Year 12 Society and Culture Revision, 2012

1. Exam Techniques and Strategies- David Hanslow

2. Social and Cultural Continuity and Change

a) ‘isations’

b) Conflict Theory and Germany (country study)

c) Scenario Planning- STEEP

3. Depth Study: Equality and Difference

a) Case study on Disability in Australia

S: Explore continuity and change through examination of the following questions.

* is all change necessarily progress?

* which groups benefit from change? Which do not?

* are westernisation, modernisation and industrialisation inevitable?

Note: This syllabus point can be applied to your country case study of Germany

OR contemporary examples.

Change: An understanding that values, beliefs, culture and social norms develop and modify over time. Change can be regarded as an improvement on the status quo or may be seen to work at a person or society’s detriment.

• Continuity: The notion of a repetition of patterns of thinking and behaviour. It may also refer to social trends that have occurred over a long period of time. I this context, continuity can also be seen in examples of cultural heritage and tradition customs. Another feature of continuity is that serves to unify a given community. This concept builds that community’s sense of connection between the past and present (time).

Modernisation

A process of social change resulting from the diffusion and adoptions on the characteristics of expansive and apparently more advanced societies through societies that are a apparently less advanced. It involves social mobilisation, the growth of more effective and centralised apparatus of social and political control, the acceptance of scientifically rational norms and the transformation of social relations and aesthetic forms. (adapted from the BOS glossary)

• The process of modernisation may be through of as consisting of various sub-processes:

1. Technological development: traditional knowledge and techniques give way to the application of scientific knowledge and techniques borrowed mainly for Western nations.

2. Agricultural development: whereby there is a shift in emphasis from subsistence farming to commercial farming.

3. Industrialisation: whereby there is a greater emphasis is placed on man-made forms of energy (e.g. fossil fuels used to power factories) rather than animal power (e.g. horse and cart)

4. Urbanisation: whereby large shifts in population from rural areas to cities occur.5. Changes in social structure (class): creation of class based societies where

people are divided according to their occupation, wealth and often gender.6. Political and economic development: shifts in power and authority from

traditional structures to more western forms of political (democracy) and economic (capitalism) organisation.

The Fastest Changing Place on Earth•By BBC This World•Updated March 29, 2012 12:28:00 •Next on Four Corners, "The Fastest Changing Place on Earth" - the story of modern China told through the eyes of the villagers forced to sell their homes and give up their land to make way for massive urban development. Naturally they are outraged and fearful. Some say they will not bow to the will of the Government, while others ultimately embrace the opportunity to make a fortune. •This is China as you've never seen it before: the China that's behind Australia's resources boom. •White Horse Village is a tiny farming community deep in rural China. A decade ago, it became part of the biggest urbanisation project in human history that will take half a billion farmers across the country and turn them into city-dwelling consumers. The plan decreed that White Horse Village would grow from several hundred people to a city of 200,000 in under a decade.

• There's little doubt China's urbanisation is a massive social and economic gamble but, according to the Government, there's a clear logic. At present, 150 million Chinese living in regional areas must leave their families, travel to the cities to work and send money home to help their children survive and prosper. The social tension this creates is significant. To combat this problem, and to try to spread wealth across the country, the Government's plan is to dot the landscape with thousands of new cities. These centres will have new schools, universities and industrial areas all intended to deliver China a thriving, consuming middle class.

• Australia is watching this urbanisation closely. If the gamble pays off, the newly created middle class will continue to drive demand for Australian raw materials and food.

• Filmed over the past six years, BBC reporter Carrie Gracie follows the lives of three local villagers during this upheaval. She meets Xiao Zhang, a mother and rice farmer desperate to see her children have a better life; Xie Tingming, an entrepreneur determined to make money and push the development forward; and the local Communist Party Secretary, who is caught between the Party's demands and a way of life that has endured for centuries.

Watch at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYWUe-tPois

Westernisation

Westernisation: a particular form of modernisation in which the methods and values of Western industrial capitalism are the basis of the changes that are occurring. (adapted from BOS glossary)

• What are the ‘values’ of capitalism?• - Individualism (i.e. everyone has their own individual

talents which can be used to create prosperity and wealth)

• - Private ownership (e.g. home, business, industry)• - Democratic (e.g. everyone is entitled to freedom of

speech and freedom of association)• - Government provides minimal intervention in business,

industry and the economy.• - Society may be stratified (i.e. people belong to a

particular class based upon a variety of categories including occupation, monetary wealth and family status)

• - Environment is primarily for man’s use and control (i.e. the resources of the earth are to be used by the humans that inhabit

Industrialisation:

Refers to the transition in methods of production that has been responsible for the vastly increased wealth creating capacity for modern societies compared with traditional systems. It may refer to manufacturing, agriculture and administration. (adapted from BOS glossary)

Globalisation

Describes the emergence of a global culture brought about by a variety of social and cultural developments such as: •- the existence of world information systems•- the emergence of global patterns of consumption and consumerism•- the growth of Transnational corporations•- the emergence of global sport like the World Cup soccer•- the spread of world tourism•- the growth of global military and economic systems.•It involves a consciousness of the world as a single place. (adapted from BOS glossary)

Sample HSC questions

• 2008 (Q3- 6 marks)

Q3.‘Westernisation is inevitable’. Discuss this statement using examples.

• 2010 Specimen Paper (Q11- 6 marks)

‘Modernisation is inevitable’. Discuss this statement using examples.

A ‘theory of social change’

S: apply one theory of social change appropriate to the selected country

* CONFLICT THEORY•Founding Theorists:Karl Marx (1818-1883)Research continued by Max Weber• •Main Ideas:-RADICAL CHANGE is inevitable in society (revolutionary transformation)-Social order is maintained through socisalisation, education and ideology (think of the Nazis)-Each society reaches a CRISIS POINT and that is where the change occurs

• Causes of Change:- Conflict and subsequent change could be caused by a

number of factors including:- conflict between social classes (often seen in opposing

political views)- conflict between races- conflict between genders • Types of conflict- Warfare and revolution- Strikes and protests- Domination and subjugation

Strengths of C/T

Weaknesses of C/T

• General Weaknesses of Conflict theory:- Does not take into account how continuities happen

- Does not explain gradual change/ advancement or progression in a society (e.g. advancements in technology, science or the process of westernisation)

- Does not really explain changes in family structures (i.e. how the family changes in organisation- micro world changes)

- Does not take into account peaceful settlements or agreements????? (Division of Germany in 1945)

You need to go through strengths and weaknesses and pull out specific examples in Germany’s history.

Weimar Period - Collapse of the Weimar Democracy: In conjunction with an economic crisis (CRISIS POINT) from 1930-1934 two factors coincided, which in conjunction doomed the Weimar democracy: 1. Attacks on the parliamentary government by the old elites 2. The public protest and demonstration (mobilisaiton) of groups of people in times of crisis. During 1930-1933 violent clashes between opposing political groups in society occurred. The Nazi SS and SA were paramilitary groups which were often used to protect Nazi party meetings, but also violently intimidate opposing political parties (communists) and members of the public. For example: Night of the Long Knives- June 30, 1934 Weakness of Conflict theory: Does not explain how the Nazi Party and Hitler came to power through legitimate parliamentary voting system. Example:

Year Number of seats Percentage of votes 1928 12 2 1930 107 18 1932 (July) 230 37 1932 (Nov) 196 33 1933 288 44

Nazi Period German rearmament (building a new Army) was forbidden by the Treaty of Versailles. However, Hitler believed in violence as a means of determining the outcome of the struggle between the races and nations. Warfare was a natural extension of this belief, to show the world the superiority of the German Aryan race. During the Nazi period conflict was used by the Nazi Party as a way of both promoting change in society whilst also maintaining ‘traditional’ continuities. Example: Racial make-up (composition of society) The Volk - Hitler regarded the Aryan (northern European) race as racially superior to other races, particularly the Jewish and Slavic races. He believed in the Social Darwinist concept of ‘survival of the fittest’ and understood it to mean that Aryan races were the natural masters over other races and through ‘racial struggle’ would come to dominate or eliminate the ‘inferior’ races of Eastern Europe. This belief was used to justify the systematic extermination of ‘inferior’ races in various ways including the Final Solution Plan carried out in concentration camps.

Past HSC Questions

• 2007 HSC (Q3- 6 marks)

Name a theory of social change and assess its effectiveness in explaining continuity and change in society.

In your answer, consider a strength and a weakness of your chosen theory.

Germany: Today and the future… Syllabus Point: (student learn about)develop hypotheses for thinking about the future of the selected country, using techniques, such as:simulation gamesfeasibility studiesscenario writinganalysing trends and making projections into the near future (forecasting) Students learn to:construct scenarios for future directions in the selected country

Scenario Planning/Writing