BSSS Faculty

SPIRITUAL, MORAL, SOCIAL AND CULTURE IN BSSS

The BSSS Faculty promotes British Values through our teaching of cultural norms in society; for example family structures and workers’ rights and responsibilities.

We celebrate diversity particularly in sociology and psychology but also through analysis of labour markets in Economics. We promote an understanding of key laws relevant to our areas and promote the importance of these. We encourage discussions that explore exactly what is meant by British Values and in so doing we allow students to develop a confident and positive view of their place and role in British society.

BUSINESS

In Business students are encouraged to develop their Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Education across all lessons.

Students are required to use a variety of skills in order to investigate different businesses and be able to make appropriate judgements. Students are encouraged to develop their own opinions and how to justify them to their peers. Helping them to develop a crucial skill.

Spiritual |

Students are encouraged to explore different businesses and challenge the actions that businesses take.

The varied objectives of organisations from profit maximisation to quality of service invites discussion on the nature of businesses and organisations. Students explore what is ethics within business and investigate examples of child labour and other issues.

Moral Development |

in Business invites students to draw conclusions using observations, evidence and case studies to support this.

Students explore the issues surrounding misuse of information in order to make a justified judgment. Topics may include environmental and ethical issues such as child labour.

Social Education |

in Business gives students the opportunities to develop their team working skills through collaboration work and research.

The students also explore the concept of teams and roles that individuals have to play and how this can impact a business. Students are given the opportunity to exercise their leadership skills. Students sometimes work collaboratively to understand new concepts and share information researched. Students carry out research into local area in terms of population structure, buying trends and habits.

Cultural Education |

in Business includes trading internationally and the barriers to this. Students study the impact of the EU and Brexit, trading barriers, exchange rates and how these can impact a business.

ECONOMICS

Spiritual |

Limited aspects of this may apply when considering new behavioural economic models that go beyond rational economic systems to include those that incorporate altruism. Students may question some of the assumptions that may underpin some models. Krugman has been quoted as saying “£If Economists had a creed it would start “I believe in free trade”” This is a useful debating point.

Moral |

Discussions about Inequality of Income and Wealth involve debating the most effective government policies to address the issue. Economists do not make moral judgements about each policy but do develop an ability to argue the costs and benefits of a variety of approaches. This involves developing a sense of right and wrong to some extent.

Social |

Economics is all about deepening the students’ appreciation of the British system of taxation and welfare including the role of the welfare state. The impact on society of government policies is also considered as well as an understanding of the ways in which the UK’s structure is evolving. For example the impact on a region of the closure of a deep mining pit throws social issues into the debate.

Cultural |

The Globalisation topic invites students to consider the cultural differences between countries. This can be a factor when assessing the impact of aid, Multinational corporations and trade. Command economies are also compared with free market and mixed economies which invites discussion about cultural issues.

PSYCHOLOGY

Spiritual |

Psychology recognises and embraces the individual differences and the effects of a wide range of religious beliefs on the behaviour of individuals.

Moral |

Ethics are a key factor in psychology and are discussed in relation to the effects a researcher may have on their participants, what should be investigated or the appropriate choice of methodology.

Social |

One of the key introductory topics focusses on our roles as social creatures and the effect society has on human behaviour. Students also consider the way humans have adapted behaviour through history. We are all individuals but we play key roles in an evolving society.

Cultural | 

Cultural differences are a key factor in psychological investigations. By recognising that cultures are affected by society and historical pasts, it allows us to gain a relevant insight into different behaviour through case studies.

SOCIOLOGY

Our Sociology students are encouraged to develop their Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Education across all lessons throughout the GCSE and A-Level courses. They consider competing debates and perspectives in order to develop their written skills to make appropriate judgements.

Spiritual |

A variety of spiritual issues are discussed across the Sociology courses. Religion as a secondary agency of socialisation, alongside education and the media, is mentioned in the Introducing Sociology topic at GCSE. In A-Level Sociology, students complete the Beliefs in Society topic which looks at the potential of religion to create social change alongside an exploration of other issues in depth including different religious movements and fundamentalism.

Moral |

The criminal justice system is explored within the Crime topics at both GCSE and A-Level. In A-Level Sociology this includes a consideration of aims of punishment including retributive and restitutive justice. In addition students will consider the morality of inequality when considering wealth, income and status differences, their causes and effects. In addition, all Sociology students consider the ethical issues within social research to include informed consent, anonymity and confidentiality.

Social |

Students are encouraged throughout both courses to develop coherent, balanced arguments that evaluate the viewpoints of others. Sociology, as an academic discipline, considers the extent to which other members of society influence human behaviour. British Values are intrinsically woven into the curriculum and made explicit as part of the Education system topic at both GCSE and A-Level.

Cultural |

British culture and the variety of other cultures are explored in Sociology including the aspects that make up a culture and how culture is learned by individuals in each society. We also consider how social constructions vary across cultures to create differences in terms of deviance, childhood etc. Globalisation is of central concern across A-Level Sociology. In particular, the Beliefs topic allows consideration of different cultural beliefs and the levels of religiosity, and its importance, in different parts of the world. We also look at the push and pull factors affecting patterns of migration in the Families topic.