Zimsec A level Sociology Past exam papers and notes.(6043)

 

 Primary socialisation is in sociology By Wilbert Masamba Primary socialisation occurs, according to Cooley (1909), within primary groups that involve ‘intimate face-to-face association and cooperation’ and which are fundamental to the development of those behaviours we recognise as ‘fundamentally human’ (such as walking upright and talking).  The first primary relationship we form is usually with our parent(s), followed by primary attachments to people of our own general age (our peers) and, subsequently, to other adults (such as work colleagues). Primary socialisation is necessary because human infants require the assistance of other members of society to develop both as human beings and as members of a culture. We don’t just need to learn ‘general human behaviours’, we also have to learn about social relationships, how to play roles and so forth.  Primary socialisation within the family, for example, teaches us some of the basic skills and values we will need in adult ...

 

 Theories on Social class . By Wilbert Masamba Marxism on social class Karl Marx: (1818-1883)Asserts that there were two great classes – the owners of the means of production (capitalists) and the workers – the only thing that the workers owned was their ability to work, what Marx called “labor power.” Because owners (capitalists) paid wages to workers and could for the most part determine that wage, owners had power over workers.  Marx felt that the lack of power of workers was the source of exploitation and the basis of class conflict. Marx argued that owners and workers developed ideas, understandings about their positions and this Marx called class consciousness. When owners convinced workers that their situations were compatible – Marx called this false consciousness.  Although Marx talked mainly about the two great classes – owners and workers – he was aware as well of a third category which he called petit bourgeoisie – literally little middleclass and these were o...

 There are four basic forms of social stratification, they are as follows: Slavery: Slavery is an extreme form of inequality in which some human beings are regarded as property items, belonging to another individual or social group. Slaves had no civil or property right; even the marriage of two slaves was not considered legally binding. The legal conditions of slave ownership have varied from society to society, and from time to time, but a slave could always be bought and sold. Thus, it has taken different forms, depending in part on the particular economic use to which slaves have been put. In ancient Greek, slaves were recognized as forms of investment which are acquired through conquest and trade to only well-to-do citizens. For example, slaves were the chief source of labour in small factories goods were produced from shoes to armour by the rich Athenians. In Rome, where the ruling groups had a low opinion of trade and commerce, slaves sometimes became wealthy through their b...

  Nature and Responsibilities of Citizenship.  Citizenship is a bundle of rights and duties reflecting the relationship between an individual and a State. The following are the main ones:  -Right to Protection from the State:  Citizens are entitled to protection from their State when they are within its borders and when they travel outside it. The State protects them by maintaining public order and ensuring that its laws are properly enforced. In a country like Zimbabwe where fundamental human rights are guaranteed by the Constitution, the State must ensure that those rights are respect ed.  When its citizens are in foreign countries, the State must do what it can to uphold their rights in t hose countries. The State’s duty to protect its people extends to non-citizens within its borders. The police, for example, have just as much a duty to investigate or prevent a crime committed against a Zambian or a South African as they have in regard to a crime committed a...

  -Definitions of social stratification  By Wilbert Masamba -Giddens (2001) defines stratification as ‘structured inequalities between different groupings’  -Crompton (1993) argues it involves ‘a hierarchical system of inequality (material and symbolic), always supported by a meaning system that seeks to justify inequality’. - Ogburn and Nimkoff: ‘The process by which individuals and groups are ranked in more or less enduring hierarchy of status is known as stratification”  -Lundberg: “A stratified society is one marked by inequality, by differences among people that are evaluated by them as being “lower” and “higher”.  -Gisbert: “Social stratification is the division of society into permanent groups of categories linked with each other by the relationship of superiority and subordinations”.   -Williams: Social Stratification refers to “The ranking of individuals on a scale of superiority-inferiority- equality, according to some commonly accepted basis o...