How many sociological schools of thought should I discuss in a typical essay?

Generally, while this differs in term of exam board specification and type of question, two or three as focal points seems to be a fairly good rule of thumb. Any more prevents adequate discussion and means you’re likely to run out of time in an exam. For example, the question ‘assess the view that religion in the contemporary world is a major source of social conflict and instability’ is relevant to the sociological theories of functionalism, interpretivism and Marxism. While it might seem daunting to try and condense these major theories into concise explanations, it’s very much possible to do without waffling or running out of time if you split the question into two halves. As long as each half provides a balanced and well qualified argument that incorporates purely relevant information and remains neutral, you should have no problem integrating different approaches!