Christmas time...

http://elitedaily.com/humor/family-makes-viral-christmas-card/

This family takes Christmas cards to the next level - however, is this really celebrating christmas?

Invisable women

http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2013/dec/02/hidden-mothers-victorian-photography-in-pictures#/?picture=423698530&index=0

Parents are scared of Miley Cyrus

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-24836571

What will the impact of universal credit scheme have on society??

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/nov/07/universal-credit-waste-mps

Some interesting photos

http://www.boredpanda.com/must-see-powerful-photos/

Demography on iplayer

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b03h8r1j/This_World_Dont_Panic_The_Truth_About_Population/

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b03gm0ym/This_World_Worlds_Busiest_Maternity_Ward/

How has the family changed?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2487647/Unstoppable-rise-TV-dinner-Less-half-UKs-families-regularly-sit-table-eat.html

Something to watch on the telly box

Wednesday 10.45pm C4 or catch it on 4oD

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/the-cruel-cut

Why does the toy industry think boys don’t cook?

http://www.lettoysbetoys.org.uk/why-does-the-toy-industry-think-boys-dont-cook/

Another Sociology blog!!!

Check out this brilliant blog run by a Sociology lecturer at Derby University.

http://averypublicsociologist.blogspot.co.uk/?m=1

Russell Brand, Revolutions and Politics...

Russell Brand - gives his opinion on the state of the UK today, is this 'pop' Marxism?

Have a watch - form an opinion - then have a read of this response (from another comedian!)
http://www.newstatesman.com/2013/10/russell-choosing-vote-most-british-kind-revolution-there

Feminism in the media...

Joss Whedon, director of "The Avengers" and the creator of some of my favorite shows ever, has a history of writing strong women characters. Back in 2006, the organization Equality Now honored him for being a staunch ally for women. In his thank-you speech, he decided to talk about the tedious and vapid question journalists never stop asking him. At 6:25, I thought he nailed everything wrong with our culture, but then he takes it to the next level at 6:50 and hammers home the horrible reality

http://www.upworthy.com/48-reporters-asked-this-guy-the-same-dumb-question-about-women-his-response-absolutely-perfect

Social science graduates 'have best job prospects'

Reasons to keep studying Sociology...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-24707507

If you understand American politics...

http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2012/04/26/what-if-game-of-thrones-characters-were-presidential-candidates/

What If 'Game Of Thrones' Characters Were Presidential Candidates?

It's a strange postmodern world we now live in...

Postmodernism in action???

One clear way of 'spotting' postmodernism in society is through music videos - but what do you think?

CHRISTENINGS... on the rise?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-24565994
10 ways christening has changed

Plebgate... SCLY4

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-24629610

One story to watch... Policing and crime three police officers are accused of trying to discredit former chief whip Andrew Mitchell during the "plebgate" row are now due to appear before MPs.

More royal baby madness... but how will this effect the number of christenings per year??

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-24627323

SCLY3 - get your socks on A2 and check this out!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-24314137

Archbishop hopes Prince George baptism will inspire...http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-24615297

Looking for love in China... 4od time!

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/unreported-world/4od

Reporter Marcel Theroux and director Frankie Fathers join some of China's many millions of male lonely hearts on their search for a wife, and meet some of the 'Love Hunters' working to find them an ideal bride.

Arranged marriages

Forced Marriage - a woman's story

A short clip of a woman expinaing her forced marriage ordeal. She tells of how she was forced to marry and how she managed to leave after years of abuse.

SCLY3 - Science as a belief system?

An amazing trailer for a 1958 film about unwed mothers. It is great for an introduction to a discussion about social stigma and changing attitudes to women and relationships.

Women's role in the family...

Again useful for SCLY1

Social Construction of Childhood

Useful video for developing understanding of the Social Construction of Childhood = SCLY1

The good wife's guide....

Useful for SCLY1 (AS) looking at the feminist interpretation of the family.

If you've got time to go to the cinema...

Have a watch of this... really useful for.... SCLY1 and SCLY3 and SCLY4!

Things to watch... iplayer!!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006ppmq

Crimewatch - Madeleine McCann
Really useful for both SCLY1 and SCLY4... have a watch!

Cows and Politics

http://politicalhumor.about.com/library/jokes/bljokecowspolitics.htm

Politics explained with cows! You do need a working knowledge of politics to understand this fully!

Things to watch on the telly box!

Stacey Dooley investigates... Stag parties in Prague. Very interesting series, well worth a watch (SCLY4)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b03cwv1l/Sex_Stags_and_Prague_Stacey_Dooley_Investigates/

A look inside Broadmoor - 3 episodes. (SCLY4)
http://www.channel5.com/shows/inside-broadmoor-2013/episodes/episode-1-560

The girl who was shot for going to school. (SCLY2 and SCLY3)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03d0tfq

The commericialisation of housework! SCLY1

http://www.businesspundit.com/10-most-sexist-print-ads-from-the-1950s/?img=21461

Gender role models today...

Miley Cyrus is trying to get rid of her Disney image... but is she still a role model?

And is this right for Men to mimic strong females? Or is she (and he) just a pawn...

Or is this just a reflection of the postmodern society we now live in?

Answers on a postcard...!

Postmodernism - HELP!

Why not watch the Matrix - just remember - society is fragmented into many social groups. Everything is just a social construction.

Opening Ceremony - useful for understanding the changes that have taken place in Society

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4As0e4de-rI

Something else to watch on the telly box

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03b3d4n

Teen Exorcists!!! Think Jesus in Disneyland (Lyon).

If you've got the time - why not listen to a Radio 2 debate!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03b2qtx

Jeremy Vine's show debates many different issues - this show looks at... the appropriateness of wearing the veil in public, Grand Theft Auto addicts, the reinstated officer who had sex on duty and our new series "My Country, My Music".

Is this really happening?

Is this the pressure we now put on ourselves...

What is the problem with our Education system???

http://cheezburger.com/7795783168

Becker and labelling theory per chance?

What would happen if Britain suffered a cyber attack on the national electricity grid?

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/blackout/episode-guide

Channel 4's very dark vision of what happen in this event.
Not all social commentators agree - still a very interesting look into humanity and how we might react.

Beware - bad language and upsetting images.

Do you like MAPS?

http://twistedsifter.com/2013/08/maps-that-will-help-you-make-sense-of-the-world/

This is a wonderful visual learning tool - each map is different, some are more relevant than others, however, this will give you a bit of insight to the world!

Enjoy

4 o D 4 o D 4 o D 4 o D 4 o D 4 o D

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/educating-yorkshire/4od http://www.channel4.com/programmes/bouncers/4od
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/burgled/4od
AS Sociology  - get watching Educating Yorkshire, will be useful for Unit 2 (EDUCATION???)
A2 Sociology  - get watching Bouncers and Burgled - both will be really useful for Unit 4 (Crime and Deviance)

Things to watch on the telly box...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b039q4ct Fab programme on the history of consummerism - the focus is shopping and how we all became so obsessed with fashion.

Culture, politics and the impact of bringing in merchandise from abroad.

Well worth a watch - and there are more episodes next week!

Bit of popular Marxism...

THE NEW F WORD

Feminism???

Are women's bodies still beautiful after pregnancy?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-23276432

Read the article carefully - especially Merefith Nash's bit - the author of Making 'Postmodern' Mothers

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-15391515

Are we obessed with the royal baby?

Is class still alive and kicking in Britain?

Policing in the UK...

Brilliant BBC Documentary on racism in the UK police force.

Warning - strong language!

Religion as Social Change

Want to get a better understanding of how religion impacted on the black civil rights movement in America... then have a little watch of this...

What about the New Christian Right in America... For a bit more information on this failed use of religion as social change have a little watch of the following...



There are more on youtube if you want to watch anymore!

The 'viral vicar' who led wedding dance flash-mob is a great example of how to make religion interactive

Most activity in Church takes place from the front, like an old-school classroom. Isn't it time we mixed things up to embrace spirituality?

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/the-viral-vicar-who-led-wedding-dance-flashmob-is-a-great-example-of-how-to-make-religion-interactive-8670943.html

Religion is modern society....

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-23020504

Useful films to watch...

SCLY4... Corporate and State Crime...

The Whistleblower

Based on a true story this film looks at how the UN tried to cover up sex crimes in Bosnia.

The Constant Gardner

Based on the book of the same name, Le Carre explores states trying to cover up capitalist crimes.

Functionalist films!

Morning folks...

Another film that you could watch - useful for any type of functionalism!

Pleasantville!

Or if you want to look at the nuclear family in a little more detail why not watch... Revolution Road!

Enjoy...

Civil Religion in the UK

Brilliant documentary about the People's Corronation from a couple of weekends ago - this will be very useful for all studying SCLY3!

Enjoy...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gi5vrxxqzMI

Something to watch on the telly box...

Tonight at 9pm BBC1

Hillsborough: How They Buried The Truth

Put your Sociology hat on and think about the impact of the media and ruling class controling (gatekeepers) the information released to the rest of society.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22566230

SCLY4 - suicide

'Bedroom tax' blamed for woman's suicide

Just days before she died Stephanie Bottrill, 53, from in Solihull in the West Midlands, told neighbours she simply could not afford to live any more.

http://www.channel4.com/news/bedroom-tax-suicide-woman-lorry

Prisoners 'must work harder' for privileges

Male prisoners in England and Wales must work harder for privileges such as TVs in cells, the government has said.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22341867

Revising for AS and A2 Sociology (AQA)

Here are some useful websites:

http://www.podology.org.uk/#/home/4556339389

http://www.s-cool.co.uk/a-level/sociology/functions-of-education/revise-it/structural-theories

http://www.tutor2u.net/blog/index.php/sociology/comments/education-revision

Useful revision techniques:

• Mind map topics
• Create quiz cards on different topics
• Use the quiz cards - get family or friends to quiz you
• Postitnote your house (with the permission of the owner of the house) put key terms in places you will look at them (back of the bathroom door, on the tea pot, above light switches, etc)
• Create posters for each topic and put them up on your walls.

Remember - revise in 35 minute blocks, make sure you have a break when revising (make a cup of tea, tell the cat what you've just learnt) it's important to move away from where you are working and get some exercise.

And food - eating keeps your energy up :)

Happy revising!

What social class are you?

Traditional British social divisions of upper, middle and working class seem out of date in the 21st Century, no longer reflecting modern occupations or lifestyles.

The BBC teamed up with sociologists from leading universities to analyse the modern British class system. They surveyed more than 161,000 people and came up with a new model made up of seven groups. To find out where you fit in use this calculator below.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22000973

Me, well shockingly I am...

Tunisia: Can niqabs and bikinis live side-by-side?

Globalisation and modern culture... a clash or can different culture's coexist?

Two years after the long-time government was ousted in Tunisia, some women are enjoying their freedom to wear Islamic clothes such as the niqab, while others are afraid of losing their rights, reports Caroline Anning.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21925753

Is social mobility achievable?

The Daily Mail, has published a variety of articles contemplating the impact of Kate Middleton in the royal family. Does this mean that Social Mobility is achievable once again? Or was she already upper class? What do you think... see the links below!

Our leaders seem hell-bent on crushing social mobility. Thank God the Middletons of this world refuse to be kept down

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1331447/Kate-Middletons-socially-mobile-family-refuse-kept-down.html

Humble Kate has noble blood after all: New study reveals Duchess's links to earls, countesses and a former Prime Minister

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2249023/Kate-Middleton-New-study-reveals-Duchesss-links-earls-countesses-Prime-Minister.html#ixzz2NsjXqhTY

Iraq 10 years on: Lessons from history for politicians

The war in Iraq had a dramatic effect on politics and diplomacy in UK, in the Middle East and across the globe, and still has the power to provoke debate 10 years on.
David Thompson reports on the impact on Iraq itself - and how world leaders deal with despotic regimes.
He spoke to Prof Michael Clarke, director of the Royal United Services Institute, and to Ali Latif, co-founder of the Iraqi Prospect Organisation.

Click on the link and watch the video!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-21659684

'After Ever After': Disney Spoof

In case you were wondering what happens after your Disney princesses live happily ever after, Jon Cozart, aka "Paint," has all the answers. And it's not pretty... although his singing is.

By Jon Cozart Will Blow Your Mind (VIDEO)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/13/after-ever-after-disney-jon-cozart_n_2867739.html

MARXIST and FUNCTIONALISTS views / role of the education system...

Check out these brilliant videos which summarise these topics.
Make sure your knowledge and understanding (AO2) is spot on!

Summary of Durkheim, Taylor and Douglas' investigations into the meanings of Suicide - SCLY4

Where do we get our concept of gender and identity from?

UK woefully under-prepared for ageing society, say peers

Get yourself some AO2 marks for SCLY1!

Demography in action!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-21773743

Has the concept of adulthood changed?

 

At what point do we become an adult, the media is constantly bombarding us with images of youth and ever maturing and immaturing adults and children.

Has adulthood changed? And if so how?

Read more below ....

The strange status of 16-year-olds

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-21742512

Horsemeat scandal 'changing shoppers' habits'

What's going on with this moral panic... impact???

The survey by Which? found that 60% of 2,000 adults questioned online had changed how they shop, with many now buying less processed meat.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-21765737

Cyber Crime on the go!

Beyonce, Jay-Z and Britney Spears have finances hacked

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/21751696

SCLY4 - global crime and internet crime! Say hello to some lovely AO2 marks

Durkheim and Suicide... and Oscar Pistorious!

Where would Oscar fit into Durkheim's types of suicide?



http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21739320

Big Brother really is everywhere...

How do you feel about Google Street View???



http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-21689940

Wow - how much has society changed?

Some rather outdated rules for female teachers...

What is Beauty?

Want to carry out your own survey?

Use this amazing tool to help you!
Survey Monkey - its free(!), it will let you contact your sample by email(!) and it will even help you analyse your results!

AMAZING!

http://www.surveymonkey.com/mp/lp/createsurveys/?utm_network=g&utm_term=survey+monkey&utm_campaign=e&gclid=CIL15biF2bUCFUvHtAodWGIAoA&pmt=e&utm_source=adwords&mkwid=sRo0Qf7w1&utm_medium=ppc&source=SearchNetwork&cmpid=brand&pcrid=29190705956&kw=survey+monkey

What is the impact of GLOBALISATION on our CHILDHOODS???

How 'big data' is changing lives

Follow the link below and watch the video...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-21535739

Pick and Mix Religion now includes disney???

IS Jesus really in Disneyland like Lyon claims?

Postmodernity happening now...

Jersey couple marry as Shrek and Fiona from Shrek film

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-jersey-21577948

The dangers of tweeting...

People who tweeted photos allegedly of child killer Jon Venables are being charged with contempt of court. It's the latest in a long line of cases that suggest that ordinary social media users need to have a grasp of media law.

Is this Charlie Brooker's world of Black Mirror really coming to life???

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20782257

United States and ex-Leeds United winger Robbie Rogers says he is "stepping away" from football after announcing he is gay.

The issue of the masculine identity and football... is it acceptable to be homosexual if your a footballer?



Rogers, 25, who was released by Leeds in January after a loan spell at Stevenage, is only the third footballer to publicly declare his homosexuality.
"I always thought I could hide this secret. Football was my escape, my purpose, my identity," said Rogers.
"Now is my time to step away. It's time to discover myself away from football."
The Football Association said it would fully back Rogers, regardless of whether he continues his career.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/21479520

What is the impact of social media and reality TV in our lives?

Charlie Brooker explores this through a TV series called Black Mirror

Monday nights at 10pm - or 4oD...

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/black-mirror/4od#series1

More info...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Mirror_(TV_series)

This weeks moral panic...

Horsemeat scandal: Minister to hold second food summit

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21421477

Horse meat scandal: EC ban on cheap British meat blamed

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/9864916/Horse-meat-scandal-EC-ban-on-cheap-British-meat-blamed.html

Fundamentalism - links!

SCLY3 - handy things to watch for a greater understanding of what Fundamentalism is and pick up  some useful AO2 marks in the process.

America's Most Hated Family
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ticxD0GfewA

Have a look on youtube for - The World's worst place to be gay.

Blimey! The Pope has resigned... SCLY3!!!!

Pope Benedict XVI to resign citing poor health

• Pope Benedict XVI to step down
• Pontiff says his age means he lacks strength to do job
• First pope to resign in 600 years
• Turkson, Ouellet or Arinze may be successor
• Obama: 'I have appreciated our work together'
 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21412609

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-21411304

Pope Resigns: Frontrunners Emerge For Role

As the search begins for Pope Benedict XVI's successor, many worshippers are hoping the church may elect its first black Pontiff.

http://news.sky.com/story/1050889/pope-resigns-frontrunners-emerge-for-role

BUT, who will be the next Pope?

WOW!

Jason Lewis: Circumnavigating the world

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21377623

A2 - news items to keep an eye on...

James Bulger's mum wants 'justice' 20 years after murder

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-21405673

How should young killers be treated?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13130691

How is society changing?

Women's rights!

The SlutWalk protest marches began on April 3, 2011, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, with subsequent rallies occurring in the United States, and rallies planned in Europe, Australia, and the Middle East. Participants protest against explaining or excusing rape by referring to any aspect of a woman's appearance. The rallies began when Constable Michael Sanguinetti, a Toronto Police officer, suggested that to remain safe, "women should avoid dressing like sluts." The protest takes the form of a march, mainly by young women, where some dress like "sluts". There are also speaker meetings and workshops. Critics say that this approach is an example of women defining their sexuality on male terms.

http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/734715.shtml

How does the media impact on our views of what beauty is?

Is beauty a socially constructed ideal?

How is the media creating a 'norm' for beauty that is unachievable and thus pressuring members of society to conform?

If you have any other links to articles or videos please post them below

Are we all holding onto our childhoods?

Do you have a teddy bear? Is this a link to our childhood that we just cant let go of?

Teddy bears: Adults on their stuffed toy companions

The historian David Cannadine considers the enduring appeal of teddy bears for both children and adults.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21265701

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21367728

Women and Education...

CORPORATE CRIME

Findus's beef lasagne could have been contaminated with horse meat since last summer, claims MP

Some Findus lasagnes were found to contain 100% horsemeat

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/finduss-beef-lasagne-could-have-been-contaminated-with-horse-meat-since-last-summer-claims-mp-8486602.html

How is the media impacting on young girls?

Teenage girls obsessed with celebrity 'thigh gaps' are starving themselves to achieve the super-skinny look

Youngsters want to emulate very slim models Cara Delevingne and Eleanor Calder

'Thinspiration' tumblr sites feature shocking images of starved thighs

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2274227/Teenage-girls-obsessed-celebrity-thigh-gaps-starving-achieve-super-skinny-look.html#ixzz2KCQTay7H
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2274227/Teenage-girls-obsessed-celebrity-thigh-gaps-starving-achieve-super-skinny-look.html#axzz2KCQAQvnj

Planned switch from GCSEs to Baccalaureate in England 'abandoned'

RIP E-Bacc

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21363396

What is the impact of homosexuality on children?

MPs vote in favour of gay marriage - Social Policy and Equality history in action!

WOW - Sociologists you can use this in your FAMILIES exam (GCSE and A-LEVEL) and your BELIEFS IN SOCIETY exam.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newsvideo/uk-politics-video/9849305/MPs-vote-in-favour-of-gay-marriage-bill-by-majority-of-225.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2013/feb/05/gay-marriage-vote-cameron-adrift

http://www.itv.com/news/update/2013-02-05/mps-vote-in-favour-of-gay-marriage/

Vajazzled! How chavs have replaced working class people on Britain's TV

http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/2011/jun/05/how-chavs-replaced-working-class

If you've got the time... Whats coming up on the telly box?

Out of Jail and on the Streets

With unprecedented access, this film uncovers the hidden world of public protection. Through the personal stories of probation officers, it explores how offenders are monitored, controlled and rehabilitated in everyday life, and how the public are protected from them.
This is the story of our protectors; the extraordinary professionals in the probation service who work with some of society's most troubled, damaged and dangerous people. They keep tabs on murderers and paedophiles, robbers and rapists, burglars and domestic abusers. It is their responsibility to stop them from hurting us.
But these offenders aren't behind bars; they're out and about, living free among us. So how are they controlled, and how are we kept safe?

On the box on Tuesday 5th Feb BBC1 10.35 - 11.35.
Don't worry if you miss it - remember iplayer is your friend!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01qllvp

SCLY3... Beliefs in Society - THE MOONIES!

The Moonies or The Unification Church are known for some rather (what we would call) strange customs - one of which are there MASS weddings.
Channel 4 broadcast a programme about this back in May 2012 - unfortunatly this is not on 4oD but here is an article about the programme for your reading pleasure!


http://www.channel4.com/programmes/married-to-the-moonies

Sad news for all Sociologists and Criminologists

Stanley Cohen obituary

Sociologist whose insights into human emotion broke new academic ground

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2013/jan/23/stanley-cohen

Secrets of a Good Marriage with Sharon Horgan

Sharon Horgan says 'everyone knows what they want from a wedding - drunk by noon, quick go on a bridesmaid, chocolate fountain - but what do we want from a marriage?'


http://www.channel4.com/programmes/sharon-horgan-on/episode-guide/series-2/episode-1

Moral Panics and Folk Devils...

A2 students... check this out!

Family quits Bingham after anti-Muslim attacks

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-21265496

GENDER CRIME - A2...

Barry Reeve murder: Women tortured pensioner to death

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-21265337

Got some spare time??? Fancy watching some Sociology related films???

Nuclear Family, the New Right and Functionalism...
Revolutionary Road http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0959337/?ref_=sr_3
Pleasantville http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120789/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

Education, labelling, self fulfilling prophecy and class...
NEDs http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1560970/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

How has the role of women changed....

Not sure what's going on with Social Policy at the moment and Education... after some top AO2 marks...

MPs condemn plan to scrap GCSEs

Really accessible article about the new English Baccalaureate.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-21261443

Underclass / Upperclass.... What's going on???

Earl of Cardigan on Jobseekers Allowance and training to be HGV driver

The Earl of Cardigan, who co-owns a sprawling 4,500 acre estate featuring a Georgian mansion worth an estimated £8 million, is claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance, it emerged on Tuesday.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/9835452/Earl-of-Cardigan-on-Jobseekers-Allowance-and-training-to-be-HGV-driver.html

Nuclear families... the cereal packet family?

Watch this PiNK video as she explores the break down of the nuclear family.

Jane Elliot..

Watch the effect of labelling and racism in the classroom... Jane Elliot style!

There's more information out there...

http://www.janeelliott.com/

AS - How could this affect Childhood?

The Russian parliament has backed a ban on the promotion of homosexuality among children in its first reading, amid scuffles on the street outside.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21194710

Where does Masculinity and Feminity come from?

Ever get angry at adverts???

What do these adverts say about masculintiy and feminity?

How do these adverts create different gender identities and gender roles?

More things to watch from the telly box (if you've got the time)

Growing up poor...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01pybfc/Growing_up_Poor_Lads/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01pvbp3

Functioning Functionalists!

What do FUNCTIONALISTS think... if you ever get stuck remember the organism analogy...

PUSHY PARENTS...

The attitude of parents can have a big effect on differences in achievement within Ethinic groups and classes...



http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2082304/Meet-Britains-Chinese-Tiger-Mums-Practice-makes-perfect.html

But is it always a positive to have such a pushy parent?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/9630771/Why-pushy-parents-fail-to-make-the-grade-in-education.html

If you've got the time... something to watch...

Last night on ITV Trevor McDonald conducted serveral interviews with Death Row Inmates... Crime and Deviance?? Punishment and Policing?

A2 - if you've got some spare time have a watch...

https://www.itv.com/itvplayer/inside-death-row-with-trevor-mcdonald/series-1/episode-1


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/9809563/Inside-Death-Row-with-Trevor-McDonald-ITV-review.html#

Where has masculinity gone?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2267496/What-snow-Kelly-Brooks-hunky-rugby-boyfriend-Thom-Evans-poses-skimpiest-boxers-steamy-shoot.html

Good old Karl Marx...

A2 - Keep an eye on this news story...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21137649



Would your Grandma behave like this??

Gender and Crime

Globalisation...

How has technology impacted on Childhood... Diane Abbott (Labour MP)

Ever wondered about the impact of technology on culture... READ THIS!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-21127073

What is Capitalism doing to Childhood?

How big business is stealing our little girls' childhoods: Dolls in micro-skirts, make-up for girls aged four... psychologist Steve Biddulph on the corruption of a generation

By Steve Biddulph

PUBLISHED: 22:29, 20 January 2013 | UPDATED: 08:26, 21 January 2013

Fifteen years ago, psychologist Steve Biddulph wrote a landmark book on the difficulties of raising boys. Back then, he believed girls weren't a problem. In this major Mail series, he argues everything's changed - and our daughters are facing an unprecedented crisis. On Saturday, he described how girls are becoming sexualised at a younger and younger age. Today, he examines why girls are increasingly insecure - and how big business preys on them for profit...

What girls really, really want, according to Lego, is their very own version of the popular plastic bricks.

So, recently, the company started producing five curvy plastic 'friends' who bake, home-make, decorate, style hair and shop. Plus a plastic female ghetto called Heartlake City, which somehow manages to thrive without any fire-fighters or policemen.

Psychologist Steve Biddulph didn't used to believe that raising girls presented as many problems as raising boys - but now he feels our daughters are facing an unprecedented crisis, becoming increasingly sexualised and insecure

Naturally, when this new product came out, many mothers were outraged. ('There IS a girls' version already - it's called Lego,' one woman commented scathingly.)

But Lego had painstakingly done its homework. Its head researcher told a newspaper that they'd discovered girls today have a single overwhelming preoccupation - beauty.

That's what the new girls' Lego was built around: the certainty that girls would identify with plastic females who were either already beautiful or about to be made more beautiful through  visits to the shops or hair salon.

Now, I'm not arguing with Lego's finding; in fact, I think it's a useful indicator of a disturbing new shift  in girlhood. The shocking truth is that never in modern times have girls been more insecure. And that's because, despite 40 years of feminism, their strongest interest can now be encapsulated in just one question: 'How do I look?'

Long before they're sexually active, their 'hotness' - or attractiveness - has become an obsession; indeed, some girls think of little else. And guess what - it isn't making them happy.

Bratz dolls, left, are h[per-sexualised toys marketed to girls as young as five, which Steve Biddulph believes is just one commercial product making girls worry about their looks and weight

As a child psychologist, I first began to notice a steep increase in mental health problems among girls five years ago. Many girls from normal middle-class families were suffering from shockingly acute levels of anxiety. Many others had eating disorders - indeed, the  latest figures suggest that there's been a  two-fold increase in these in just five years.

But there was also a sense of low-level depression that I hadn't come across before. And through both my work and my talks with friends and colleagues, I became aware that more and more parents were asking themselves: 'Why is my daughter so stressed?'

At first, the children affected were at least 13, but each year their ages have been creeping downwards. In short, girlhood no longer seems to be fun any more.

Part of the reason for this, which I dealt with on Saturday, is the recent hyper-sexualisation of our culture, which now affects even children at primary school. But the other is equally pernicious.

WHY ARE GIRLS AHEAD OF BOYS?

Even in the womb, the brain of a girl is more developed than that of a boy, thanks to oestrogen

Ever wondered why girls often seem to be so far ahead of boys? The answer is simple: their brains are more advanced.

Even in the womb, the brain of a girl is more developed than that of a boy, thanks to oestrogen created by her own body which increases the rate of brain growth.

At birth, they're already many weeks ahead of boys - and until the age of five or six, the rate at which their brains are developing speeds up still further.

That's why girls learn to speak in whole sentences, can control their fingers to do neat drawings and even write six to 12 months sooner than boys.

They're also ready to start school a year earlier.

If girls have to go to a nursery or child-minder, they generally don't suffer as much at being separated from their parents - though individual children can vary.

Later, girls enter puberty about two years sooner than boys do, turning into young women overnight when the boys seem to be standing still.

They also become adults sooner - the development of girls' brains finishes several years before boys finally catch up in their early 20s.

From every side, the current generation of girls is continually being bombarded by images that tell them how they're supposed to look.  Not only that, but the range of what constitutes an attractive appearance has grown narrower and more sexualised with each passing year. The result is that body image has become nothing short of a worldwide obsession.

While some girls refuse to eat at all, millions more - roughly a quarter of school-aged children are overweight - are desperately trying to diet. The multi-billion-pound diet industry has spread its tentacles everywhere, to the point that no schoolgirl can avoid them.

What she doesn't know is that dieting in childhood is highly likely to cause problems in the future. In a recent ground-breaking study,  American academic Dr Dianne Neumark-Sztainer revealed that adolescent girls who diet end up significantly heavier than their peers five years later.

Mothers complain that it's almost impossible to buy girls' clothing for pre-teens or teens that isn't revealing or slutty

Another study which tracked 15,000 children aged nine to 14 found that those put on diets are significantly more likely to gain weight. Worst of all, children on diets are more likely to end up suffering from an eating disorder - such as bulimia or binge eating.

How, then, can we counteract this? The most important step you can take as a parent is to focus on your daughter's health rather than her weight. Ditch the diet talk, don't have  weight-loss magazines in the house, don't watch those TV shows that humiliate fat contestants.

It's also helpful to eat together as a family, replace soft drinks with water, show kids how to eat slowly and encourage them to take more exercise.

But what about all the girls in a normal weight spectru? Why do so many of them hate their bodies and feel they don't come up to scratch?

BREASTS AT THE AGE OF SEVEN

Alarm bells have been ringing recently with reports that increasing numbers of girls are starting puberty early.

With good reason, too. When a girl of seven or eight develops breasts, it's bound to cause her some confusion and bring her undue attention that she could really do without.

So is there really an epidemic of early puberty? And what can we do to prevent it happening to our daughters?

The first thing to be said is that more and more girls are growing breasts at a younger age. The vast majority of them, however, won't have their first period until the average age of just over 12 - which has remained remarkably constant for 40 years. In other words, they're not going through puberty.

Researchers found that many of the girls with early breast development did not have the oestrogen 'oestradiol', which is linked to puberty, present in their bodies

So what's going on? Researchers found that many of the girls with early breast development did not have the oestrogen 'oestradiol', which is linked to puberty, present in their bodies.

This led them to the conclusion that other oestrogen-like chemicals from the environment were triggering a kind of 'false start'.

And this in turn has raised concern among doctors because early breast growth increases the lifetime risk of cancer.

Meanwhile, parents are rightly concerned that seven or eight-year-olds with breasts are singularly ill-equipped to deal with the attention they attract. Is there anything that can be done to arrest this phenomenon?

A pregnant mum who works on a checkout, uses nail varnish, enjoys soft drinks and heats tinned soup should hope for a boy

The best current advice is to try to avoid contact with chemicals that mimic hormones.

But it's harder than it sounds. Bisphenol A (BPA) and pthalates occur in products we use  every day and in agricultural chemicals that end up in our water and food.

BPA is also present in polycarbonate water bottles and, until recently, in baby bottles. And yes, it does leach out - students in one study who used these bottles had a 69 per cent increase in their levels after just one week.

Worse news is that BPA is also found in the liners of cans that are used for vegetables and soups. This is a much greater source  than drink bottles because of the longer exposure that food has to the lining.

If you use baby formula, the powder is a lot safer than liquids. Plastic clingfilm on foods should be avoided, unless you can find one that is BPA-free - and never heat them or microwave them.

Concerned parents should try to use fragrance-free detergents, cleansers, and personal care products - and avoid air fresheners unless their label clearly states 'pthalate-free.'

Cosmetics can also contain hormone-mimicking pthalates - nail polish and artificial fragrances are common culprits. (Google the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics website for details.)

In short, a pregnant mum who works on a checkout, uses nail varnish, enjoys soft drinks out of a can and heats tinned soup for dinner should probably hope for a boy.

Let me give you just one example of how the world has moved on since you were a child: the Bratz doll, launched 13 years ago. One mum, Paula Joye, recently wrote about her disquiet when her five-year-old daughter asked for a Bratz for Christmas.

This is a doll that has swishy, knee-length hair with pastel streaks, hoop earrings and 'more black kohl eyeliner' - as Paula puts it - 'than a Kardashian'. It comes with miniature thigh-high boots, a micro-mini skirt or cut-off shorts and a boob tube.

It's little wonder that today's girls are far more anxious than they were a generation ago about looking right and fitting in

Where's the harm, you may ask, if it makes a five-year-old's face light up on Christmas Day?

Well, just take a look at the 13-year-olds who've grown up in the Bratz era. Paula Joye did: she came across them en masse at a pop concert - and they were all dressed identically in tiny cut-off denim shorts and florescent crop tops.

True, teenagers have always copied one another - it's perfectly normal to want to dress in a similar way to your friends. But until recently, there used to be far more diversity and room for self-expression.

Granted, we can't blame this sexualised dress code for girls on Bratz alone. TV, social networking sites, online porn and advertisements all play their part in dictating to our daughters how they should  look, think and act.

It's little wonder that today's girls are far more anxious than they were a generation ago about looking right and fitting in.

Every aspect of a girl's appearance now presents an opportunity to fail, with the result being how they look has become the primary concern of children who should never give it a second though

The corporate world must shoulder a lot of the responsibility for this. In the past ten years, it's realised that girls, and especially pre-teen girls, are a soft target. There are, after all, enormous profits to be made from exploiting their anxieties about everything from skin, weight and clothes to friendship. In fact, today's advertising - on billboards and TV, in music  videos and magazines - actively creates anxieties. 

Mothers complain it's almost impossible to buy girls' clothing for pre-teens or teens that isn't revealing or slutty, and they can't understand why it takes an hour of anxious preparation before their daughters will leave the house

Why? Because in order to sell products to a girl, whether she's four or 14, you first have to make her  insecure - about her looks, friends, clothes, weight, skin and hair.

This amounts to nothing less than a war on girlhood. And believe me, it's succeeding.

Every aspect of a girl's appearance now presents an opportunity to fail. The result: how they look has become the primary concern of children who should never give it a second thought. So they're buying - or nagging their parents to buy - things that young girls never needed or thought of in earlier generations: make-up, skin and hair products, throw-away fashion and footwear that piles up in cupboards.

Mothers complain that it's almost impossible to buy girls' clothing for pre-teens or teens that isn't revealing or slutty. They find it hard to understand why it takes an hour of anxious preparation before their little darlings will even appear in public.

Last year, girls as young as 11 began posting clips of themselves on YouTube with one simple question: 'Am I ugly or pretty?', and there are now hundreds of 'Ugly/Pretty' videos in this 21st-century re-make of 'Mirror, mirror on the wall'

How can parents combat this? We can, for a start, try actively to protect our daughters from the kind of exploitative messages for which they're neither equipped nor ready.

So stop their subscriptions to girls' magazines, for instance, which generally do more harm than good. They're bursting at the seams with ads for sexy clothes and make-up, which are aimed squarely at children. 

Then there's the rest of the content: which boys are hot. How to be hot. Hotness competitions.

Everywhere a young girl looks, there's someone ready to judge her on her appearance. Some social networking sites invite her to ask not just a few friends if they think she looks OK in a photo, but the whole world.

Last year, girls as young as 11 began posting clips of themselves on YouTube with one simple question: 'Am I ugly or pretty?' There are now hundreds of 'Ugly/Pretty' videos in this 21st-century re-make of 'Mirror, mirror on the wall'.

Little girls are no longer allowed to just have fun being children

One posting by a 15-year-old girl called Kendal attracted four million views and 107,000 anonymous responses, many of them abusive.

These included: 'Y do you live, and kids in Africa die?' and 'You need a hug around your neck with a rope.'

Kendal left a sad message on the site. 'A lot of people tell me I'm ugly. I think I'm ugly and fat,' she wrote.

Vulnerable teens and tweens may pretend to shrug off these torrents of anonymous abuse, but the fact is that their fragile sense of self can be smashed instantly, leading in  some cases to self-harm and  suicidal thoughts.

Meanwhile, if a girl's ego isn't being mauled on the internet, the television programmes she watches every day are insidiously doing it for her.

Each year, as TV companies battle for ratings, there are more and more shows featuring 'hot' and ravishingly good-looking young women. 

Also at odds with real life are the so-called reality shows, which so many girls watch religiously.

These often feature immature and good-looking young adults having contrived flirtations and experiencing rejection, bullying and exclusion.

Kids watch all this, mesmerised, and conclude that the world must be like this - a heartless place where no one cares. And if you're not pretty or sexy enough, they learn, then you won't be 'chosen'.
For girls, TV isn't just entertainment. They use it for an additional purpose: to find out what's normal or cool behaviour. In this way, they absorb thousands of bewildering, distorted, artificial and just plain wrong messages about the world.

Researchers have found that TV's six key messages to girls are:

1. Your looks are the most important thing about you.

2. Your physical characteristics (shape, weight, skin, hair, teeth, colour, smell) are NEVER, EVER good enough.

3. Sex is primarily a currency that you exchange, for love and attention or for power.

4. It's normal to have sex with people you don't even know, or especially like.

5. The world is a scary, lonely, dangerous and competitive place. Better get going - you might lose the race.

6. The answer to all life's problems is to buy something.

Steve Biddulph says few parents are supporting girlhood in the way we once did

No single show is particularly to blame; it's the relentless flood of this type of programming that's progressively damaging our daughters.

Yet few parents are supporting girlhood in the way we once did. Instead of banning TVs from a child's bedroom or rationing her viewing, for instance, we all too often allow it to become a third parent.

So what can we do? We can start by being more available. Nothing is more crucial than spending time with our daughters, discussing what they see and hear - as well as their hopes and concerns.

We also need to make sure they have role models and mentors, such as aunties or older friends. Involve them in demanding activities that will absorb them. Teach them that they look fine just as they are. Eat meals together and talk.

The forces pitched against our daughters are here to stay. But with enough love and motivation, we can still restore what should be every girl's birthright: a happy childhood.

Adapted from Raising Girls by Steve Biddulph, published by HarperCollins at £12.99. © 2013 Steve Biddulph. To order a copy for £10 (p&p free) call 0844 472 4157.