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Cherry WilsonBBC NewsJim ConnollyBBC News

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Shoplifting levels ‘unacceptable’, inquiry finds

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Cases are underreported and “immediate action” is needed to tackle the crisis, a Lords review finds.

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There have been warnings from the regulator in England, the Office for Students, that 40% of universities have predicted a deficit in this academic year.

In July, Phillipson said universities should "manage their budgets" amid calls for the government to bail out struggling institutions.

Universities UK, which represents 141 universities, has suggested tuition fees would need to rise to £12,500 a year to adequately meet teaching costs.

But they also acknowledged that asking for that amount would seem "clueless" and "out of touch".

The tripling of fees in England in 2012 prompted widespread protests.

Since then, they have only increased once, in October 2017, when then-prime minister Theresa May announced a £250 rise.

A freeze on fees since then is due to expire in 2025, after which point they would rise in line with a measure of inflation called RPIX, which counts the cost of everything except mortgage interest costs.

Higher tuition fees will mean students need to borrow more to go to university, and will leave with more debt.

Most students pay for university through student loans.

Loans are handed out by Student Finance England and students do not ever see that money, as it is paid directly to their universities.

Students can also get help with daily living costs, through maintenance loans.

These are paid into students' bank accounts in instalments. They have increased over recent years in cash terms, but their real-terms value has not kept up with the rising cost of living.

Both tuition fee and maintenance loans must be paid back.

Maintenance grants, which were non-repayable, were scrapped in 2016.

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University tuition fees set to rise in England

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The education secretary is expected to announce details to MPs in Parliament on Monday afternoon.

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Fertility Rates, Population and Childhood

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Fertility Rates, Population and Childhood

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An excellent resource that takes you through a timeline of how fertility rates have changed over time - How is the fertility rate changing in England and Wales? - Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk)

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How is the fertility rate changing in England and Wales? - Office for National Statistics

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How births and the fertility rate has changed in England and Wales

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British public stand on abortion in 2023?

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British public stand on abortion in 2023?

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An interesting article on whether abortion should be legal in the UK and the similar opinions men and women share on the topic.

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Abortion is widely supported in the UK

While recent events in the USA demonstrate that the abortion debate there is far from settled, a new YouGov UK poll shows a very different situation here.

On the basic question of whether or not abortion should be allowed, 87% of Britons say that it should, compared to only 6% who say it should not - 7% are unsure.

Attitudes among men and women are identical in this regard.

Is 24 weeks the right limit? And is it too easy or hard to get an abortion?

Abortion law currently makes a distinction between pregnancies before and after 24 weeks. Before the 24 week limit abortions are readily available, but afterwards they are only available under specific circumstances, such as risk to the health of the mother or severe disability on the part of the child.

Britons tend to think the 24 week status quo is about right (49%). However, a quarter (25%) think it is too late, and the limit should be brought forward. This view is more common among women, and particularly older women - while only 15% of men feel this way, this rises to 27% of women under 40 and 39% of women aged 40 and over.

A further 6% of Britons think the 24 week limit is too early, and should be pushed back.

When it comes to the general restrictions around getting an abortion in the UK, most Britons (55%) likewise think the law currently gets the balance about right.

One in ten Britons (10%) nevertheless think the law makes it too difficult to get an abortion in the UK - and this rises to 19% among women under the age of 40.

One in eleven (9%) think it is too easy to get an abortion in the UK.

Under what circumstances should abortion be allowed?

One of the key questions when it comes to abortion is under what circumstances should it be permitted.

Before 24 weeks, 65% of Britons think that abortion should be available to any woman who wants it. A further one in five think it should only be available under specific circumstances (16%) or extremely restricted circumstances (5%).

Once the 24 week limit has been passed, only 17% think abortion should continue to be available unrestricted. At this point 45% think it should only be available in specific circumstances, and 19% in extremely restricted circumstances - and 5% think it shouldn't be allowed at all.

A follow-up question to those who chose the 'specific circumstances' or 'extremely restricted circumstances' option for either time period explored what circumstances they felt it should and should not apply to. (For simplicity, we have combined these answers with those from the previous question and presented them as a percent of the whole public.)

Of the five circumstances we listed, 80-85% of Britons think abortion should be allowed before 24 weeks. However, after 24 weeks there is more variance.

If the mother's life is at risk, 79% of Britons think an abortion is permissible when the pregnancy is more than 24 weeks advanced. This falls to 72% in the event of risk to the mother's health. If the child would not survive long after birth then 71% of Britons think an abortion is acceptable after the 24 week mark - as do 66% if the child would be severely disabled.

If the pregnancy were the result of rape, 65% of Britons think it would be ok to allow abortion after 24 weeks.

Across all circumstances, women are 7-9 percentage points more likely than men to say that an abortion should be allowed in that scenario (with the difference being that men are more likely to answer "don't know", rather than being more opposed to abortion under those terms).

There is also effectively no difference in attitudes between young and old in each gender, with figures almost exclusively within the margin of error of one another (although young women are somewhat more likely to say abortions should always be available than their elders, this difference is evened out by the increased number of older women who think abortion is acceptable in each specific circumstance).

Should women face criminal prosecution for having abortions outside the set rules?

In June this year, a woman was given a two year custodial sentence for inducing an abortion at approximately 32-34 weeks. The news was met with outrage in some quarters, with campaign groups saying that no woman should ever face criminal charges and jail time for having an abortion.

The public agrees. By 52% to 21%, Britons say that women who have abortions outside of the rules should not face criminal prosecution.

While men and women both favour not prosecuting women for having abortions that breach the laws, this sentiment is stronger among women (who oppose prosecution by 59% to 16%) than men (who do so by 44% to 25%). Young women in particular are more likely to oppose prosecution (64% of the under-40s).

Should there be a legal right to an abortion?

There is currently no legal right in the UK to have an abortion. The legal situation is in fact that abortion is illegal in the UK, with certain exceptions: the vast majority of abortions are carried out under a liberal interpretation of the abortion rule that allows women to have an abortion if it would have an adverse impact on their mental health. Campaigners, including most notably Labour MP Stella Creasy, have pointed to the recent roll-back of abortion rights in the USA as a reason to enshrine the right to an abortion in law.

This move would be widely supported - three quarters of Britons (74%) support changing the law to enshrine a legal right to abortion. Only 11% are opposed.

Seven in ten women (77%) support making the change (including 86% of women under 40), as do 71% of men.

What other abortion law changes do Britons support?
Allowing abortion pills to be taken at home
During the pandemic, abortion rules were changed so that women could have an 'early abortion' (i.e. induce an abortion by taking two abortion pills) at home. Britons are split 42%-42% on whether this rule should remain in place, or return to how it was.

Men and women overall are similarly divided, however when you add in age as a factor we can see a difference the generations. Women under 40 want to keep to the current rules by 51% to 39%, while among women aged 40 and over these figures are effectively reversed: 38% want to stick with the new rules while 48% want them to go back. There is a similar trend among men, with those under 40 wanting the rules to remain as they are by 45% to 33%, while older men are split 40%-43%.

Making abortion pills available over the counter
Far fewer support an even greater liberalisation of the rules: allowing abortion pills to be bought over the counter at a pharmacy, rather than requiring a prescription. Only 33% would back such a move, compared to 53% who are opposed. Men and women from each age group tend to oppose this level of access to abortion pills.

Pre-abortion counselling
Some pro-life campaign groups have called for a mandatory counselling session prior to having an abortion.

Six in ten Britons (63%) would support this requirement, including 66% of women and 60% of men. While the genders appear in agreement, the generations are not, with younger Britons noticeably less supportive of such a requirement (although still net supportive overall). For instance, while 75% of women aged 40 and over back a counselling requirement, this falls to 48% among women under 40.

Likewise, the 66% of men over 40 who support this proposal falls to 47% among men under 40.

Allowing nurses and midwives to approve abortions
It has been suggested that the list of medical practitioners with the power to approve an abortion to be expanded beyond just doctors to include nurses and midwives. More than six in ten Britons (63%) would approve of this change, with just 24% opposed.

Abortion clinic protest bans
Finally, pro-choice campaigners have called for a ban on anti-abortion protests outside abortion clinics - a rule the public strongly endorse. Three quarters of Britons (77%) would support a ban on such protests in the immediate vicinity of abortion clinics, including 81% of women and 72% of men.

Only 14% are opposed.

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Where does the British public stand on abortion in 2023? | YouGov

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Article talking about 7 new 'social classes' within the UK. Good link to social stratification and social differentiation.

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People in the UK now fit into seven social classes, a major survey conducted by the BBC suggests.

It says the traditional categories of working, middle and upper class are outdated, fitting 39% of people.

It found a new model of seven social classes ranging from the elite at the top to a "precariat" - the poor, precarious proletariat - at the bottom.

More than 161,000 people took part in the Great British Class Survey, the largest study of class in the UK.

Class has traditionally been defined by occupation, wealth and education. But this research argues that this is too simplistic, suggesting that class has three dimensions - economic, social and cultural.

The BBC Lab UK study measured economic capital - income, savings, house value - and social capital - the number and status of people someone knows.

The study also measured cultural capital, defined as the extent and nature of cultural interests and activities.

The new classes are defined as:

The researchers said while the elite group had been identified before, this is the first time it had been placed within a wider analysis of the class structure, as it was normally put together with professionals and managers.

At the opposite extreme they said the precariat, the poorest and most deprived grouping, made up 15% of the population.

The sociologists said these two groups at the extremes of the class system had been missed in conventional approaches to class analysis, which have focused on the middle and working classes.

Methodology

Professor of sociology at Manchester University, Fiona Devine, said the survey really gave a sense of class in 21st Century Britain.

"What it allows us is to understand is a more sophisticated, nuanced picture of what class is like now.

"It shows us there is still a top and a bottom, at the top we still have an elite of very wealthy people and at the bottom the poor, with very little social and cultural engagement," she said.

"It's what's in the middle which is really interesting and exciting, there's a much more fuzzy area between the traditional working class and traditional middle class.

"There's the emergent workers and the new affluent workers who are different groups of people who won't necessarily see themselves as working or middle class.

"The survey has really allowed us to drill down and get a much more complete picture of class in modern Britain."

The researchers also found the established middle class made up 25% of the population and was the largest of all the class groups, with the traditional working class now only making up 14% of the population.

They say the new affluent workers and emergent service workers appear to be the children of the "traditional working class," which they say has been fragmented by de-industrialisation, mass unemployment, immigration and the restructuring of urban space.

BBC Lab UK worked with Prof Mike Savage of the London School of Economics and Prof Devine on the study.

The findings have been published in the Sociology Journal and presented at a conference of the British Sociological Association on Wednesday.

Researchers asked a series of questions about income, house value, savings, cultural and leisure activities and the occupations of friends.

They were able to determine a person's economic, social and cultural capital scores from the answers and analysed the scores to create its class system.

The GBCS was launched online in January 2011, but data showed participants were predominantly drawn from the well-educated social groups.

To overcome this a second identical survey was run with a survey company GFK, with a sample of people representing the population of the UK as a whole, using the information in parallel.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.

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Huge survey reveals seven social classes in UK

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The largest-ever survey of social class, conducted by the BBC, suggests there are now seven social classes in the UK.

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history of how sociology evolved to what it is today

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Although sociology has its roots in the works of philosophers like Plato, Aristotle, and Confucius, it is a relatively new academic discipline. It emerged in the early 19th century in response to the challenges of modernity. Increasing mobility and technological advances resulted in the increasing exposure of people to cultures and societies different from their own. The impact of this exposure was varied, but for some people, it included the breakdown of traditional norms and customs and warranted a revised understanding of how the world works. Sociologists responded to these changes by trying to understand what holds social groups together and also to explore possible solutions to the breakdown of social solidarity.

Thinkers of the Enlightenment period in the 18th century also helped set the stage for the sociologists who would follow. This period was the first time in history that thinkers tried to provide general explanations of the social world. They were able to detach themselves, at least in principle, from expounding some existing ideology and to attempt to lay down general principles that explained social life.

The term sociology was coined by French philosopher Auguste Comte in 1838, who for this reason is known as the "Father of Sociology." Comte felt that science could be used to study the social world. Just as there are testable facts regarding gravity and other natural laws, Comte thought that scientific analyses could also discover the laws governing our social lives. It was in this context that Comte introduced the concept of positivism to sociology - a way to understand the social world based on scientific facts. He believed that, with this new understanding, people could build a better future. He envisioned a process of social change in which sociologists played crucial roles in guiding society.

Other events of that time period also influenced the development of sociology. The 19th and 20th centuries were times of many social upheavals and changes in the social order that interested the early sociologists. The political revolutions sweeping Europe during the 18th and 19th centuries led to a focus on social change and the establishment of social order that still concerns sociologists today. Many early sociologists were also concerned with the Industrial Revolution and the rise of capitalism and socialism. Additionally, the growth of cities and religious transformations were causing many changes in people's lives.

Other classical theorists of sociology from the late 19th and early 20th centuries include Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, Max Weber, W.E.B. DuBois, and Harriet Martineau. As pioneers in sociology, most of the early sociological thinkers were trained in other academic disciplines, including history, philosophy, and economics. The diversity of their training is reflected in the topics they researched, including religion, education, economics, inequality, psychology, ethics, philosophy, and theology.

These pioneers of sociology all had a vision of using sociology to call attention to social concerns and bring about social change. In Europe, for example, Karl Marx teamed with wealthy industrialist Friedrich Engels to address class inequality. Writing during the Industrial Revolution, when many factory owners were lavishly wealthy and many factory workers despairingly poor, they attacked the rampant inequalities of the day and focused on the role of capitalist economic structures in perpetuating these inequalities. In Germany, Max Weber was active in politics while in France, Emile Durkheim advocated for educational reform. In Britain, Harriet Martineau advocated for the rights of girls and women, and in the U.S., W.E.B. DuBois focused on the problem of racism.

The growth of sociology as an academic discipline in the United States coincided with the establishment and upgrading of many universities that were including a new focus on graduate departments and curricula on "modern subjects." In 1876, Yale University's William Graham Sumner taught the first course identified as "sociology" in the United States. The University of Chicago established the first graduate department of sociology in the United States in 1892 and by 1910, most colleges and universities were offering sociology courses. Thirty years later, most of these schools had established sociology departments. Sociology was first taught in high schools in 1911.

Sociology was also growing in Germany and France during this period. However, in Europe, the discipline suffered great setbacks as a result of World Wars I and II. Many sociologists were killed or fled Germany and France between 1933 and the end of World War II. After World War II, sociologists returned to Germany influenced by their studies in America. The result was that American sociologists became the world leaders in theory and research for many years.

Sociology has grown into a diverse and dynamic discipline, experiencing a proliferation of specialty areas. The American Sociological Association (ASA) was formed in 1905 with 115 members. By the end of 2004, it had grown to almost 14,000 members and more than 40 "sections" covering specific areas of interest. Many other countries also have large national sociology organizations. The International Sociological Association (ISA) boasted more than 3,300 members in 2004 from 91 different countries. The ISA sponsored research committees covering more than 50 different areas of interest, covering topics as diverse as children, aging, families, law, emotions, sexuality, religion, mental health, peace and war, and work.
"About ASA." American Sociological Association, 2019. "Statutes of the International Sociological Association." International Sociological Association.

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Although sociology has its roots in the works of philosophers like Plato, Aristotle, and Confucius, it is a relatively new academic discipline. It emerged in the early 19th century in response to the challenges of modernity. Increasing mobility and technological advances resulted in the increasing exposure of people to cultures and societies different from their own.

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This talks about beliefs in society and how culture and differences change how society works

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During both the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries advances in science and technology encouraged people to believe that there could be a rational explanation for everything and that scientific study could lead to the solving of all the problems faced by human beings.

The post-Newtonian physical sciences had promised comprehensive understanding of the Earth and its place in the universe, in the form of scientific laws. In the wake of this, Auguste Comte, who gave the name to sociology, confidently expected that it would provide the highest level of scientific explanation in establishing laws of human society itself. Karl Marx and Herbert Spencer developed alternative comprehensive sociological accounts of societal development. The post-Darwinian natural sciences presented explanations of life on Earth with the theory of evolution and the origin of the species. As a result, there was increased public interest in developmental accounts of human society, and it was anticipated that the social sciences would extend this 'enlightenment project' into explanations for the collective activities and relationships of human beings, explanations that could provide the basis for political action.

The 'classical sociologists' of the nineteenth century were European - mainly from Britain, France and Germany - but the great expansion of the discipline took place in the USA during the mid-twentieth century. Whereas the contribution from Europe was mainly theoretical, North Americans were determined to exploit its practical potential through investment in empirical research projects connected with the continuing development of their society and its enormous economic potential. This led to the development of a range of new theoretical approaches and methodologies, both quantitative and qualitative.

Sociology was first taught in Britain at the beginning of the 20th century but the expansion here took place much more recently and was at first greatly influenced by US sociology. During the 1960s, especially, it became a key social science subject, taught in universities and colleges, and with the development of the sociology ´A´ level during the 1970s it became a major subject in schools too. Now, as well as being an academic subject in its own right, sociology forms part of many other programmes such as business studies, medical and nursing education, geography and environmental science, as well as sports science.

Sociology seeks to provide insights into, and evidence about, the many forms of relationship among people, both formal and informal. Such relationships are considered to be the 'fabric' of society. Smaller-scale relationships are connected to larger-scale patterns of connection among organisations and institutional sectors, and the totality of this is society itself.

Human beings have wants, needs and desires but the forms that these take are related to attachments to social groupings and participation in social institutions. The latter are patterns of human interaction which become established over time. People therefore recognise them and orientate their actions towards them. Alternatively, people may react against social institutions. Either way, it is the actions of people that serve both to reproduce society and to effect the changes that are a constant feature of the process.

Developments in communication have accelerated over the past few decades, leading to what is often referred to as globalisation. These wide interconnections must be taken into account in any explanations for social behaviour, but so too must how the present form of human society relates to past forms, and to likely forms in the future.

The principles of sociology can be summarised as follows:

by definition, human society involves people entering into forms of relationship with each other. Such relationships take many forms and may - for instance - be described as predominantly cultural, economic or political; although most relationships combine these various aspects to varying degrees.

patterns of human relationship become institutionalised in the course of their reproduction over time and may therefore be referred to as ´social institutions' - these are a major focus for sociological investigation.

the reproduction of social institutions has increasingly incorporated global influences and exchanges, but local factors remain important. The outcome is a process of interchange between the global and the local.

in participating in society human beings develop understandings of their relationships with one another, and of the institutions these generate, and these understandings shape relationships and institutions in the future.

the task for sociologists, therefore, is to develop this understanding in a more systematic and rigorous fashion, and to provide substantive explanations for events, actions, patterns of relationship, and institutions.

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During both the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries advances in science and technology encouraged people to believe that there could be a rational explanation for everything and that scientific study could lead to the solving of all the problems faced by human beings.

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Explains societys views and opinions on race and how it impacts society and ways to prevent, explains in depth

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Dr Nicola Rollock and Professor David Gillborn To cite this reference: Rollock, N. and Gillborn, D. (2011) Critical Race Theory (CRT), British Educational Research Association online resource.…

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University of Birmingham's centre for research in race and education.

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University of Birmingham's centre for research in race and education.

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The CRT has grown to become one of the most important views on racism in education internationally. They have many objectives such as to encourage collaborations in the wider community. It explores racism in education and how to manage this.

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Verity is a book by Colleen Hoover. It displays sociological themes such as motherhood, relationships and other aspects that are interesting to read on. It reverses the typical stereotypes of society and questions gender roles and typical thought patterns to something atypical in human socialisation. It's very interesting.

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10 Verity Book Club Questions For Discussion

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Looking for a list of Verity book club questions? Here is your exclusive list containing some of the best questions to keep you engaged.

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Links to Social Stratification.

Talks about 7 social classes and Methodology.

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People in the UK now fit into seven social classes, a major survey conducted by the BBC suggests.

It says the traditional categories of working, middle and upper class are outdated, fitting 39% of people.

It found a new model of seven social classes ranging from the elite at the top to a "precariat" - the poor, precarious proletariat - at the bottom.

More than 161,000 people took part in the Great British Class Survey, the largest study of class in the UK.

Class has traditionally been defined by occupation, wealth and education. But this research argues that this is too simplistic, suggesting that class has three dimensions - economic, social and cultural.

The BBC Lab UK study measured economic capital - income, savings, house value - and social capital - the number and status of people someone knows.

The study also measured cultural capital, defined as the extent and nature of cultural interests and activities.

The new classes are defined as:

The researchers said while the elite group had been identified before, this is the first time it had been placed within a wider analysis of the class structure, as it was normally put together with professionals and managers.

At the opposite extreme they said the precariat, the poorest and most deprived grouping, made up 15% of the population.

The sociologists said these two groups at the extremes of the class system had been missed in conventional approaches to class analysis, which have focused on the middle and working classes.

Methodology

Professor of sociology at Manchester University, Fiona Devine, said the survey really gave a sense of class in 21st Century Britain.

"What it allows us is to understand is a more sophisticated, nuanced picture of what class is like now.

"It shows us there is still a top and a bottom, at the top we still have an elite of very wealthy people and at the bottom the poor, with very little social and cultural engagement," she said.

"It's what's in the middle which is really interesting and exciting, there's a much more fuzzy area between the traditional working class and traditional middle class.

"There's the emergent workers and the new affluent workers who are different groups of people who won't necessarily see themselves as working or middle class.

"The survey has really allowed us to drill down and get a much more complete picture of class in modern Britain."

The researchers also found the established middle class made up 25% of the population and was the largest of all the class groups, with the traditional working class now only making up 14% of the population.

They say the new affluent workers and emergent service workers appear to be the children of the "traditional working class," which they say has been fragmented by de-industrialisation, mass unemployment, immigration and the restructuring of urban space.

BBC Lab UK worked with Prof Mike Savage of the London School of Economics and Prof Devine on the study.

The findings have been published in the Sociology Journal and presented at a conference of the British Sociological Association on Wednesday.

Researchers asked a series of questions about income, house value, savings, cultural and leisure activities and the occupations of friends.

They were able to determine a person's economic, social and cultural capital scores from the answers and analysed the scores to create its class system.

The GBCS was launched online in January 2011, but data showed participants were predominantly drawn from the well-educated social groups.

To overcome this a second identical survey was run with a survey company GFK, with a sample of people representing the population of the UK as a whole, using the information in parallel.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.

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Huge survey reveals seven social classes in UK

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The largest-ever survey of social class, conducted by the BBC, suggests there are now seven social classes in the UK.

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Home education: why are so many parents choosing it over mainstream school?

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Parents in the UK have the right to educate their children at home.

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Best UK universities for sociology & social policy - league table

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The study of political, economic and social problems and the policy responses to them

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gives an overview of what sociology is about and the relationship and interactions between people in society

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During both the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries advances in science and technology encouraged people to believe that there could be a rational explanation for everything and that scientific study could lead to the solving of all the problems faced by human beings.

The post-Newtonian physical sciences had promised comprehensive understanding of the Earth and its place in the universe, in the form of scientific laws. In the wake of this, Auguste Comte, who gave the name to sociology, confidently expected that it would provide the highest level of scientific explanation in establishing laws of human society itself. Karl Marx and Herbert Spencer developed alternative comprehensive sociological accounts of societal development. The post-Darwinian natural sciences presented explanations of life on Earth with the theory of evolution and the origin of the species. As a result, there was increased public interest in developmental accounts of human society, and it was anticipated that the social sciences would extend this 'enlightenment project' into explanations for the collective activities and relationships of human beings, explanations that could provide the basis for political action.

The 'classical sociologists' of the nineteenth century were European - mainly from Britain, France and Germany - but the great expansion of the discipline took place in the USA during the mid-twentieth century. Whereas the contribution from Europe was mainly theoretical, North Americans were determined to exploit its practical potential through investment in empirical research projects connected with the continuing development of their society and its enormous economic potential. This led to the development of a range of new theoretical approaches and methodologies, both quantitative and qualitative.

Sociology was first taught in Britain at the beginning of the 20th century but the expansion here took place much more recently and was at first greatly influenced by US sociology. During the 1960s, especially, it became a key social science subject, taught in universities and colleges, and with the development of the sociology ´A´ level during the 1970s it became a major subject in schools too. Now, as well as being an academic subject in its own right, sociology forms part of many other programmes such as business studies, medical and nursing education, geography and environmental science, as well as sports science.

Sociology seeks to provide insights into, and evidence about, the many forms of relationship among people, both formal and informal. Such relationships are considered to be the 'fabric' of society. Smaller-scale relationships are connected to larger-scale patterns of connection among organisations and institutional sectors, and the totality of this is society itself.

Human beings have wants, needs and desires but the forms that these take are related to attachments to social groupings and participation in social institutions. The latter are patterns of human interaction which become established over time. People therefore recognise them and orientate their actions towards them. Alternatively, people may react against social institutions. Either way, it is the actions of people that serve both to reproduce society and to effect the changes that are a constant feature of the process.

Developments in communication have accelerated over the past few decades, leading to what is often referred to as globalisation. These wide interconnections must be taken into account in any explanations for social behaviour, but so too must how the present form of human society relates to past forms, and to likely forms in the future.

The principles of sociology can be summarised as follows:

by definition, human society involves people entering into forms of relationship with each other. Such relationships take many forms and may - for instance - be described as predominantly cultural, economic or political; although most relationships combine these various aspects to varying degrees.

patterns of human relationship become institutionalised in the course of their reproduction over time and may therefore be referred to as ´social institutions' - these are a major focus for sociological investigation.

the reproduction of social institutions has increasingly incorporated global influences and exchanges, but local factors remain important. The outcome is a process of interchange between the global and the local.

in participating in society human beings develop understandings of their relationships with one another, and of the institutions these generate, and these understandings shape relationships and institutions in the future.

the task for sociologists, therefore, is to develop this understanding in a more systematic and rigorous fashion, and to provide substantive explanations for events, actions, patterns of relationship, and institutions.

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During both the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries advances in science and technology encouraged people to believe that there could be a rational explanation for everything and that scientific study could lead to the solving of all the problems faced by human beings.

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Explained well.

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MASSOLIT - Educational Attainment and Inequality: Causes of Differential Attainment | Video lecture by Dr Matthew Cole, Birmingham University

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Dr Matthew Cole at Birmingham University discusses Causes of Differential Attainment as part of a course on Educational Attainment and Inequality | High-quality, curriculum-linked video lectures for GCSE, A Level and IB, produced by MASSOLIT.

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small experiences can draw attention to why we often stick with activities and people with whom we are familiar, and how difficult it can be socially to venture out when we aren’t sure of how others define the situation, or what the norms might be in a new setting.

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Best UK universities for sociology & social policy - league table

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The study of political, economic and social problems and the policy responses to them

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ive been reading Prophet Song and its a really interesting book about if Ireland became faschist. its a good read because it highlights the wqay that a society can come together and fall apart under extreme government control. its a true rerflection on modern day politics and lack of freedom we have in society and i highly reccomend it. (Tiana - year 12)

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The University of South Carolina developed a Sociology course dedicated to Lady Gaga

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University offers Lady Gaga sociology course

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The University of South Carolina develops a sociology course dedicated to the life, work and rise to fame of pop star Lady Gaga.

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Corruption of feminism: equality to equity

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Corruption of feminism: equality to equity

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4th wave feminism no longer values the original aspirations this noble belief once held

You see equality is about having the same opportunity so both genders can have the same chance at success, however it is now focused on equity which is equality of outcome, this means they think they deserve as much as you even if you put in more effort.

we should do a witch hunt

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Linsey McGeoy's Philanthropic Capitalism and its critics 

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Linsey McGeoy's Philanthropic Capitalism and its critics 

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I learnt that Philanthropic capitalism shows how capitalism changes over the years. People now think how money can be a good investment and how it generates profit but it goes beyond than that. People must be wealthy to earn money and the expectations are increasing.

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Education Secretary Gillian Keegan made claims about mobile phones in schools and education funding.

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I learnt that the social model of disability has some importance in society because suggests people are oppressed because of their disability but there are laws which gives people the same opportunities. It fails to recognise that people cannot be eliminated from their disabilities because they are proud of it.

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I learnt that capitalism is developing massively as technology advances over the years. It is generated and done, and people rely in information online. People's identity is identified online and people are being constantly captured by data.

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Familiar stranger: A Life between two islands 

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Familiar stranger: A Life between two islands 

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I found this book interesting because thus mentioned the author's experience of how he faced racism in England.

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Matthew Desmond and Mustafa Emirbayer's Racial Discrimination 

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Matthew Desmond and Mustafa Emirbayer's Racial Discrimination 

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I learnt that racism is not a natural effect because there has to be something that has caused it.

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Women, Race and Class by Angela Y. Davis

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Women, Race and Class by Angela Y. Davis

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I found this book interesting based on the experiences of black women in the book, especially when they have experienced racism. This book also mentions how women feel a grudge all the time when working as a housewife. This applied to many women, not just from ethnic minority backgrounds.

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I really enjoyed reading this book because this mentions the process of how information has been created by scientists like atoms based on knowledge, knowhow and information.

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Immanuel Wallerstein's World Systems theory 

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Immanuel Wallerstein's World Systems theory 

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I learnt that the capitalist system developed because of colonisation of the empire. This was spread across the world which also created globalisation. It is not equally shared across the world because the more developed countries only cared about developing their own country.

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I loved reading this book because this teaches readers that animals should be treated equally like humans.

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I learnt that algorithms are all around us which is hard to escape. Technology is powerful and algorithms plays a part behind the scenes. It shapes people's ways of thinking and their actions. It allows people to express their opinion freely and connect with one another. It creates a part in our lives.

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I learnt that there are many links with the Great British Social Class Surbey that links with social Class in society today. For example, people have different beliefs in social classes

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Methods in Context | Live Revision for AQA A Level Sociology

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AQA A-Level Sociology Revision Blast | Research Methods | 3 Feb 2021

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Research Methods | AQA A-level Sociology | The Sociology Teacher

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The Research Methods unit for AQA A-level sociology revision, summarised and prioritised into nutshells of knowledge. Perfect for notes!

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I really enjoyed this book because the tone is informal which makes situations understandable and relatable to females. The author is very confident in her opinions which made me enjoy the book even more.

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I learnt that when something new is created, their lives are wasted.

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I learnt that there are different types of feminist waves because of different beliefs they have. There is also ecofeminists who believes that eggs and milks are oppressing women because it comes from a woman.

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I learnt that biometric borders has expanded the impact of technology in the world. The world is becoming globalised because the biometrics like fingerprints creates a profile and it decides whether illegitimate or legitimate travellers can enter into different countries.

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I learnt that Foucault focuses on how power is exercised in society and people do this in unique ways rather than the judges deliver power like setting out rules. Power is a relation because of social inequalities set in which people start fighting for power.

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Durkheim's social facts and theory of suicide 

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Durkheim's social facts and theory of suicide 

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I learnt that social facts are defined as rules created in society are made by people. One of the most common ones are crime because this goes against the law. Crimes serve a function so this must happen in society. Without crime people will still create crime. This impacts people's behaviour changing and how this impacts one another. Durkheim discovers that protestants have higher suicide rates than Catholics because protestants have more individual freedom of thought whereas Catholics are integrated together and think the same way in religious rituals.

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I enjoyed listening to the audiobook because this mentions how people become rebellious because of the repressive state of society. This involves surveillance, where people are controlled by the superior.

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Justin Rosenburg's the Follies of Globalisation theory 

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Justin Rosenburg's the Follies of Globalisation theory 

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I found this podcast interesting because this talks about how globalisation is the reason for nearly all the changes that happen in the world. There are alternative reasons for why things happen. Rosenburg suggests that other social theories are more valid.

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Harmut Rosa's social acceleration theory 

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Harmut Rosa's social acceleration theory 

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I found this podcast interesting because it talks about how modernity links to social acceleration. The everyday lives of people are speeding up because things around us is changing quickly. People make expectations of what may change, there is a continual reduction of completion and this measures how quickly things change around us.

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I enjoyed reading this book because it shows how two lovers come together despite the challenges they faced and I think that they are very brave and determined to do that. The society is against the noughts (whites) and support the crosses (blacks). This shows a dystopian text because society has reversed to whites being dominant to blacks being dominant. This teaches the readers that certain words such as bl*nkers hurt people very much.

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I enjoyed reading this book because this teaches us how postcapitalism has evolved over the years and how it has set us free.

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I listened to this book last summer in 2022 in the form of audio book narrated by Stephen Fry, and is what inspired me to chose sociology as a A-level. Orwell portrays really advance  ideas of media censorship and policing in pursuing political and social consensus through any means necessary. This dystopian novel was one of the first of its kind and layed the foundations for books like The Hunger games and Divergent.

The story follows the perspective of Winston smith a party member of INGSOC ( An idea of Facist English socialism, which acts as an antagonist force through out the story), and his development ideas of personal revolution through  defiance by indulging in independent thought and love.

The party maintains constant surveillance on the people of Oceania (Europe in our world) and control from everything from goods such as food and razors too personal thoughts, through an institution called the thought police and their figure head of big brother.

The book provides a bone chilling look into an alternative reality of England following WWII and how important freedom of information is less we lose the ability to freely think.

(Charlie)

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Interesting article in the news about the introduction of new qualifications into the British education system - this led me to question how this will impact differences in educational achievement.

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By Julia Bryson and Branwen Jeffreys

A-levels and T-levels will be replaced by a new qualification for all school leavers in England.

All 16 to 19-year-olds will typically study five subjects as part of the new Advanced British Standard, including some English and maths to 18.

However, it will be years before the qualification is in place and the first students to take it will be those currently just starting primary school.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said more teachers would be recruited to help.

One of the most striking aspects of the proposed changes is students would be able to combine both academic and vocational elements, with typically three major and two minor aspects.

They would include maths and English up to the age of 18, bringing England more in line with international standards where subjects are not narrowed down.

Mr Sunak said boosting education was "the closest thing we have to a silver bullet" as it was "the best economic policy, the best social policy, the best moral policy".

The new baccalaureate-style qualification would bring together the best of A-levels and vocational T-levels into a single new qualification, he told the Conservative Party conference, in Manchester.

"Rigorous" and "knowledge-rich", it would put technical and academic education on an equal footing and ensure all young people left school knowing the basics in maths and English, with extra help for those who struggled.

"In our country, no child should be left behind," Mr Sunak said.

He added that 16 to 19-year-olds spent "around a third less time in the classroom than some of our competitors", and that had to change.

He said under the proposals, students would spend at least 195 hours more with a teacher, and to reflect this revealed how he planned to bring in and keep a greater workforce.

"In order to attract and retain more teachers, those who teach key subjects in schools - and, for the first time, in our further-education colleges too - will receive special bonuses of up to £30,000, tax-free, over the first five years of their career.

"Our teachers do one of the most valuable jobs in our society and we should reward them for that."

Mr Sunak promised an additional £600m over two years to increase training of maths teachers, and funding for those studying for compulsory GCSE resits in colleges in maths and English.

Bursaries are already offered in some secondary subjects because there is a significant shortfall in the numbers starting secondary school teacher training.

The plans will go to consultation, with possible implementation around 2033-34.

Current post-16 students will continue to have the option of A-levels and the new T-levels, which are equivalent to three A-levels.

Education policy is devolved, so the changes only apply to England.

Association of School and College Leaders general secretary Geoff Barton said: "While the principles of these proposals are good, the practicalities are daunting because of the severity of the teacher recruitment and retention crisis."

He said the plan for bonus payments would not be anywhere near enough, and teacher shortages were widespread.

"This problem requires a much broader strategy to improve pay, conditions and education funding," he said.

"Without this commitment, the prime minister's plans for an Advanced British Standard are likely to prove a pipe dream."

National Association of Head Teachers general secretary Paul Whiteman said there had been "no meaningful engagement" with the profession ahead of the announcement.

"Once again, there is a sense that ministers in Whitehall think they know better than the teachers and leaders working with pupils on a daily basis," he said.

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Advanced British Standard: Sunak qualification will replace A-levels and T-levels

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The prime minister wants more students to study maths and English until the age of 18.

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social action and postmodernist theories on the family

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social action and postmodernist theories on the family

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feminist and social action theories on the family

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feminist and social action theories on the family

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New right and marxists theory on the family

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New right and marxists theory on the family

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I learnt that people's relationship with risks have changed over time. People can find solutions to hazards such as jf there is an earthquake, people infrastructure buildings to resist earthquakes. People used to think that hazards were caused by an external factor such as God.

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I loved listening to this podcast because it taught me that there is a lot to interacting with people. Mechanical forms of solidarity means that people think similarly in this world whereas organic solidarity means that people are unique and different. Durkheim used the organic analogy of ea h organic functioning in the body to explain why people interact with one another. Durkheim later abandoned the organic analogy because it is not just about independence, it is also about trust and kindness. Interacting with one another is important because this shows there is specialism in the field of work.

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I found this podcast interesting because I learnt that there are three types of globalists on what they believe about globalisation. Huperglobalists believe that globalisation is a phenomenon and shapes the world through people's interactions. Skeptics believe that globalisation is becoming increasingly borderless and global and trade was a lot more open in the 19th century. Transformatives believe that globalisation still occurs and can be transformed in different trays, not just in economic terms. It can be influenced culturally. (Alina)