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Answering 20 Mark Question

Hi,

I've been set the following essay question: "The growth of fundamentalism challenges the view that the world is becoming more secular." Assess the extent to which sociological arguments and evidence support this view (20 marks).

I'm currently dead stuck on how to answer this and structure it. I'm going to type it out, purely because there is such a wide argument. I know this paper has cropped up on the 2004 AQA paper but I can't get hold of the mark scheme. Anyone response/advice is appreciated!

Reply 1

AnnieGakusei

Original post by thedayismyenxmy

Hello!

I got an A* in Sociology last year so I might well be able to help you out, although I did a good job of promptly forgetting it all after the exam. :lol:

So firstly it's a 20 marker, meaning you need to write a decent amount without it turning into a thesis. I would probably aim for about 5 or 6 chunky paragraphs.

Remember the different types of fundamentalism -- responses to insecurity from the outside, and cultural anomie. Don't focus exclusively on Islamic fundamentalism. The New Christian Right / evangelical megachurches in the USA is equally important. You could talk about how Europe is becoming more secular with the USA as something of an outlier in the Western world, and could even mention (with regards to fundamentalist Christianity) how fundamentalism is evidence that the world is becoming more secular, with people seeking security in a postmodern society. You could definitely bring out the big guns and talk about postmodernism -- I did that with every essay I could and did pretty well out of it.

I'll bump this thread for you in the hope someone else can answer, since I'm so rusty and I'm not sure exactly what's covered on the new syllabus.

Good luck!