Sociology A Level

Sociologists are interested in how cultures develop and change over time.  ‘Culture’ can be defined as the ‘shared way of life of a particular group and is made up of norms and values’.  Norms are the ‘unwritten rules of behaviour for a particular social situation’, such as offering someone a cup of tea when they are upset.  Values are ‘beliefs that are seen as important and worthwhile in a particular society’, such as achieving educational qualifications.  Sociologists study how these norms and values (i.e. cultures) can shift. A recent example of this would be the cultural shift that occurred during the covid pandemic. 

• Task 1:  Identify five norms (i.e. rules/behaviours) that emerged during the first UK lockdown.
• Task 2:  Choose one of your examples and explain how it became part of our culture, i.e. how did we learn that it was important to follow that rule?
• Task 3:  Not everyone in society followed these norms.  How were people viewed/treated by the rest of society when they did not follow the norms?  (If possible, use an example to illustrate your point).