Understanding British Society

Life Stories

Understanding British Society

Your task is to develop an understanding of the nature
of British society through researching the life stories of
two people who, in the last century, have changed
some part of British society.
Having researched the life stories of two people you
will then use sociological concepts to analyse what the
lives of these two people tell us about British society.
The purpose of this task is to evaluate the usefulness
of the sociological concepts and perspectives we will
use throughout the Sociology course.

Your Research

Broader Themes

Sociological
Concepts
Aspects of
British Society
Life Stories

Aspects of British Society

The police force

Consumerism

Homosexuality

Masculinity

Religion

Child welfare

Aspects of British Society

Womens
rights
Political
protest
Domestic
violence

Festival culture
Youth culture

The legal system

1. The police force and British society

From Blair Peach

2.

to

Ian Tomlinson

Consumerism and British society

From Mary Quant

to Anita Roddick

3. Homosexuality and British society

From Alan Turing

to Peter Tatchell

4. Youth culture and British society

From John Lydon

to Dizzie Rascal

5. Festivals and British society

From Claudia Jones

to Michael Eaves

6. Masculinity and British society

From Vinnie Jones

to Pete Andre

7. Religion and British society

From Christina Rees

to Zaki Badawi

8. Child welfare and British society

From Neil Morrissey

to Baby P

9. The legal system and British society

From David Chaytor

to Jordan Blackshaw

10. Womens rights and British society

From the Ford, Dagenham strikers

to Caroline Lucas

11. Political protest and British society

From Greenham Common Peace camp

to Alan Lake and the EDF

12. Domestic violence and British society

From Sherly Gascogne to

to Kerry Katona

13. Corporations and British society

From Richard Branson

to Levi Roots

14. Trade unionism and British society

From Arthur Scargill

to Bob Crow

15. Social Justice and British society

From Betty Williams

to Shami Chakrabarti

Sociological Theories
Examines how society
is based on shared
experiences which act
like a social glue.
1.

Functionalism

Contrasting
Viewpoints
2. Marxism
Examines how society
is shaped by class
inequalities and class
conflict.

Sociological Theories
Examines how women
are disadvantaged by
mens dominance of
the economy, culture
and politics.

3. Feminism

Contrasting
Viewpoints
4. Postmodernism
Examines how
individuals are faced
with choices and
risks when deciding
on how to shape
their own identity.

1. Social solidarity
A sense of togetherness; whereby
members of society share similar values
and expectations about social life.

2. Value consensus
A general agreement about what
are the things of worth in society.

3. Interdependence
A state of balance between parts of
the social system. A change in one
institution will lead to changes
elsewhere.

4. Meritocracy
Society rewards individuals who
have talent and who work hard to
develop that talent.

5. Ruling Class
The group who have a powerful
influence over the rest of society.
Also known as the aristocracy or
bourgeoisie.

6. Class conflict
Beneath the surface of society
there is an ongoing struggle
between two groups because of
opposing interests.

7. Exploitation
Achieved by forcing the working
class to work beyond what is
necessary for survival and then
taking the excess profit from them.

8. Ideology
A set of beliefs which serve the interests
of the dominant group in society. Media
and schools disseminate these beliefs
as right and natural.

9. Patriarchy
Feminist sociologists claim that
society is built on male domination
and that men benefit from the
exploitation of women

10. Dark side of the family

Evidence shows that the lives of
many families are scarred by
domestic violence, child abuse and
poverty. All too often this is hidden
from public view.

11. Pick and mix identity

Postmodern sociologists argue
that individuals have limitless
choice over how to shape their
identity

12. Risk and uncertainty

Postmodern sociologists argue
that the loss of traditional values
creates anxiety and leaves the
individual with a sense of
rootlessness.

Broader Themes
In A level Sociology there are certain themes that we will
look at again and again. One theme is;

1. Social Conflict

Many sociologists argue that opportunities to participate

in society are not equally shared.
Vast differences in wealth shape, for better or for
worse, fundamental aspects of peoples lives in
Britain today from which school you attend, the
job you have and even how long you live.
This viewpoint sees
society shaped by
social conflict.

Broader Themes
A second theme is;

2. Social consensus

On the other hand, many other sociologists argue that

there is a social glue which holds society together.
Families, schools and religion all work together to
promote a general agreement about the things of
worth in Britain today values such as tolerance,
equality, freedom and cooperation.
This viewpoint sees
society shaped by
social consensus.

Your Presentation
Your presentation to the class must include the following
four headings;

Life Stories
Your introduction should include a basic biography of the
two people.

Aspect of British Society

Provide a context so the audience understands the role
your chosen institution plays in British society.

Sociological Concepts
You will need to identify and define two or three relevant
concepts that help you make sense of your life stories.

The nature of British society

Having researched the life stories you will then need to come to
a conclusion about what these two people tell us about
British society is it based on social conflict or social
cohesion or do we live in a pick n mix culture?

Step 1

Planning

Select your life stories

They are: __________________________________
__________________________________

Step 2
Focus on one aspect of British society
This is: _______________________________

Step 3
Identify two or three relevant sociological concepts that will
help you explain what the life stories tell us about British
society.
They are: ________________________________________
________________________________________

Step 4
Pick a broader theme that you think your life stories will
illustrate.
The broader theme is: _____________________________

Life Stories

Example

Stephen Lawrence
Bobby Sands
Died in prison in Northern
Ireland following a hunger
strike. He was a member
of the IRA.

This young black youth was

murdered whilst waiting for a
bus by a white gang. The
police investigation into his
murder was so poorly
organised and given so little
priority that the police were
labelled institutionally racist.

Aspect of British Society - Social Injustice

1,817 deaths in police custody in the last 10
years. In five of these cases there has been a
conviction of a police officer.
No office has served a prison sentence

Sociological Concepts
Conflict in Britain there is long history of struggle for basic
human rights.
Ideology the mass media often ignore and even
misreport the problems faced by many communities
across British society.

The nature of British society

The life stories of these two people suggest that
British society
is ....on social conflict rather than social
based
cohesion.
In both cases the individuals experienced oppression and
injustice and paid the price of inequality with their lives.
Bobby Sands felt that the Catholic community in
Northern Ireland was being denied basic human rights of
equality, respect and dignity.
Stephen Lawrence was denied justice because the
police officers leading the investigation saw him as just
another dead black kid.
In conclusion it can be argued that .... the Marxist view
of society as being based on inequality and exploitation is
more valid and useful ... than the functionalist view of
society as being based on a sense of togetherness and
shared values.