This booklet covers the education unit in the Sociology A Level. It incorporates all the topics in the AQA specification that can come up as exam questions. it is set out as a revision style booklet with spaces for student to comment and write ideas too depending on the topic.

This booklet includes all the notes for the Beliefs in Society topic in Sociology. It is a revision style booklet with spaces for students to add comments, evaluation too depending on the topic.

This worksheet covers the distinction between religion and science for the Beliefs in Society topic in A Level Sociology. It tries to examine which is ‘better’ or ‘correct’ in the debate for modern societies. It includes theories by Popper on what is science, Kuhn on paradigm shifts and scientific revolutions, Horton on open and closed belief systems and the social influences on science.

This worksheet covers the distinction between ideology and religion for the Beliefs in Society topic in A Level Sociology. It includes definitions of ideology put forward by pluralist theory, Marxism and Neo Marxism and feminist perspectives. It also discusses the distinction between religion and ideology sociologically.

This worksheet covers the secularisation thesis for the Beliefs in Society topic in A Level Sociology. It includes definitions of secularisation and arguments for and against secularisation in the US and UK. Arguments in favour include rationalisation and disenchantment, structural differentiation and religious diversity. Arguments against include cultural defence and cultural transition, post-modernism, the growth of new religious movements and the growth of religious fundamentalism.

This worksheet covers religious fundamentalism for the Beliefs in Society topic in A Level Sociology. It includes definitions by Almond and Bruce as well as theories by Bruce on religion as a form of cultural defence, Giddens on globalisation and fundamentalism, Castells on responses to postmodernity and Huntington’s on the clash of civilisations.

This worksheet covers the Postmodern theory of religion for the Beliefs in Society topic in A Level Sociology. It includes theories by Davie’s believing without belonging, Hervieu-Leger’s spiritual shopper, Bauman’s religion in postmodernity, Lyon’s Jesus in Disneyland and Giddens on reflexivity. It also includes Heelas on the New age in postmodernity.

This worksheet covers the reasons for the growth of religious groups and movements for the Beliefs in Society topic in A Level Sociology. It includes theories by postmodernism, practical reasons by Heelas, relative deprivation, secularisation, marginalisation and status frustration and finally globalisation and the media. It also has empty boxes under each theory so the students can think and write whether the explanation applies mostly to women, the middle class, young people, or all three groups.

This worksheet covers New Age Movements for the Beliefs in Society topic in A Level Sociology. It includes theories by Bruce and his features of the NAM, Sutcliffe and his characterisation of the New Age and Heelas with individual spirituality.

This worksheet covers New Religious Movements for the Beliefs in Society topic in A Level Sociology. It includes theories by Baker and his features of NRMs, Wallis’ threefold typography and Stark and Bainbridge’s distinction between cults and sects.

This worksheet covers the definition and examples for religious organisation. It also has a table for students to complete on religious categorisations to check their understanding for the Beliefs in Society topic in A Level Sociology.

This worksheet covers ethnicity and religion for the Beliefs in Society topic in A Level Sociology. It includes the different religions practised by minority groups and the reasons why they are more religious than the white UK population including the functionalist view, Bruce’s cultural transition and defence, Bird’s five factors, marginalisation and status frustration, social deprivation and compensation and finally social identity. The reasons as to why young Muslim are more religious are also explored.

This worksheet covers age and religion for the Beliefs in Society topic in A Level Sociology. It includes the reasons why older people are more likely to be religious including disengagement, religious socialisation and ill health and death. It also includes why younger people are less religious including the declining attraction of religion, the expanding spiritual marketplace, the privatisation of religion, declining religious education and the secular spirituality.

This worksheet covers the Feminist theories of religion for the Beliefs in Society topic in A Level Sociology. It includes theories by Armstrong, Davie, Bird, De Beauvoir, El Saadwai and Watson. It also explores whether religion is patriarchal and why women are more religious than men.

This worksheet covers the Interactionist theory of religion for the Beliefs in Society topic in A Level Sociology. It includes theories from Berger’s sacred canopy to Stark and Bainbridge’s religion as a compensator.

This worksheet covers Max Weber’s theory of the protestant ethic which led to the spirt of capitalism in religion for the Beliefs in Society topic in A Level Sociology.

This worksheet covers the Neo Marxism theory of religion for the Beliefs in Society topic in A Level Sociology. It includes theories by Bloch and his principle of hope, Gramsci on hegemony, Maduro on liberation theology.

This worksheet covers the Marxist theory of religion for the Beliefs in Society topic in A Level Sociology. It includes theories by Karl Marx including the ‘opium of the people’, Althusser’s ideological state apparatus and Lenin’s spiritual gin conception.

This worksheet covers the Functionalist theory of religion for the Beliefs in Society topic in A Level Sociology. It includes theories by Durkheim’s theory of Totemism, Parsons’ universal guideline for human action, Malinowski’s life crisis and Bellah’s theory of civil religion.

This worksheet covers the key definitions of religion for the Beliefs in Society topic in A Level Sociology, including the substantive, functional and constructive definitions.