Sociology

Course summary

As a sociologist, you will study the impact of social structures on peoples opportunities and experiences and begin to understand the reasons why people differ depending on their circumstances. This course is designed to appeal to you if you are curious about the world in which we live, what makes us the people we are and what our role and function is in society. You will investigate different social functions such as youth cultures, education, social inequalities, crime and deviance. A central theme is the research methodology used by sociologists to collect their data. On this course, you will study: Year 1 Education Why do some pupils achieve more qualifications than others? Is it because of their class, gender or ethnicity, or is there an exact correlation between hard work and exam results? We will examine the functions of education, patterns of academic attainment by class, gender and ethnicity, labelling and subcultural pupil groups and policies affecting education. We will also discover how sociologists research education. Youth Culture Factors influencing the formation of youth cultures including the media, economic changes, globalisation and the impact of class, gender and ethnicity. Looking at the changing nature of youth cultures including punks, hippies and now gangs. Investigating why youth subcultures commit crime and are often linked to drugs. How does the media influence our views and understanding? Theoretical perspectives of youth cultures: functionalist, Marxist, feminist, postmodernist, interactions.