In year 1 students will study education with methods in context, considering the role of education in society. Students will be required to apply sociological research methods to the study of education. Students will also complete the unit on Research Methods and Families and Households, studying different methods of collecting primary and secondary data and the relationship with sociological theory, as well as the role and function of the family in society. In year 2 students will study Beliefs in Society, focusing on theories of religion and science, the relationship between religion and social change, patterns and trends in religious participation and the significance of globalisation on religion. Students will also be asked to study in greater depth and complexity the scientific nature of sociology, issues of subjectivity, objectivity and value freedom, structural and social action theories, concepts of modernity and post-modernity, and the relationship between sociology and social policy. In work on crime and deviance with theory and methods students will study different theories of crime and deviance, the social distribution of crime and victimisation, global, environmental and state crime, the effectiveness of crime prevention and punishment and the role of the criminal justice system. Students can go on to study a wide variety of academic and vocational courses in Higher Education with this qualification, and/or go into a wide variety of careers in which communication, evaluation and research skills are important.