Lesson Plan

• Describe the key concepts of social control, conformity, resistance, agency and structure.
• Explain how functionalist, conflict, symbolic interactionist and feminist perspectives account for control and resistance.
• Analyse real‑world case studies (e.g., school discipline, workplace surveillance, social‑media activism) using these theories.
• Evaluate the strengths and limitations of each perspective against criteria such as evidence, scope and relevance.
• Apply the concepts to assess the balance of agency and structure in everyday acts of resistance.

• Projector and screen
• PowerPoint slides covering key concepts and theories
• Handout with summary of perspectives and case‑study prompts
• Short video clip of Asch’s line experiment
• Whiteboard and markers
• Group worksheets for case‑study analysis
• Sticky notes for the opening activity

Begin with a 2‑minute video of Asch’s line experiment to hook students’ curiosity about peer pressure. Ask them to recall a personal moment when they either went along with a group or pushed back, linking this to prior lessons on socialisation. Explain that by the end of the lesson they will be able to identify mechanisms of control, compare major sociological perspectives, and apply these ideas to contemporary examples.

1. Do‑now (5'): Think‑pair‑share on a personal experience of conformity or resistance; record key words on sticky notes.
2. Mini‑lecture (10'): Present definitions of social control, conformity, resistance, agency, structure and overview of the four main perspectives.
3. Case‑study analysis (15'): In groups of 3‑4, examine one case (school discipline, workplace surveillance, social‑media activism, youth sub‑culture) using the worksheet to link mechanisms to theoretical explanations.
4. Whole‑class debrief (10'): Groups report findings; teacher highlights similarities and differences across perspectives.
5. Evaluation activity (10'): Students complete a rubric rating each perspective on evidence, scope, inclusivity, agency‑structure balance and contemporary relevance.
6. Exit ticket (5'): Write a brief example of a current form of resistance and indicate which perspective best explains it.

Summarise how social control operates through formal and informal mechanisms and how resistance can emerge at individual, collective and cultural levels. Collect exit tickets and remind students that their homework is to write a short essay comparing two perspectives on a chosen contemporary resistance example.