| A-Level Links |
Theory |
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| Sociology and Science | Astrosociology | ||
| Created by Andrew Roberts of Middlesex University (and aimed primarily at Undergraduate students), this site examines a number of aspects of the sociology of science - albeit at a higher level than is explicitly required for A-level. The site has four main sections: A social science history timeline, a dictionary of significant terms, People and Ideas (which identifies and explains significant people and their...err...ideas) and lecture notes on a range of theorists. | It's difficult to know where to begin with this site since it currently exists at the edges of the known sociological universe (okay, you wait 'til the Star Trek jokes kick-in). Its originator suggests it represents the idea of "Understanding space & society from a grounded perspective" - although it's probably easier to visualise it as the "Sociology of Space". There are a range of materials (essays, videos and so forth) currently available on site and a good set of links to sociology / astronomy sites; if the sub-discipline catches-on I'd expect what's on offer to expand quite considerably. | ||
| Howard Becker | Theory Greats | ||
| Yes indeed, Howard Becker does have his own site, on which you'll find a range of his contemporary articles (Interaction: Some Ideas for example, although "What About Mozart? is also interesting if you're interested in questions of philosophy and science). You can, if you're so inclined, email the Great Man, but be warned: "I said everything I have to say about labeling (sic) theory in my book, Outsiders". | Brief biographical notes covering the life and works of "10 Great Figures in Sociology " (including Marx, Durkheim, Parsons and Weber), with some indication of the main concepts with which their work is associated. Useful if you want an overview of these writers. | ||
| Sociological Social Psychology | Sociological Perspectives | ||
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Another site from the prolific Mike Kearl, this one covering a variety of aspects of social psychology (from questions of self and identity to science and modernisation, via a helpful table that categorises a range of social psychological theories and their associated methods). The focus is, however, sociological and although there's a shed load of information (and even more shed loads of links to further sheds loaded with information), this is a good starting point if you want to understand and explore this ever-popular general perspective. |
A set of lecture notes focused on identifying, explaining and applying ideas about social order and social conflict perspectives in Sociology. Although the notes are fairly basic (in the sense they presuppose some familiarity with different sociological perspectives) they make synoptic connections with areas like ethnicity, poverty and social stratification. | ||
| Sociological 101 | Sociology Timeline | ||
| A nicely-presented site that provides a range of introductory notes about Sociology, perspectives and sociological perspectives (amongst a wide range of other things). Although the navigation system takes a bit of getting used to, once you've sussed it there's a lot of useful information (in words, pictures and video) for students here (and the assignments sections are worth checking out by teachers). | From 1600 t0 1995, to be precise. If you want to locate various "social thinkers" on a timeline then this is probably something you'll go crazy over. Otherwise, for the rest of us, some of the entries are linked to different sites (although he Timeline doesn't seem to have been updated much recently and some of the links are dead - just like the majority of people featured here, spookily enough...). | ||
| Anthropological Theories | Theoretical Perspectives | ||
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Although written
from a particular philosophical perspective (the title gives it away...) there's
some useful notes here covering the following general perspectives of interest
to A-level students: Functionalism Ecological Marxist Feminist Structuralism Symbolic & Interpretive Postmodernism & Its Critics Each perspective is outlined in terms of its basic premises, key ideas, writers and works, criticisms and some forth. You need to be aware the material is written for: a. American undergraduates and b. Anthropology students. |
Annotated
notes covering a range of different perspectives: Functionalism Symbolic Interactionism Phenomenology and Ethnomethodology Conflict Theory Feminism Rational Choice/Exchange Theory Social Construction Theory and Feminist Standpoint Theory Post-Structuralism and Postmodernism It's generally aimed at an American undergraduate audience, although a lot of the material is probably suitable for A2 students. Most of the external links no-longer work, which suggests the site is no-longer updated... |
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| Sociological Frameworks | Guide to Critical Theory | ||
| A brief set of notes (covering basic assumptions and key concepts) for "four of the most prevalent "ways of doing sociology" current today" - Structural-Functionalist, Conflict, Exchange ("New Right") and Symbolic-Interactionist frameworks. |
Although the
site hasn't been updated for a few years this is still a wonderful resource for
those students and teachers wanting to gain a deeper insight into a range of
critical perspectives, including: Marxism Postmodernism Theories of Sex and Gender The New Historicism (Foucault) The materials are aimed at an undergraduate audience, but are clearly-written and A2 students should be able to follow at least the general arguments involved. For teachers things like lesson plans and sample applications (check out how to use Star Trek to understand postmodernism, for example) are included for each theory. |
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| General Sociology Links |
Theory |
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| Baudrillard on the Web | Shaun Best | ||
| Much has been written about the contribution of Baudrillard to the development of post-modernist ideas and arguments, but if you want to get the low-down "from the horse's mouth" (or arse, depending on your view of post-modernism), this is the place to go. It's a lovingly-compiled compendium of articles by and about Baudrillard. It's not, by any stretch of the imagination, always easy reading - but there's some interesting material here, some of which is accessible enough for classroom use. | Shaun Best is probably best known to A-level teachers for his textbooks and articles (in Social Science Teacher in particular) and this site brings together a number of articles and reviews on a range of themes (although the main focus is on various aspects of post-modernism). The articles will probably find most resonance amongst undergraduates and teachers rather than A-level students, but there's no reason why confident A-level students shouldn't gain something from the (always provocative) information and arguments they contain. Sociology teachers, meanwhile, can quietly fume over the full and unexpurgated text of Shaun's strident critique of "School Sociology" (I have Shaun's e-mail address and only small amounts of money will need to change hands for me to make it available to you after you've read the article...). | ||
| Brock University | Georg Simmel On-Line | ||
| This is a Canadian University site that's mainly interesting for the wide range of materials it contains on the subject of G.H.Mead (something to do with what they've called "The Mead Project"). In addition to this, there's some free materials under the heading of "Research and Writing Resources", but if you're specifically looking for stuff to use at A-level you need to remember the level for which it's been written... | As the name suggests, a site devoted to the memory and work of Georg Simmel (1858-1918). Although it's probably not on every A-level student's "essential research list", Simmel's pioneering (and strangely neglected) work is worth dipping into, especially if you're interested in concepts like mass culture and mass society. Not a sociological giant, but worth investigating. | ||
| Radical Feminism | The Karl Popper Web | ||
| A range of "theory papers" that discuss various aspects of radical feminism - some of which an A-level audience will find difficult (in terms of language and concepts) but there's enough here that's reasonably accessible to make the link worthwhile (but only if you really want to dig into this particular perspective in some detail). | Probably not a site for any but the most dedicated of A-level students, but if you're interested in discovering more about Popper's life and work this is as good a place to start as any... | ||
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