Tricky Sociology

By Roger Colins

Sociology is the study of societies, so much is apparent. I myself never had the misfortune to fall under a class of sociology but have come across several aspects of it in related studies and have realised, it is not the study of sociology at all. ___________________________________________________ Compare it to Geography or History, stay well away from Psychology. Geography can include elements of Geology and Meteorology but essentially we are talking about flags, the oceans, capital cities, mountain ranges. History as we all know is all about dates, famous people, great battles and revolutions. Sociology in any school or college will cover politics, culture, families, gender, education, religion, globalisation and recently, quite a large chunk dedicated to media studies. Fair enough, but is this really is not what should be taught and if it is, there should be a sister subject that more closely resembles civics. Since the economic meltdown six years ago I could not help but observe an ever increasing hole appearing in the world. It has been there for quite some time. Many will have their own opinions on the problem and have generally directed the cause towards banks. This too, is fair enough. Unemployment has to be a factor. Housing too. The economies crashed thanks to the very existence of stock exchanges but it is the confidence behind the numbers that results in growth or recession, bulls and bears. Furthermore, social security is the one true protectorate against civilian hardship, or at least it is supposed to be therefore we come full circle and have to ask, why do citizens still have to live rough and starve in any country that claims to provide social security? I have a proposal. Education. There is no comprehensive curriculum class for actual sociology. In geography you will be taught your own flag first and then the others. In History you will learn your own, most recent war before anyone else's. Sociology should be taught alongside the humanities, not psychology and encompass the practical functionality of your own society beginning with, politics, just as it is now. After learning the basic formation of political parties, voting and the taxing system the teacher should move on without skipping a beat onto going to work, paying bills, driving tests, businesses, differences between private and public organisations, the banking system, healthcare, education, police and the rest of social security for those less fortunate than ourselves. This, is sociology and it is not a theoretical study nor an art. Educate the next generation and all the future one's on how to fully integrate instead of becoming a potential dead weight. Should students leave school, at any age, ready and prepared to protect themselves from the pitfalls of life we will not only have an army of citizens who know how to fill in a form at the post office but one that has a lot more faith in their own part of the whole.

sociology education  social services __________________