VWO Maatschappijwetenschappen study plan

Define the core concepts of Cultuur en socialisatie (cultuur, waarden, normen, socialisatie, identificatie, internalisatie) and write a one-sentence definition of each without consulting notes

Distinguish between nature and nurture explanations of human behaviour and apply this distinction to at least two concrete socialization examples

Map the main socialization agents (gezin, school, peergroup, media, werk) and rank their relative influence per life phase with a short justification

Explain the difference between socialisatie and acculturatie and give one example of each from Dutch society

Define the core concepts of Sociale differentiatie en sociale ongelijkheid (sociale stratificatie, sociale klasse, status, rol, macht, ongelijkheid) and relate them to each other in a short written summary

Apply the distinction between differentiatie and ongelijkheid to two realistic cases and explain where differentiation becomes inequality

Describe at least three sociological explanations of inequality (functionalism, conflict theory, symbolic interactionism) and contrast their assumptions

Analyse how one dimension of inequality (income, education, or ethnicity) reproduces itself across generations using two mechanisms

Connect socialization processes to the reproduction of social inequality by tracing one causal chain from family background to educational outcome

Explain how cultural capital and social capital operate as mechanisms in both domains and distinguish between them

Evaluate the claim that education both reduces and reproduces inequality, using arguments from both domains

Practise writing a short structured answer (introduction, body, conclusion) that integrates concepts from both domains

Define the core concepts of Macht en gezag (macht, gezag, legitimiteit, autoriteit, invloed, dwang) and distinguish macht from gezag with two examples

Identify and explain the three Weberian types of legitimate authority (traditioneel, charismatisch, rationeel-legaal) and apply each to a Dutch institution

Describe how power is distributed in the Dutch political system and name the main actors and their resources

Analyse one current political conflict by identifying actors, interests, resources, and forms of power involved

Define the core concepts of Verandering en continuiteit (sociale verandering, modernisering, individualisering, globalisering, institutie, traditie) and place them in a coherent conceptual framework

Distinguish between gradual and radical change and between intended and unintended consequences, applying these distinctions to two historical examples

Explain at least three drivers of social change (technological, economic, cultural, demographic) and show how each can also produce continuity

Analyse how one institution (family, education, or politics) has changed and remained the same over the past fifty years in the Netherlands

Connect changes in the distribution of power (European integration, decentralization, digitalization) to concepts of legitimacy and authority

Explain how social change can undermine existing gezag and create new forms of legitimacy, using two examples

Evaluate whether individualization and globalization strengthen or weaken democratic legitimacy, presenting arguments on both sides

Rehearse integrating Domain 3 and 4 concepts in a structured argument under time pressure (25 minutes)

Review all four domains by writing a one-page summary per domain containing only the concepts you can define without notes

Identify and remediate your three weakest concept clusters based on the summaries and prior deliverables

Practise cross-domain synthesis by answering two exam-style questions that combine at least two domains each

Train source-analysis skills on self-written source excerpts: identify perspective, argument structure, and implicit assumptions

Complete two full mock exams under realistic time conditions and score them against a self-made rubric

Analyse mock-exam errors by domain and concept type to distinguish knowledge gaps from application and argumentation errors

Finalize a one-page concept sheet per domain for last-minute review, limited to concepts you can apply, not just recall

Rehearse structuring open answers quickly: write three outlines (thesis, arguments, concepts, conclusion) in 30 minutes total