My Strong Passion for The Study of Sociology

The study of sociology is of extreme importance in society due to its capability of helping to understand and solve social issues that have a drastic and long lasting effect on its citizens such as gender inequality, poverty, and racism. This contribution is a part of the reason for my interest in the subject. In hopes to contribute to making British society a better place, particularly for marginalised groups in the future, I wish to further develop my knowledge and understanding of the subject of Sociology and areas within it such as exploring into crime, why it takes place, and how it can be prevented and if we can ever reach equality or if it is inevitable.

Studying Sociology at Sixth form has not only developed my understanding of the intricate workings of society and the dynamics between groups within but also sparked my passion for the subject. Having immensely enjoyed studying the feminist theory in depth and learning about things, such as gender role socialisation as proposed by Anne Oakley, I have taken on reading ‘Everyday Sexism’ by Laura Bates from which I have acquired more knowledge about the inequality of men and women, where it stems from, and why many people believe sexism does not appear in society today. I have also acquired knowledge about things such as women in politics and women as victims of harassment which has made me determined to improve the society in which we live and raise awareness of such issues.

Studying Psychology at A Level has complemented my interest in studying sociology as it has involved my participation in conducting a psychological study which taught me how to handle raw data, regulate the ethicality of an experiment, and work independently, whilst studying Theology has involved many in-class debates which developed my ability to think critically and debate different issues from different perspectives.

My Extended Project Qualification has allowed me to acquire greater time management skills and develop skills necessary to research relevant information, reference sources, and coherently write and structure a dissertation alongside working efficiently on my own which are transferable skills to study society. My project explored whether the death penalty can be considered right or wrong within the UK which involved sociologically-based arguments such as that crime is a social construct, and that the admission of the death penalty may be prejudiced due to social factors such as poverty or race.

When not engaged in my studies, I engage in fitness training which has enhanced my time management skills due to having to fit two hours of it into my daily activities. By reason of my belief in the need for equality within society I run a blog to raise awareness of issues such as mental illness, racism, sexism, and homophobia. Having experience with young children through babysitting has enhanced my knowledge of socialisation and showed me the importance of education as a part of it through educational toys and children’s books.

My strong passion for the need for equality stems from my own experience of integration into British society by coming to England from Poland. Migration is inevitably difficult due to leaving behind a culture and assimilating into a new one. I believe it to be of extreme importance to retain ones culture and so, alongside my family, I still participate in traditional polish celebrations and have taken the Polish GCSE qualification to develop my language which allowed me to experience hybridisation by retaining my origin culture in another.

Previously, I have been a part of the Year 11 prom committee which worked together to organise prom and during my time at sixth form I have participated in the annual Macmillan Bake Sale and an open day for year 11 students where I helped to inform them about studying Sociology. All of this has helped me to act as a role model to younger students and involved connecting with people who make up our society.

Works Cited

1. Bates, L. (2015). Everyday sexism. Simon & Schuster.
2. Home Office. (2019). Hate crime, England and Wales, 2018 to 2019. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hate-crime-england-and-wales-2018-to-2019
3. Johnson, J. (2016). Sociology: a very short introduction. Oxford University Press.
4. Oakley, A. (1972). Sex, gender, and society. Temple Smith.
5. Paternotte, D., & Tremblay, M. (2019). The Ashgate research companion to lesbian and gay activism. Routledge.
6. Renzetti, C. M., Curran, D. J., & Maier, S. L. (2018). Women, men, and society. Routledge.
7. Scherer, J. (2019). Introduction to sociology. OpenStax.
8. Thornberry, T. P., Krohn, M. D., Lizotte, A. J., Smith, C. A., & Tobin, K. (2003). Gangs and delinquency in developmental perspective. Cambridge University Press.
9. Van Krieken, R., Habibis, D., Smith, P., Hutchins, B., Martin, G., & Maton, K. (2019). Sociology. Pearson Australia.
10. Villalba, C. M., & Malatesta, D. (2019). “Don’t ask, don’t tell” revisited: the gendered experiences of LGBTQ+ military veterans. In The Ashgate research companion to lesbian and gay activism (pp. 61-76). Routledge.