns the media or who controls it. It also does not broach upon the idea that media messages are inflicted upon us rather than the audience being active. Who owns the media? Marxists would suggest that the media is a capitalist organisation owned by the ruling classes. The alienation of the working classes is due to the filtering of bourgeoisie values and morals through the media that help exploit the workers. The ruling classes that own the media have their own hegemony that allows them to maintain the status quo. The restriction of information is a means of control that allows them to maintain their power economically, politically and ideologically. Marxists would point out that during time of crisis e.g. wartime it is known that the

  • Word count: 671
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Sociology
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"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth". How far would you agree with this philosophy in dealing with criminals?

"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth". How far would you agree with this philosophy in dealing with criminals? Crime is often considered a social problem. It is a single natural phenomenon which occurs in every stratum of society and is not something which can be explained easily. Its causes are legion and its trends are difficult to ascertain. Its cures are speculative and controversial. There are those who believe that the evils of imprisonment are inextricable from imprisonment itself. Those who believe that imprisonment should stay are of the view that the prison is an indispensable institution and therefore, a potentially good and useful one. Those who believe that imprisonment must go are of the opinion that criminal sanctions should serve other purposes rather than retribution. Retribution is indeed the major, if not the most important, objective of penal measure. There is the view that retribution is euphemism for vengeance, a form of retaliation: society exacts punishment on the culprit as a form of payment for what he owes us, the discomfort and pain he may have inflicted on each of us. The retribution motive is based, among other things, that social and legal controls will break down and society will not be able to function normally as a result. This fear is not entirely groundless or irrational. The idea that sanctions will ensure the smooth functioning of

  • Word count: 568
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Sociology
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"Any sociological explanation of the influence of the mass media needs to take into account the social situation of the audien

"Any sociological explanation of the influence of the mass media needs to take into account the social situation of the audience." Explain and evaluate this view. "Members of a given sub-culture will tend to share a cultural orientation towards decoding messages in particular ways. Their individual 'readings' of messages will be framed by shared cultural formations and practices." [The Structured Interpretation Model] which is associated to Morley, David (1981b, p. 51). V arious theories, approaches, experiments & researches looked into the effects of the mass media on the audience. The social situation of the audience is considered in some of the studies. Others may believe that the influence of mass media would heavily depend on the social situation (age, ethnicity, gender, class, educational attainment, abnormality, etc.), while others may think that the audience in the society is greatly influenced by the mass media alone. Recent news alarmed the reading-audience how influential mass media could be. An Eminem impersonator killed his fan without a particular reason! Some believe that media played a role why he behaved in that particular way, while others may argue that it is because of his social situation. This will be assessed by looking at different arguments & explanations. The Hypodermic Syringe Model of mass media effects suggests that media content is directly

  • Word count: 3239
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Sociology
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"Assess the view that deviance is merely a label applied by society to the acts of others".

"Assess the view that deviance is merely a label applied by society to the acts of others" Interactionists consider that when examining deviance it is just as important to look at those who define the act as deviant as it is to look at the act itself. They would argue that it is the reaction of society that determines how deviant an act is, if at all. Becker's labelling theory suggests that deviance is actually created by the social groups which create and promote norms and values which are deviated from, rather than the act itself. He says that by applying these rules to outsiders and labelling them as deviant, deviance is created - therefore deviance is not created by the individual who carries out the act, it is created by the labels which are attached by others to that act. An example used to demonstrate this theory could be nudity - alone in a bathroom nudity it is accepted, but if a stranger walked in it would be considered deviant. However in nudist resorts nobody wears clothes and this is seen as accepted within the resort, but possibly deviant to those outside of the resort. How deviant the act of nudity is depends upon how it is interpreted by the social audience. Becker argues that this is how deviance is in fact created, because some acts can be deviant in some cases but not in others. However, it could be argued that changing the circumstances of an act (eg.

  • Word count: 587
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Sociology
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"Compare and contrast modernisation theory and dependency theory as explanations of development and under-development"

"Compare and contrast modernisation theory and dependency theory as explanations of development and under-development" The two theories, modernisation and dependency both give valid and just explanations for development and underdevelopment. There is a notable likeness in them both but there are also many differences and neither escape criticisms. Modernisation theory was before dependency theory and was developed in the 1950/60s; the theory is based on 4 main assumptions. Western societies are the most advanced in terms of technological, social and political terms, countries go through a series of stages on their route to becoming advanced, this path is a 'natural' form of development and there must be something preventing them from doing this and finally, these underdeveloped nations can advance without an changes taking place in the finance and trading patterns of the capitalist world. The modernisation theory is politically conservative as it sees nations being undeveloped because they lack the qualities that developed nations have, this is compared with the dependency theory who see this underdevelopment due to the exploitation of advanced nations. W.W. Rostow is one of the most notable modernisation theorists; he argued that there are a number of stages that a traditional society has to pass through to become a modern society. His work is combined with the four key

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  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Sociology
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"Deviance is normal" - In what sense is this true?

"Deviance is normal". In what sense is this true? Deviance could be identified as a form of social classification which is a sociological concept concerning "things" which offend a cultures expectance and social norms. Thus deviance can change over time and differ from societies, what is not accepted in one decade or society can be in another. For example guy relationships where once perceived as a mental illness. It could now be argued that they have become social accepted and are no longer perceived as being deviant or a mental illness. This change of viewpoint could be due to time and the society's values changing. Downs and Rode defined deviance "As banned or controlled behavior which is likely to attract punishment or disapproval." Thus suggesting that all forms of "anti social" behavior are included, when considering deviance. Such acts such as murder which attracts punishment right through to mild acts such as burping and farting which attract mild disapproval. Therefore Downs and Rock could be suggesting that deviance is "normal" depending on the boundaries that the society enforces. Deviance can be either secret or private and occur within the home and can also be public and open. Deviance however is often concealed and feared off. Thus takes on the secret form and people who appear to be living normal life's and conforming to the norms of the society can in

  • Word count: 2285
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Sociology
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"Does the Mass Media Influence Youth Culture?"

"Does the Mass Media Influence Youth Culture?" A S o c i o l o g i c a l S t u d y a n d S u r v e y 1 . . . Introduction What is the mass media? The dictionary tells us that it is: "those means of communication that reach and influence large numbers of people." (Collins Pocket English Dictionary, 1981 edition) To many people, however, it is something much more sinister - a monster that seeks to manipulate and control public opinion. A flotilla of highly entertaining novels and films draw upon the idea of a tyrannical government secretly controlling zombie-like citizens, using the mass media as its weapon. Ironically, these conspiracy novels and films themselves are simply another aspect of the media. But perhaps - especially now, when we are more exposed to forms of mass media than any other previous generation - the seeming fantasies are not as fantastic as we might think. Certainly times have changed significantly since George Orwell first wrote his chilling novel, 1984. For example, Hitler's government proved that it was possible to persuade an entire nation to ignore - or even to condone - horrific acts of inhuman cruelty on a huge scale. This could be done only because of the recent expansion of the mass media to include radio, film and television, meaning that there were now more potential ways of influencing the general public. And making the most

  • Word count: 3808
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Sociology
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Is Youth Crime a major Problem?

Introduction The concept of adolescence was first found in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries to describe the period in between childhood and adulthood - a period containing a large amount of emotional and physical stress. The teenage years of a young person, starts off a whole new lifestyle, some get through them without any trouble while others can find it more difficult. They become more self dependent and can start to act very different due to the changes that are occurring within their body, both mental and physically. The adolescent male may start to have large mood swings, which can affect his behaviour in a big way. A great many new influences come into their lives, such as alcohol, relationships with girls, which can lead to distress and violence. Violence is not a gene it is learnt either in the home or the community, some adolescents can become aggressive towards others, while others manage not to become affected by violence around them. The teenage years, are a time for experiencing new things, some adolescents may start to rebel against their parents, teachers and the law. Is Youth Crime a major Problem? Young adolescent male crime has been a large problem in the United Kingdom for some time. In the year 1998, 532,000 people were either cautioned or found guilty, for an indictable offence in England and Wales. The majority of these (82%)

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  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Sociology
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Assess the Usefulness of Official Crime Statistics to a Sociological Understanding of Crime

Assess the Usefulness of Official Crime Statistics to a Sociological Understanding of Crime The Government publishes official statistics on crime in Britain annually. The main source of these statistics are gathered from recorded crimes by the police and courts and through the British Crime Survey (BSC) which is a large-scale victim survey conducted annually by the Home Office. The combination of both of these statistics should provide a picture of the full extent of crime in Britain, however, sociologists believe there are a number of factors that influence these figures and that these official statistics do not reflect a true representation of crime in Britain today. We shall explore these factors and perspectives further to assess whether the official statistics do serve a purpose in the reporting of crime in Britain. From the functionalist perspective Emile Durkheim stated that deviance is a necessary part of all societies and that police and the courts are necessary to keep deviance in check and to protect social order. Durkheim argued that crime is an inevitable part of society and that all social change begins with some form of deviance and in order for change to occur, and that yesterday's deviance must become today's normality. That a limited amount of crime is necessary and beneficial to society and that society could not exist without some form of deviance and it

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  • Word count: 2066
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Sociology
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Supply teacher war

Supply teacher war My name is James Duff. I was born on the 14th of may 1987, in Singapore. I live in Whitchurch hill and go to Langtree school. My interests are computers, biking, music and football. For most raucous young schoolboys, participating in classroom warfare is as customary as things go, but sadly for me, my stationery-throwing days had to come to a cease-fire on the day I achieved the ultimate goal. It was an insufferable, cold and wet Monday morning morning queuing up in sub-zero temperatures for the dreaded maths lesson awaiting. Like a virus suddenly spreading, rumours were going round that the usual dragoness disguised as a maths teacher was absent. This could mean only one thing; supply teacher, and it was this one thing that made the freezing wait worthwhile. After a few more minutes solidifying as ice, a door opened and out strolled our prey; looking like a soldier walking out to battle. Her pre-battle morale was showing, but was soon to be shattered. She introduced herself, Ms Uptite. Now that we had reckoned our new opponent, we walked onto the battlefield: the classroom. She appeared timid as she read out the lesson plan but then again, so did every new opponent. The enemy told us to open our books and start working, so naturally, nobody did any such thing. Conferring commenced over what to do with our new prey, what our tactics should be. It was

  • Word count: 572
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Sociology
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