A-Level Sociology

One of the things that creates problems for students, especially when they first start to study Sociology, is the fact that even apparently simple and straightforward tasks (such as finding and remembering a definition) quickly seem to become rather complicated and not-at-all-straightforward tasks.

For some students this creates a great deal of frustration since, unlike many other subjects at A-level, it is not always possible to get to grips with Sociology by simply "learning things by heart" - for example, by reading something, remembering it and thereby "learning" it. In many ways Sociology demands a different way of thinking from students...

In one respect, this reflects the structure of our education system (certainly the compulsory aspect of it) whereby the "teaching and learning process" is based, for the most part, on the idea that there are certain things that are already known; it is the teacher's job to teach them and the student's job to learn them.

It also, if you think about it, reflects the development of our society (or culture if you prefer) which insists that in both the social and natural worlds there is, somewhere or other, a "true picture of reality" to be found. There may be many versions of that reality but, deep down, there is really only one version that is true.

This type of belief - drilled into people from an early age - encourages an uncomplicated (and uncritical) way of thinking and being; it also tends to create tension within students' when confronted with a subject such as Sociology that does not always conform to this relatively simple worldview. On the contrary, sociological ideas and teaching seem to contradict this way of thinking at every turn...

Considered in the above terms, it's probably little-wonder that some students fail to understand the nature of both Sociology and the social world. In our everyday lives we tend to look at things in "either / or" terms; everything is "either black or else it's white" (a classic example here being that, in our society, you must be "either male or female").

However, this is itself a reflection of cultural understanding and learning - it is, in short, the product of a particular way of thinking about the social world. Sociologists argue that this way of thinking is just another version of "reality"; it should not be confused with reality itself (presupposing we can even think in these terms). What Sociology does - and this is where students start to get really annoyed, confused and frustrated (a condition that some sociologists refer to as an "anomic reaction") - is two things:

Firstly, it questions all versions of received reality. In simple terms it looks at the stock of knowledge contained within a society (it's general values, beliefs, customs, traditions and the like) and lays it open for examination.

Secondly (and this is the really killer part), it argues that there may be many different versions of reality - all of which are right and all of which are wrong. The social world, far from being either black or white, is simply a murky shade of grey...

What all of the above means, therefore, is that, sociologically-speaking, the social world is a very complex place, filled with people who look at, think about and act in society in many different ways. Even the most mundane of activities (such as the act of recognising the difference between "strangers" and "friends") has a level of complexity that is only revealed once we start to reflect on it in a systematic fashion. If, therefore, you can grasp the idea that Sociology is based around the systematic questioning, interpretation and understanding of social behaviour you will be going some way towards:

a. Understanding the true level of complexity involved in human society, culture and behaviour.

b. Coming to terms with the ability to "Think Sociologically" (or, as C.Wright Mills' argued, the ability to use "The Sociological Imagination" - but that's another story...).

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