Sociology

Course summary

Sociology is a fascinating insight into the social structures within our society. It encourages our students to assess, often critically, and evaluate the way in which our society is constructed through a range of institutions: education and schooling, the family, crime and deviance and the media. Students will learn ways in which they can view the world around them; they will be encouraged to consider the theoretical concepts behind these social structures and the obvious and hidden impacts they have on the individual. In addition to this, students will consider the moral, practical and ethical merits and limitations of how information about our society is gathered. Sociology lessons include debates, student presentations, written essay analysis and reading. As a result, students of Sociology will become thoughtful, analytical and evaluative individuals who understand the way in which the society and community around them works. They will be encouraged to explore their own theories on society and develop their own ideas and opinions. They will explore their own moral and ethical ideas as well as understanding others’ perspectives. Students of Sociology should consider the world around them. They may already have, or be starting to develop, their own ideas about how society works. It may be that they consider ways in which women in society are treated, or possibly the ways in which society treats different classes or ethnicities; these issues are at the heart of studying Sociology. WHAT STUDENTS WILL STUDY: The education system’s roles and functions in society • Its relationship with gender, ethnicity and class • The structures within the education system • The way in which the education system socialises us.• The roles and functions of the family in society • The impact that the family/media have on individuals • Different types of family/media and their effects •The role that Crime and Deviance plays in society • The reasons behind criminal and deviant behaviour • Understanding how data is collected.