Sociology

 

What is Sociology About?

On 16 April 2007, Cho Seung-hui killed 32 people and wounded 25 on the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg  before turning his weapon on himself. This apparently individual act might seem best explained by a psychologist, who would look at his background and his mental state to try to explain his actions. But in fact, a sociologist would argue that we need to look at the wider social fabric to try to get to grips with this seemingly incomprehensible act. For instance, Cho was an immigrant from South Korea, and had been labelled as an outsider throughout his time at school. The incident was the deadliest in a bloody U.S. history of school shootings, a culture where violence is arguably normalised.

Lastly, Cho filmed himself mimicking scenes from his favourite violent movies, suggesting a powerful effect of the media on his own actions. These different aspects of his life raise debates that are covered in World Sociology, Education and Training, Crime and Deviance and the Mass Media, all of them part of sociology (and in fact all modules we offer at A-level). 

In Sociology, we study the way people are affected by society, and how society is affected by people. Some sociologists see the behaviour of individuals as determined by how they are raised and educated, what media they are exposed to, whether they are rich or poor, men or women, black or white. Others see individuals as powerful in shaping society, and look at the power of some people in labeling others as crucial. What is undeniable is that, as individuals, we spend almost all our time in groups, and in order to understand our behaviour we have to look at the impact of those groups and institutions on us.

Embracing the whole of society, sociology is, by its nature, an incredibly wide subject, looking at everything from why Britain’s religious cult movements are growing to why women in Tibet marry more than one man. We have cherry-picked the most interesting aspects from a range of modules available at sixth form:

 

What will you study at AS?

The mass media

Ownership of the media; the selection of news; the effects of the media on its audiences; and the representation of social groups such as women, ethnic minorities and social classes in the media.

 

For instance, did you know:

q       If the American media were owned by separate individuals, there would be 25,000 owners; instead, just 5 huge corporations own everything.

q       When teenager Warren Leblanc battered a 14-year-old to death with a claw hammer, his victim’s parents said Leblanc was mimicking a video game called Manhunt. Should games like that be banned? 

Education and training

The role of the education system in society; the different educational achievement of boys and girls, children from different classes, children of different ethnicities; pupil subcultures and the hidden curriculum; the impact of state policies had on the experience of education.

For instance, did you know:

q       Some sociologists argue that we are learning more than just history and geography at school; we are also learning how to be good workers, obedient citizens and respectful of authority. Who might this benefit?

q       When David Cameron said that he would not pursue grammar schools, he was reigniting an age-old debate about how we should provide fair yet excellent education for all.

 

Sociological methods

Sociologists have to do research and provide evidence for the claims they make. We look at:

q       quantitative and qualitative methods and sources of data, including questionnaires, interviews and observation;

q       the theoretical, practical and ethical considerations influencing the choice of topic, choice of method(s) and the conduct of research;

q       the nature of social facts and the strengths and limitations of different sources of data and methods of research.

 

What will you study at A2?

World sociology

Definitions and explanations of development and under-development; the interrelationships between societies; the role of aid, trade, transnational corporations and international agencies in different strategies for development; development in relation to urbanisation, industrialisation, and the environment; employment, education, health, demographic change and gender as aspects of development. 

Theory and methods

This builds on the topics studied under Unit 3: Sociological methods and asks questions such as: is Sociology a science?

Crime and deviance

Different explanations of crime and deviance; the social distribution of crime by age, social class, ethnicity and gender; whether the criminal justice system is fair or biased towards some groups more than others; who has the power to label some people criminals and deviants; how society reacts to crime and deviance and the role of the mass media.

For instance, did you know:

q       Official statistics show that most crime is committed by young, working-class men, but most victims are young working-class men, too?

q       The same act is regarded as normal in one situation but criminal in another. A male spectator streaking across a cricket pitch might be regarded as a bit of a prat, but a male spectator exposing himself to the crowd will be labelled a pervert. Why?

 

What exams will you take?

 You will write one exam for each module, and each exam is a mixture of short answers and essays. We therefore spend considerable time teaching you essay-writing skills, and skills of analysis and evaluation, a very valuable toolkit to take away to university or any number of careers.

 

Who will teach you?

 

Teaching is currently shared between:

 

Mark Taylor, who has been teaching Sociology at d’Overbroeck’s for four years, together with Philosophy and Religious Studies. Mark read Politics, Philosophy and Economics at Oxford University.

 

Carolyn Newton, who has been teaching Sociology and Communication Studies at d’Overbroeck’s for three years. Carolyn started as a journalist in South Africa, writing for a range of magazines and newspapers, and editing the feminist journal Agenda. On moving to England she pursued a career in academic publishing before turning to teaching. Carolyn has degrees in English and Journalism and an MPhil in Criminology from Cambridge.

 

What are our results like?

Recent sociology results have been excellent: last year students achieved 100% A-C grades, and this year their results were an even better 100% A-B. At AS, too, our students received 100% A-C grades this year. Sociology is often one of our students’ strongest subjects.

 

What is sociology useful for? 

Sociology is an academic subject which nevertheless equips students with a range of skills beyond those of the core curriculum. In our classes you will learn to think critically, to question common-sense assumptions, to solve problems, to work independently and as part of a group and to write a clearly structured, analytical essay. All of this is excellent preparation for university or for a whole range of careers. Sociology is an excellent complement to other subjects on social sciences and humanities, such as Psychology, Politics and Communication Studies, but it also provides a good balance if your other subjects are mainly science-based.

Sociologists go on to work in the media, law and other institutions of criminal justice, public relations, market research, social work, foreign aid and development and teaching; many of course are inspired to stay in an academic environment researching aspects of sociology for the remainder of their careers!

 

And a last thought 

You will take away from Sociology a completely different way of thinking about the world, and a much more informed way of thinking about it, too. You will learn to be able to think about key debates from a number of different points of view, and here is a promise: you will never look at the world around you in the same way again.