Our charitable aim
The British Sociological Association (BSA) is an educational charity. Our aim is simple: to promote sociology.
About Discover Sociology
The Discover Sociology website is an online information hub for students and teachers at secondary level (i.e. GCSE, A Level or equivalent), sign-posting
to high-quality educational resources for learning and teaching about sociology. Each resource is accompanied by a brief description, an explanation
of how the resources link to the curriculum, and suggestions about how each resource could be used in the classroom.
Why Discover Sociology?
In 2012, the BSA expanded its remit to cover the study of sociology in secondary schools (previously supported by the Association for the Teaching
of the Social Sciences). Over the next two years a new database of teachers of sociology in secondary schools was built, a programme of regional
events took place, The Sociology Teacher magazine was developed, and information about the needs of teachers of sociology at secondary level
was gathered. It was clear that secondary school teachers wanted user-friendly promotional materials designed specifically to help them attract
students to their subject. Discover Sociology was created as a new promotional resource, and made available in hard copy and online.
It was well-received and the BSA trustees decided that they would invest in an expanded online version of Discover Sociology. The new online
resource would be a website dedicated to the needs of pre-tertiary students and their teachers. Strategically, for the trustees of the national
subject association for sociology, this was a move designed to help the future flow of students into the discipline by providing support and
encouragement to newcomers to sociology.
Who developed the website?
A small team of five people (Garry Crawford, Natalie Davison, Chris Doyle, Judith Mudd and Patrick Robinson) worked on a part-time basis for
12 months developing the site. They conducted a user survey to test the site which included teachers, students, exam boards and academics to
help them produce something useful and user-friendly.
When was Discover Sociology launched?
Discover Sociology was launched in September 2016 as a satellite website linked to the main website of the British Sociological Association.
BSA link to main British Sociological Association website
Your feedback and suggestions
We hope you will find Discover Sociology useful. Material will be added to this site regularly so that the resources are always being refreshed.
We welcome feedback and suggestions for additions.
Contact Us We would like to hear from you
