It’s a sociologist bonanza. The Standard Deviants cover several of the major contributors to sociology. Who are these people? How’d they get into the history books? What did they say about family and society? You’ll find out how their work influences budding sociologists today.
Subjects: General
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Stress Management
Stress has been called the most prevalent disease of modern society: a new epidemic brought about by the pace of modern life and the pressure to succeed in a climate of increasing job insecurity. Stress management is big business. But what do stress counselors do? How effective are their remedies? And are we becoming a nation of stress addicts?
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Crime and Deviance
n this program we take a journey through time to show how ideas about crime have moved in and out of fashion, how some of the latest strategies of crime prevention go back to the 19th Century and how thinking about crime and deviance is influenced by wider social changes.
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Families and Households
Although sociology is full of long and complicated words, it’s important to remember it’s about the lives of real people. These are the first lines of this program and they set the tone. Filmed on location, it makes the topic of families more accessible by interweaving key sociological ideas with real people’s experiences of family life.
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Day Care
There has been an explosion of day care in the last three decades. But what are the effects on children’s long term development? Starting from a nursery, this program explores these questions with case studies, documentary sources and expert analysis from Jay Belsky and Julia Berryman.
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Eating Disorders
Although food has never been more plentiful in developed countries, an apparently increasing number of young people don’t want to eat, or want to get rid of what they’ve eaten as quickly as possible. Eating disorders now have one of the highest mortality rates of all psychiatric conditions. We begin with some brief case studies of anorectics and establish what psychologists mean by an eating disorder. This leads into exploring the main causes of eating disorders.
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Eyewitness Testimony
We begin with a brief case study of a prisoner convicted on eyewitness testimony alone. This leads in to an exploration of the reliability of eyewitness testimony and what this can tell us about the nature of memory itself. Police and lay accounts are supplemented by expert analysis from Michael Eysenck, Phil Banyard and crime expert, Julie Harrower.
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Obedience and Ethics
Conformity is essential to social life. But behind the familiar order of everyday life lurk some uncomfortable truths. Psychological experiments have shown that our desire to conform can lead us into mistrusting our own experiences, turning a blind eye to the suffering of others, and even inflicting harm on others. But these findings come at a price – the possible harm to those being studied. Should psychologists be doing this type of research? This program explores some of the key ethical issues arising from psychological research into obedience and conformity.
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The Way We Live
The Way We Live is a comprehensive introduction to Sociology. Each broadcast-quality video incorporates interviews with leading sociologists, historic and contemporary footage, and case study illustrations called Slice of Life to bring learning to life. Students will explore the rich tapestry, diversity, and commonality of the human experience; learn to think critically about the challenging issues of our time; and develop a solid understanding of the groups, organizations, and societies which form the contexts for …the way we live.