Sociology · May / June 2023 · Paper 11 · Question 2
0495
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Globalisation has had a major impact on cultures around the world and societies are changing. Throughout these changes societies continue to encourage conformity to norms and values. 2 Processes such as manipulation ensure that individuals understand their social roles and identities including femininity and masculinity. However, feral children still find it difficult to fit in to society.
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2(a)[2]
What is meant by the term ‘femininity.’ One mark for a partial definition e.g. being passive and gentle. Two marks for a clear definition e.g. the expected behaviour associated with females.
2(b)[4]
Describe two examples of manipulation into gender identity. Possible answers:
parents encourage and praise some activities and discourage others e.g. boys praised for taking physical risks like climbing trees whilst girls would be discouraged from doing this;parents and ‘influencers’ encourage girls to take more care with their appearance but discourage boys from doing this;girls being encouraged to wear clothes in more ‘feminine’ muted or softer colours whereas boys wear stronger colours;in the media role models encourage boys to be physically strong and protective whereas girls are encouraged to be gentle and caring;religious role models encourage both boys and girls to behave in traditionally gendered ways;Disney and other cartoon characterisations of princes and princesses manipulate children into traditional gender roles;parents and teachers encourage gendered subject choices in school via career guidance;girls being encouraged to help their mothers and behave in ‘a lady like manner;girls ‘pushed’ by parents into taking dance lessons and boys ‘pushed’ by parents into playing rugby or football;peer pressure encouraging children to conform to traditional gender expectation e.g. through clothing choices;any other reasonable response. One mark for each example correctly identified (up to a maximum of two). One mark for each example correctly developed (up to a maximum of two).2(c)[6]
Explain how individuals are encouraged to conform to the norms and values of society. Possible answers:
through positive sanctions such as rewards e.g. within school teachers send emails home, stickers, certificates etc.;through informal negative sanctions or punishments e.g. in the use of the ‘naughty step’ or removal of possessions;through formal sanctions e.g. the threat of a criminal record or prison sentence will be enough to make most people conform;peer pressure ensures that individuals confirm to group expectations;through the primary socialisation process – most people conform to norms and values if they have been taught them well by parents;Marxists would argue that the hidden curriculum ensures that students become conformist pupils and then conformist workers;role models can encourage conformity e.g. religious leaders teach by example;through the fear of the consequences e.g. in the media everyone can see what happens to norm and law breakers;workers are encouraged to conform with a mixture of positive sanctions (praise and bonuses) and negative sanctions (warnings, being dismissed);any other reasonable response. Band 0 [0 marks] No creditworthy response. Band 1 [1 – 3 marks] Answers in this band will show only a limited awareness of the question. Responses may be short and un/underdeveloped. At the bottom of the band (1 mark), expect one weak point. Higher in the band (2–3 marks), candidates may offer more than one weak point, but there may be a tendency towards simplistic answers, engaging with sociological ideas without using sociological language. Band 2 [4 – 6 marks] Answers in this band will have clear and accurate explanation, showing good sociological knowledge and understanding. Sociological terms and concepts should be expected and explained. At the bottom of the band, the range of points covered may be narrow or lack detail. Higher in the band, answers will cover more than one point in a well-developed way or cover several points in less detail.2(d)[8]
Explain why feral children find it difficult to fit in to society. Possible answers:
feral children have been inadequately socialised and therefore lack the basic norms and values needed to live in society;feral children may have been isolated from a young age and thus have missed the vital primary socialisation in which children learn all the basic skills such as talking – they are thus unable to live normal lives with others in society e.g. Genie Wylie;feral children may have been socialised by animals and have thus developed different norms which can be hard to break e.g. walking on all fours and barking – like Oxana Malaya;feral children find it hard to adapt to cooked food and prefer raw meat which some cultures would find distasteful;some feral children may receive primary socialisation but miss secondary e.g. Rochom P’ngnieng who preferred to crawl and had lost her ability to speak thus making her incapable of social interaction;any other reasonable response. Band 0 [0marks] No creditworthy response. Band 1 [1 – 3 marks] Answers in this band will show only a limited awareness of the question. A tendency to description is likely. Responses may be short and undeveloped and points stated without explanation. Sociological terms and concepts are unlikely to be used. At the bottom of the band (1 mark), expect one weak point. Higher in the band (2–3 marks), candidates may offer more than one weak point. Band 2 [4 – 6 marks] Answers in this band will show basic sociological knowledge and understanding. Responses may be underdeveloped and lacking in range. At the bottom of the band, candidates are unlikely to use sociological terms and concepts accurately. Higher in the band, candidates may be beginning to use sociological terms and concepts with greater accuracy. However, some aspects of the answer may only be partially developed/explained. Band 3 [7 – 8 marks] Answers in this band will show good sociological knowledge and understanding and will be well developed and explained. Sociological terms and concepts will be used accurately overall. Answers will be well-focused on the question and there will be a range of points presented. At the top of the band explanations will be clear throughout.2(e)[15]
To what extent does a global culture exist? Possible arguments for:
Facebook – as a social media platform it allows people to feel connected all around the globe;fashion – market leading brands such as Nike and Adidas are worn and advertised in all parts of the world;globalisation has meant the spread of westernisation, with its norms and values, which is a form of cultural imperialism;
globalisation encouraging a single global culture via better transportation and communication across the globe via digital platforms;English is the global language of the internet and this may lead to some languages becoming weaker or even dying out;increased migration of people from the developing to the developed world means that people assimilate to often western global norms and values and lifestyle;western lifestyles, food and drink have become popular through marketing and greater availability e.g. fast-food chains such as McDonalds and Pizza Hut;there are now global sports events such as the soccer world cup, Olympic games etc. which bring together competitors from all over the world under a common ethos and set of values;there are now global political and economic institutions which aim to foster common human values and prosperity e.g. the World Bank, The United Nations etc.;the films and music industries continue to be dominated by western English language products emerging from Hollywood and major western music labels which glorify their culture and values;any other reasonable response. Possible arguments against:the mixing of people and cultures from all over the world enables the sharing of ideas and lifestyles, creating vibrant cultural diversity rather than a single global culture;each culture tends to have its own traditional foods which may not be shared across the world;traditional dress still maintained in certain cultures e.g. in Asia and the Middle East where female modesty is a core value this is reflected in norms of dress e.g. hijab or burqa which is not a global norm;the internet is democratic and musical artists from different cultures can now post videos and songs in their own language for their own culture’s appreciation;some remote cultures with little communication and access to technology are far removed from this global culture and in such an environment tradition and religion may be the driving forces of culture;any other reasonable response. Band 0 [0marks] No creditworthy response. Band 1 [1 – 4 marks] Answers in this band may be vague and largely based on common sense showing limited knowledge of the debate. Use of sociological terms or concepts is very unlikely. Responses may be short, undeveloped and one- sided. Lower in the band (1–2 marks), expect one or two weak points. Higher in the band (3–4 marks) candidates may offer more than two points and provide a weak definition of key terms in the question. Band 2 [5 – 8 marks] In this band candidates will show some basic knowledge of the debate. Alternatively, they may offer an answer which is list-like in nature but there will be no real attempt to assess the issues raised by the question. There may be limited/some use of sociological terms or concepts. Responses may be underdeveloped and lack range. Answers may be simplistic and two-sided or only cover one side of the debate. Lower in the band, the response may be rather narrow in the points covered and there may be some development. Higher in the band, more points are likely to be covered with some development. Alternatively, a list-like answer with some development covering both sides of the argument may score up to 8 marks. A one-sided answer cannot score higher than 8 marks. Band 3 [9 – 12 marks] Answers in this band will show good sociological knowledge and understanding of the debate. Sociological terms and concepts will be used with greater accuracy and/or frequency. For the most part, answers will be well-developed, focused on the questions and there will be a range of points presented. There will be a two-sided response but it may lack range on one side. At the bottom of the band, candidates may provide a narrower range of developed points. At the top of the band, expect a wider range of developed points and clear focus on the question. Band 4 [13 – 15 marks] Answers in this band will show excellent knowledge and understanding of the debate. There will be a strong grasp of the arguments as well as accurate and frequent use of sociological terms and concepts. Answers will be well-developed, clearly focused on the question and discuss a wide range of points. Responses will be two-sided and have a range of points on each side. At the bottom of the band (13 marks), the answer may lack a specific conclusion. Higher in the band, there will be a clear attempt to offer an assessment of the ‘To what extent.?’ part of the question through a focused conclusion.
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