Why study Sociology? - Pingle Academy

Why study Sociology?

Sociology is the study of society, and of human behaviour in society.

We explore topics such as education, families, crime and religion.

We investigate how people’s gender identity, ethnicity, sexuality and social class can impact on their experiences in society.

We also study key sociological theories such as Marxism and Feminism, and the research methods that sociologists use.

Why do the middle classes have the highest educational achievement?

Is the Criminal Justice System institutionally racist?

Has modern childhood become toxic?

Why has hate crime been rising so steeply?

Are we experiencing a moral panic over knife crime?

Do we live in a post-truth world?

What’s happened to the traditional nuclear family?

Can men be feminists?

Does social media cause more harm than good?

Have the white working class been ‘left behind’?

Who benefits and who suffers from globalisation?

Should sexist adverts be banned?

Can religious freedom and LGBTQ rights coexist?

Sociology 2019 Results

•A*- B = 78%•A* - C = 100%

How is the course set out?

In year 12 you have two modules:1. Families and Households

2. Education and theory + research methods

In year 13 you study3. Crime and deviance with theory and

methods4. Beliefs in society

How is it assessed?

• 3 exams at the end of year 13 (2 hour exams)

• Mix of questions – 4,6,10,20,30 marks questions

• Mainly essay based – you need to be able to write + enjoy essay writing

• No coursework

• Lots of essay practice – developing your writing skills

Families and Households +

Education and Research Methods

Beliefs in Society

Crime and Deviance + Theory and Methods

Textbooks

• We will be using a textbook – we will photocopy this for you – or you can buy it yourself. It retails at around £25 but we will charge £3 for the photocopy.

Folders

• You are required to keep an organised set of notes. Due to the amount of notes and resources you will use during the year you should get dividers to organise your studies. This should be brought to every Sociology lesson you have.

1) Photocopy of textbook2) Folder monitoring form 3) Checklists at the front of each topic (ask your teacher for

these) Topic notes separated by dividers and notes in order.

4) Essays/assessments and feedback stored in a separate section along with your essay tracker.

5) Mentoring forms (in separate section if applicable)

What questions do you have? Please put them into the chat – or send them directly

to me

Take a photo/write down!

•[email protected]

•[email protected]

Task – Start to think critically + explain why…

Key question: is Britain fair?

• Two babies are born on the day in the same town. Do they have an equal chance of…

• … being healthy?

• … going to university?

• … getting a well-paid job?

• … avoiding prison?

• … succeeding in school?

Choose one of these and try an explain why some people might have a better chance of success or not in these areas

Some key stats…

• One third (30%) of children in Britain live in poverty

• People born into the most deprived (poor) areas of the UK are likely to live, on average, 10 years less than those in affluent (well off) areas

• Only 30% of those receiving Free School Meals (FSM) (low family income) achieve a pass in English and Maths at GCSE compared to 60% of those who do not receive FSM

• Only 7% of the population go to fee-paying schools, but they make up 42% of students at Oxford and Cambridge and dominate top jobs in law, journalism, politics and health

• Last year, there was a 13% increase in food bank use

• So how fair is Britain?

What to do next…

• If you want to get ahead and prepare for September – go onto the Pingle Website and in the sixth form section you will find some Summer project work to do

• This will get you ahead of the game before you start sociology lessons

• There are also plenty of films/TV shows/books that you could watch to get you to start thinking like a sociologist – if you want a list of things – drop me an email!

• Any questions about anything email your teachers

• [email protected]

• [email protected]

What questions do you have? Please put them into the chat – or send them directly

to me

Critical thinking: Something to think about..