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Social Institutions in Contemporary Australia

4 dot points, in syllabus order. Each dot point has a focused answer, with exam-style questions and worked answers where available.

How is Australian society stratified and how is inequality reproduced?

Explain and evaluate social stratification, class, status and inequality in contemporary Australia

Social stratification, class, status and power in Australia, with Marx, Weber and Davis and Moore, plus intersections of gender, ethnicity and Indigenous disadvantage, evaluated with Australian evidence, for TCE Sociology.

8 min read →

What functions does the family perform and how is it changing in Australia?

Explain and evaluate the role of the family as a social institution in contemporary Australia

The family as a social institution: functions, family diversity, the changing Australian family, and functionalist, Marxist, feminist and interactionist perspectives, with ABS and Australian examples, for TCE Sociology.

8 min read →

How do power and politics shape and change social institutions over time?

Explain and evaluate how the exercise of political power shapes the family, education, work and the media

How political power and government policy shape and change the institutions of family, education, work and media for TCE Sociology, with Weber on authority, Marxist and pluralist views and Australian policy examples.

7 min read →

How do education, work and the media interrelate to shape Australian society?

Discuss the interrelationships between the institutions of education, work and the media in contemporary Australia

How education, work and the media operate as interrelated social institutions in Australia, with functionalist, Marxist and feminist analysis, hidden curriculum, credentialism and media power, plus Australian examples, for TCE Sociology.

7 min read →