Why study Sociology? 

Sociology is the study of the society we live in. Studying Sociology will enable you to understand better the social factors that shape your own life. In sociology we study how society works, how it is organised, how it changes, the diversity that exists across different cultures. The study of Sociology will help you to acquire certain skills such as how to analyse social situations, how to take a critical approach to what is happening around you. You will learn that nothing is what it seems, that you should not take anything for granted but to question everything, most of all commonsense knowledge. Sociology will enable you to understand the behaviour of people within different social contexts, the cultural and social factors that shape their behaviour, their life, their beliefs, their way of thinking, their traditions, their relationships, the social institutions and systems that shape everyday life. 

If you wish to choose Sociology, you do not need any previous knowledge of social studies. All you need is an interest in social issues and a desire to know more about the society you live in. We offer Sociology at both Intermediate and Advanced level.

Intermediate Sociology will give you a basic knowledge of how society works by exploring a range of social issues with which you may already be familiar but which will be approached from a sociological perspective.You will learn to start looking more critically at familiar aspects of everyday life such as family life, religious beliefs, poverty and the role of the media in society. As an Intermediate student you will study culture and identity as a core area, together with four other thematic areas:

• the family
• religion
• media and communication, and
• welfare and social policy.
  
  

When you study Sociology at Advanced level, you will start looking at society from a new perspective. This is called the 'sociological imagination'. You will learn to challenge commonly held views with sociological knowledge emerging from social research. You will realise that certain things which you had always taken for granted are more complex than you thought they were. 

As an Advanced Level student you will get to grips with the study of culture and identity. This is a core area of the subject. A number of thematic areas will be covered; these include:

• the family
• religion
• gender and sexuality
• welfare and social policy
• media and communication
• crime and deviance
• the environment
• race
• ethnicity, and
• migration.

The course links together the theoretical and applied aspects of sociology. Theory and practice are not studied separately; you will be encouraged to apply theoretical concepts and explanations throughout.

Sociology will equip you with skills and knowledge which are essential in today's society regardless of any further studies you will pursue in the future. 

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Listen to the episode related to sociology from the Junior College radio programme mill-Kulleġġ:
(the episode is in the Maltese language)