lookwhaticando Posted 5 September 2006 Posted 5 September 2006 I like the idea of not having to focus solely on one course, but the amount of courses you have to do seems a lot! Am I right in thinking (from your post) that if you were doing humanities you wouldbe forced to do something in scienes? - I don;t know if I could cope with that, the best thing about A-Levels for me was no more science or maths. As this thread is asking about students... I'm starting at St Andrews a week on saturday; doing Theology. The Scottish system seems a little like a cross between the Canadian model and the English model, in that your encouraged to take modules form within your faculty (i.e. humanities or siences) that aren't part of your main 'school'. So in addition to theology, I'm doing history and anthropology. It's highly possible you'd be required to take a course in the sciences at some point. This could be in Earth Sciences or Natural sciences. Chances are you'd take an entry level program which requires some previous science education, but not a whole lot. I don't think we do more classes as such... 1 credit is 110 hours I think... every 0.5 credit (one class running for one semester up to 4 hours a week) is about 55 hours. You typically do 2.5 credits per semester, or 5 a year (3 year programs are 15 credits total, 4 are typcially 20 credits). My semesters have ranged from having 12 hours of lectures/tutorials a week to 24 hours of lectures/tutorials a week. 24 is about te most you can do (the school limits you to 3 credits per semester unless you have written permission from the school to exceed). Most people do about 16-18 hours a week. Not bad considering secondary school is 30 to 35 hours a typical week.
billabob Posted 5 September 2006 Posted 5 September 2006 It's the fact that it is what it is not, it's not philosophy or psychology, it's not geography or a 'proper' science. It's like a watered down version of all of them without the depth, the rigour or the gravitas. And sociologists grow beards and work for the local council. You'll also find that there always old and the women one's look like men!
Simon Posted 6 September 2006 Posted 6 September 2006 It's the fact that it is what it is not, it's not philosophy or psychology, it's not geography or a 'proper' science. It's like a watered down version of all of them without the depth, the rigour or the gravitas. And sociologists grow beards and work for the local council. Hmm, I could grow a beard... Your comment is precisely the kind of comment I would expect from someone who has never studied Sociology in any depth. As subjects, the ones you have listed all inform each other and help build a picture of the world in which we live in. Sociology cannot be a watered down version of psychology- they have a different raison d'etre (if conducted in the correct way) and in any case Sociology predates psychology by several centuries. Don't get me wrong, there's some complete crap written in Sociology; (which gave rise to the awful 70's child centred education, and then the 11 + exam) with all the intellectual depth of a puddle, as there is in any subject. However, there's some pretty fascinating stuff written too. Most of the interesting stuff written regarding globalisation has been written by sociologists (e.g. McDonaldisation). If you read any Habermas or Thompson you'd understand a great deal more about politics and the media and our fascination with the cult of personality. Bourdieu did more for working class children French education then the French government until his death a few ago. I'm sorry for the rant, but I feel it necessary to defend a much (and I believe wrongly) maligned subject because people only give it a rather glib investigation.
Daggers Posted 6 September 2006 Posted 6 September 2006 Your comment is precisely the kind of comment I would expect from someone who has never studied Sociology in any depth. Well, my wife did an OU Combined Studies degree and I was the one that helped her revise for each sociology exam...and there was a fair bit of sociology in my B.Ed...but apart from that, you are right, I've not studied it in any depth. Beards are the new rock and roll, which was the old black before it became comedy nightclubs.
Simon Posted 6 September 2006 Posted 6 September 2006 Well, my wife did an OU Combined Studies degree and I was the one that helped her revise for each sociology exam...and there was a fair bit of sociology in my B.Ed...but apart from that, you are right, I've not studied it in any depth. Beards are the new rock and roll, which was the old black before it became comedy nightclubs. I think I may have to grow a beard now... My argument about sociology still stands though...
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