What makes football hooligans tick? Why do people join religious cults? Do we live in a post modern world? Is Globalisation good or bad? Do we live in a world dominated by brands where coca-colonisation makes life uniform and boring? Or does our new society liberate us? These are just some of the questions examined in Sociology; it is the study of how societies function over time.
Sociology makes us think in new ways about aspects of life as varied as the family, religion and crime. It allows us to understand everyday life as well as the exotic and apparently strange groups in society, from football hooligans to religious cults.
At Duff Miller College we cultivate the sociological imagination encouraging students to look at events and concepts from new angles. Dr Derek Wall who heads the department graduated gained a PhD in political sociology from the University of the West of England in 1998 and is a specialist in protest movements and participant observation research. He is also a fellow at the Centre for the Study of Social and Political movements at the University of Kent at Canterbury. Thus he provides a feel of the real life of sociological research for students. He has also taught Sociology for the American University of Richmond.
All major Sociology options are taught using the AQA syllabus, so whether students prefer to look at the family, health or media for unit one the choice is available. Later options include course work, theory and method, crime, religion and political sociology. In our strongly multi-cultural environment many students enjoy the world sociology option.
The A2/AS courses are taught using past papers with a strong emphasis on examination technique. Timed practice and regular mocks are used to guarantee success at the full A -level. Sociology at A-level is popular for university entrance. The A-level is in short both enjoyable and informative.
