Conflict vs Consensus, and the Classical Sociologists
Meet the two big ways sociologists explain society, consensus and conflict, and the three founding sociologists behind them: Durkheim, Marx and Weber.
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What is sociology? 👥
**Sociology** is the study of society and how it shapes the way people think and behave. Sociologists disagree about how society works. Some take a **consensus** view, that society runs on shared agreement, and others a **conflict** view, that society is shaped by inequality and struggle. These ideas grew from three founding, or **classical**, sociologists: Durkheim, Marx and Weber.
The language of sociology 🔑
Sociologists share a set of key terms:
Consensus or conflict? ⚖️
Sociologists explain society in two broad ways:
Match the term to its meaning 🔗
- Socialisation
- Norms
- Values
- Roles
- Learning the norms and values of a society
- The usual, expected ways of behaving
- Beliefs about what is important
- Behaviour expected of a person in a position
Which view? 🔍
Which view sees society as based on shared values and agreement?
- Consensus
- Conflict
- Labelling
- Discrimination
The founding sociologists 👤
Sociology began with three classical thinkers, whose ideas were shaped by the time and place they lived in:
Match the sociologist to the view 🔀
- Durkheim
- Marx
- Weber
- Consensus: what holds a society together
- Conflict: society divided by class
- Social action: the meanings behind what people do
Conflict perspectives? ✅
Select the TWO perspectives that take a CONFLICT view of society.
- Marxism
- Feminism
- Functionalism
- Interactionism
Four perspectives 🧭
Sociology uses four main perspectives. **Functionalism** takes a consensus view: society works because its parts share values. **Marxism** sees conflict between social classes. **Feminism** sees conflict between men and women in a society that favours men. **Interactionism** looks closely at small-scale, face-to-face interaction and the labels people give each other.
Growing up in society 🪜
An interactive activity.
Complete the summary 🧩
Learning the norms and values of a society is called _____. A _____ view sees society as based on shared values, while a _____ view sees it as based on inequality. Marx took a conflict view and focused on social _____. The perspective that sees conflict between men and women is _____.
Spot the true statements 🖍️
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Whose view? 🏛️
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Compare the two views ✍️
An interactive activity.