Students will examine the following institutions along with the research methods used to research them: Education: > The role and functions of the education system, including its relationship to the economy and to class structure > Differential educational achievement of social groups by social class, gender and ethnicity in contemporary society > Relationships and processes within schools, with particular reference to teacher/pupil relationships, pupil identities and subcultures, the hidden curriculum, and the organisation of teaching and learning > The significance of educational policies, including policies of selection, marketisation and privatisation, and policies to achieve greater equality of opportunity or outcome, for an understanding of the structure, role, impact and experience of and access to education; the impact of globalisation on educational policy Crime and Deviance: > Crime, deviance, social order and social control > The social distribution of crime and deviance by ethnicity, gender and social class, including recent patterns and trends in crime > Globalisation and crime in contemporary society; the media and crime; green crime; human rights and state crimes > Crime control, surveillance, prevention and punishment, victims, and the role of the criminal justice system and other agencies. The Media: > The new media and their significance for an understanding of the role of the media in contemporary society > The relationship between ownership and control of the media > The media, globalisation and popular culture > The processes of selection and presentation of the content of the news > Media representations of age, social class, ethnicity, gender, sexuality and disability > The relationship between the media, their content and presentation, and audiences. > The processes of selection and presentation of the content of the news > Media representations of age, social class, ethnicity, gender, sexuality and disability > The relationship between the media, their content and presentation, and audiences. Families and Households: >> The relationship of the family to the social structure and social change, with particular reference to the economy and to state policies >> Changing patterns of marriage, cohabitation, separation, divorce, childbearing and the life course, including the sociology of personal life, and the diversity of contemporary family and household structures >> Gender roles, domestic labour and power relationships within the family in contemporary society >> The nature of childhood, and changes in the status of children in the family and society >> Demographic trends in the United Kingdom since 1900: birth rates, death rates, family size, life expectancy, ageing population, and migration and globalisation. An open and enquiring mind is required to follow this course. Students must be prepared to question evidence and enter into discussion. Students should make themselves aware of current social issues and therefore regularly read a serious newspaper in addition to textbooks and other publications. A variety of teaching styles will be used. The student must be prepared to take initiative, work independently and as a member of a group. There will be discussion work in addition to note taking from material, books and the teacher. Essay writing is a very important element of the course. Sociology links very well with all other Advanced subjects and provides a good framework for the study of most subjects at Higher Education. It is regarded as a good basis for a career in Management and Business in addition to more closely related fields such as Social Work. https://www.ashmoleacademy.org/_site/data/files/post16/1665D110BFBC2774CA4DFED150071DED.pdf#page=44