Exploring Sociology through the screen

One Child Nation | Storyville

A decade after the end of the one child policy what is the impact? How can North Korea be used as an example for ideology? MET attitudes and their impact on the CJS and finally – the education reform act 1944.

This programme has curriculum links to:

• Family & social policy year 12
• State policies year 12
• Demographic trends family & households
• Beliefs in society – Ideology, science and beliefs
• Culture & identity
• Research methods

A decade after the ‘one child policy’ in China came to an end, it is possible to look back and assess the impact of the policy and the way it has influenced Chinese society. It also has the potential to be an investigation into demographic trends and could be doubled up with a research methods piece for A-level students.

North Korea Undercover | Panorama

In this Panorama episode, reporter John Sweeney spends eight days undercover inside North Korea, the most rigidly-controlled nation on Earth.

Curriculum links include:

• Culture & identity
• Beliefs in society – Ideology, science and religion
• Beliefs in society – cults/religion as a conservative force
• Civil religion
• Robert Bellah

This is an excellent investigation into life in North Korea, the secretive-state, the tensions with the west and how it controls its own people with a ‘civil religion’. In-class discussions around this programme can include Robert Bellah and which countries use their national flag as a force for loyalty. It’s also possible to work in some ideas on cults and religion as a conservative force.

Undercover in the Police | Panorama

Secret filming by Panorama reveals evidence of racism, misogyny and officers revelling in the use of force at one of London’s busiest police stations, Charing Cross.

Curriculum links can be found for:

• Crime & deviance
• CJS
• Role of the police
• Misogyny
• Institutional racism
• Sexism & racism
• Canteen culture

The Sarah Everard case, along with the outcomes of the Angiolini Inquiry and the work of Baroness Casey following the protests of March 2021 and the Reclaim These Streets campaigns, sees Panorama investigate whether the Met has truly made any cultural changes after once again being labelled ‘institutionally racist’ and more recently, ‘institutionally misogynist’. It appears that within Charing Cross police station little has changed, with examples of canteen culture and inappropriate conversations being secretly recorded.

Education Reform Act 1944 | Middle Classes…Their Rise And Sprawl

Curriculum links include:

• 1944 Education Act secondary education for all
• Selective tripartite system
• Cultural capital
• Cultural bias
• Class
• Comprehensive education
• Private and state schools.

Using footage from the time, this programme gives an overview of the Butler Act and the 1944 education reform act. It relies heavily on looking at the experiences of students from the time and the changes in the education system. Regardless of where you use this 38-minute programme, it will give a good overview of the time period and the reasons behind the change.

From questions of ideology and identity to the role of state policy in shaping lives, these resources demonstrate the power of visual media in making abstract sociological ideas tangible and relevant. As students engage with these thought-provoking case studies, they’re encouraged to reflect on how social structures, institutions and belief systems continue to evolve, and how these changes are both shaped by and reflective of broader cultural and political forces.

All programmes included in this piece can be shared with students once logged in via the student share button to encourage independent study or extension work, however students aged 16+ can also create their own account and access all clips and programmes on-demand.