Key Debates in Sociology: Conflict versus Consensus

**Key Debates in Sociology: Conflict versus Consensus **

• Clear and accessible explanation of the fundamental conflict versus consensus debate in sociology, written in student-friendly language.
• This resource breaks down the core disagreement between consensus theories (notably functionalism) and conflict theories (Marxism and feminism), using everyday examples and direct comparisons across key topics such as family, education, crime and religion.

Key features:

• Simple analogy of society as a “body” (consensus) versus a “battlefield” (conflict)
• Clear profiles of Durkheim, Marx, Parsons and Becker
• Side-by-side comparison tables showing how each perspective explains the same institutions
• Introduction to interactionism as a third way of seeing society
• Balanced discussion of strengths and weaknesses of each approach

Includes an accompanying worksheet with nine varied exercises (vocabulary, true/false, multiple choice, matching, gap-fill, short answer, table completion, perspective identification and extended comparison) to reinforce and practise key concepts.