Sociology is the systematic and scientific study of society and its constituent parts (including the family, the education system, the workplace, mass media and its various religious, political and legal institutions). It focuses on how society operates and how individuals and groups act and interact within it. You will examine society’s key institutions and the ways in which they affect and are affected by different groups of people. This course also explores and explains the huge and decisive impact social class, gender, ethnicity and various other group memberships have upon every aspect of our everyday lives. Importantly, Sociology differs from other forms of comment on society, such as those expressed in journalism, literature or common sense, as it is more methodical, evidential and critical.