Podcasts with Pictures: Learning Academy

Another in the “Podcasts with Pictures” series designed to bring to your attention video materials you or your students might find useful. In this instance we have a series of “video lessons” created by The Learning Academy. Each of the 14 lessons lasts between 10 and 15 minutes and consists of someone talking about a […]

Origins of Sociology: PowerPoint

This new PowerPoint Presentation introduces students to some (okay, 9) of Sociology’s founders, from the Big Three of Marx, Durkheim and Weber to lesser-known, but equally important in their own way, names such as Harriet Martineau and William Du Bois. And while Sociology Specifications in the UK no-longer feature discrete sections on the Founders of […]

GCSE Sociology: Terms and Concepts Visualised

Free online Introductory Sociology Flipbook aimed at GCSE students. As you may be aware – I may have mentioned it once or twice – I really like the idea of a visual sociology that involves integrating text and graphics to create narratives for students that have much greater appeal than the simple textbooks of yore […]

Collections 4 | Introductory Sociology

The 4th set of Collections covers Introductory Sociology stuff such as culture, identity, socialisation and perspectives.

Although, when all’s-said-and-done it’s just a handy list of posts overing blog material from the past 10 years it’s quite nice to have it all in one place.

Sociology and Sociological Perspectives

This series of short films, produced by Dallas Telelearning around 10 years ago, provides an introduction to both Sociology (it’s European and America development) and sociological perspectives: functionalism, conflict theory, interactionism and feminism. Although the production and focus generally means the world is seen through American eyes ­ -and some of the illustrative material focused on American politics and culture of the 80’s and 90’s probably won’t mean much to contemporary European audiences – it shouldn’t be difficult for Non-US teachers to focus the theoretical content on things that will resonate more with their particular students.

Sociology Shortcuts Magazine No.3: The Intro Issue

Issue 3 of Sociology Shortcuts Magazine arrives just-in-time for the start of the new school year, which is just as well because the Intro Issue is aimed squarely at those new to Sociology as they take their first faltering steps in their new favourite subject taught by their new favourite teachers. In terms of content, […]

Five Functions of Identity

A great deal of discussion about identity in a-level Sociology can be fairly abstract and concerned with the mechanics of construction: how and why, for example, particular identities are created and assumed. In the midst of all this some relatively simple questions sometimes get obscured – an idea addressed by Adams and Marshall (1996) when […]

Countdown to Culture

It’s a strange-but-true factette that in the 8 years – and nearly 800 posts – this blog has been active one post has stood head-and-shoulders above all others. Quite why an innocuous little post outlining 7 Functions of Culture should have garnered 30,000-odd views in the 5 years since it was first posted is anyone’s […]

Foucault and Introducing Sociology?

I always found giving students an “Introduction to Sociology” – whether as part of a recruitment or induction process, first lesson or whatever – something of a chore because it was difficult to: a. Sum-up Sociology in a short, pithy-yet-evocative sentence or two. b. Build on the description I offered to get students to reflect […]

A Few More Sociology Knowledge Organisers

I think it’s probably fair to say that Knowledge Organisers / Learning Tables have become a well-established part of the A-level Sociology curriculum these past few years and while I’ve only posted one new set of examples over the past couple of years (the aptly-named New Selection) plus a rather-brilliant variation on the theme that […]