BSc (Hons) Public Sociology

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://eresearch.qmu.ac.uk/handle/20.500.12289/7265

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A sociological study of belief and conversion in Scotland today.
(Queen Margaret University, 2016)
Sociological theory regarding contemporary religious conversion is contested and malleable; the once accepted 'modernisation as secularisation' theory has since died, and instead the consensus is one of pluralisation. This dissertation set the aim to discover the role of Christian belief in modern contemporary, Scottish society, with a view to determining its function given the individualistic nature of late-modern society, as well as illustrating the reasons behind religious conversion. I intended to provide a human face to the current sociological consensus of religious decline. In order to achieve this, I conducted six semi-structured interviews with participants based in Edinburgh and the Lothians, and Dumfries and Galloway with ages ranging from 25 to 70 years old. My findings were consistent with current consensus that privatism is having a drastic impact on how the late-modern individual engages with Christianity and faith, with the themes emerging of: Privatism, Ambivalence vis á vis Institution, Knowledge and Truth, The Dialectic of the Self and The Other, and Structural Vulnerability. From my research I have concluded that individuality in a Scottish context is influencing religion to be adapted to the new social context within which it is being practiced, which is no longer one of community but one of subjective spirituality through grace.
Health Queeries- MSM and their lived experience of mental health.
(Queen Margaret University, 2016)
This research set out to investigate the lived experience of MSM who have mental health difficulties in rural and urban settings. There is a severe lack of literature when it comes to the mental health of MSM in particular. Furthermore, the research currently being conducted in the field of mental health does not look at social factors when conducting their research. Finally, the current research available does not distinguish between urban and rural environments when it comes to the lived experience of MSM with mental health difficulties. Through interviewing six MSM, this research offers a comprehensive outlook on the lives of these individuals. By looking at the lived experiences of MSM, this research was able to uncover new information in this poorly researched area. This research concludes affirming that more sociological research needs to be conducted; in order to gain a more fruitful understanding of mental health and the affect rurality has on the service provided to MSM with mental health difficulties.
Exsul: a sociological analysis of print media representations of the refugee crisis.
(Queen Margaret University, 2016)
The print media functions as an important means of information communication in society in that it brings global events into the homes of consumers on a daily basis where text and images can be read and re-read at the user's leisure. In the specific instance of the ongoing refugee crisis the reporting of the print media has become increasingly loaded and virulent, therefore, this creates a heated political context, which this research contributes to. This research conducted a rigorous grounded theory analysis over a four month period on the media coverage of the refugee crisis from June-September 2015 from both the Scottish Daily Mail and the Guardian, and uncovered 328 Guardian articles and 333 Daily Mail articles. This process generated a set of conceptual categories: geopolitical and economic discourses, the reactionary power of politics and the media and the language of fear. It was found that the Guardian mainly focuses on the humanitarian elements of the crisis, while the Daily Mail tended to take a differing stance, which places emphasis on increasing calls for securitisation. The ideologies and historical context of these differing stances are at odds and the underlying rationale appears to rest on political allegiance. The language used in reporting is crucial in relaying information to readers and therefore the distinction made between migrants and refugees is critical, as this has a direct effect on the public appetite to support international assistance. This is owing to the structured reality that the print media builds and develops through a series of narratives and representations; this not only shapes, but constrains the public's understanding of the refugee crisis in such a way that perceptions of the crisis are distorted.
A critical investigation of institutional perception through an autistic lens: a phenomenological approach.
(Queen Margaret University, 2016)
It is felt that there is a growing demand for the need in changing perceptions regarding autism research. Individuals within this domain are still extremely segregated within the education system which has been supported through theorists such as Paulo Freire (1972). Given the opportunity to conduct such research, I felt that assembling semi-structured interviews in order to gain an insight into the lived experiences of individuals with Asperger's syndrome will be revolutionary in the development of such study. If anything, this research has given such individuals a voice, with the strong themes that have emerged from the data show that there is still a need for societal change. The five key themes are: Stigma, The Social Configuration of Disability, Social Exclusion and Isolation, Institutional Implications and Interpretations and Gender. With the rising age of media and online communication, additional challenges for autistic individuals are greater than ever. There is a strong notion that it is in fact society that is at fault in the enacted stigmatisation that these individual's have to face on a daily basis. Social constructionism therefore allows the unpacking of contested terms such as 'disability'. Culturally speaking, the notions of disability differ notably; this dissertation argues that it is through a capitalist lens that these dramatic differences occur in the quality of life regarding economic and social conditions
Cultural Production among Post-affluent Scottish Working-class Writers.
(Queen Margaret University, 2017)
The purpose of this study is to explore the cultural production of post-affluent working class writers in Scotland from a sociological perspective. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with seven participants to produce an original data-set that was analysed to identify major themes. The data highlighted how the literary and sociological imagination can work together to present a deeper understanding of society and culture through the idiom of fiction; an understanding that may otherwise go undetected among much purely sociological texts. This research identified participants as writers in the 'organic intellectual' tradition of Antonio Gramsci. Allocating the writers recognition in terms of what their writing can offer in presenting a deeper understanding of society and culture. The main finding is that authors' exposure to higher education was key to incorporating locality in their literary work.
SOCOLOGICAL NARRATIVES OF FORMER SEX WORKERS' EVERYDAY LIVES.
(Queen Margaret University, 2017)
Negating social space, a phenomenological approach of understanding the social constructs of transition of former sex workers.
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND COMMUNITY EDUCATION IN A ROMA SETTLEMENT OF STARA LUBOVNA-PODSADEK IN EASTERN SLOVAKIA.
(Queen Margaret University, 2017)
This research is concerned with community education theorised and practised by Paulo Freire (1970) in disadvantaged communities. It aims to explore how Freire's tenets can be applied to the historically oppressed group of Slovak Roma in order to foster critical consciousness and mobilisation. Specifically, the research focuses on the various environmental injustices that the Slovak Roma face, drawing from the theory of environmental racism of Boullard (1983) and applied in Eastern European context by Filčák & Škobla (2012). During the research, I went to a Roma settlement of Stara Lubovna-Podsadek to attempt to introduce community education to its inhabitants and explore their views of environmental justice. Starting with a method of Photovoice, I later changed my approach to critical ethnography. My research argues that there are environmental justice issues in this settlement and that the inhabitants are well aware of them. I also argue that there is a potential for mobilisation and further development of critical consciousness there because the inhabitants expressed interest in solving the issues they face, and so the research can be taken further to explore the issues in more depth and support mobilisation.
AN IN-DEPTH EXPLORATION OF YOUTH RURAL POVERTY AND THE TRANSITION TO THE LABOUR MARKET THROUGH THE PERSPECTIVE OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT.
(Queen Margaret University, 2017)
We learn our social roles, identities, behaviours and social expectations through primary and secondary socialisation (Giddens and Sutton 2010). How does a young person who is experiencing the transition from education to the labour market, who lives in an improvised, rural area learn these? There is much sociological research on poverty and social exclusion particularly to young people and youth transitions (Pavis et al 2001, Lindsay 2003, Culliney 2016 and Commins 2004). However, there is very little research relating to young people from rural areas. In particular when young people are faced with the question, 'so what do you want to be when you leave school', as well as financial limitations and rurality; how do these young people feel? When supporting them, do the community development staff understand what the young people go through pertaining to the transition from education to the labour market when living in poverty? In this research, the professional community development team of the Scottish Borders depict how they view the transition stage in life between education and employment, within an impoverished, rural area through photovoice images (Wang and Burris 1997). This dissertation reveals ways in which factors emerging from the relationship between structure and agency may act as hurdles for the young people who are supported in the Scottish Borders.
How does the Media Affect our Perceptions of Poverty and Welfare?
(Queen Margaret University, 2017)
This research discusses the affect the media can have on our perceptions of poverty and welfare. Previous literature on this subject suggests that the elite controls the media as to protect their own interests, and that in countries with a large inequality gap like the UK there is a higher chance of more negatively framed stories against welfare and those in poverty. Through an analysis on three Scottish papers, this research aims to discover whether there is a bias in the media perpetuated by placing blame on the individual through demonising language, negative framing and unbalanced arguments. Critical discourse analysis is utilised to analyse the newspapers, allowing more of a detailed insight to be taken away from the research. Results imply that newspapers print stories which tend to correlate with their political views, and that poverty is rarely mentioned apart from when it is used to sensationalise a story. With some sections of society being disconnected from poverty, the media can offer an insight into this world; however, when framed negatively, this is likely to have an influence on how you understand the issue of poverty and thus how you treat these individuals.
Interaction of online identity and subculture in the contemporary post subculture of the furry fandom.
(Queen Margaret University, 2017)
This research explores the way participants interact inside the furry fandom; a relatively new online subculture. Participants create a fursona, bridging the gap between themselves and the fandom through an intermediately anthropomorphic persona and avatar. The subculture is fragmented and unsure of the conditions one had to meet to be a furry and be a member of the fandom, showing a lack of consensus on what is a furry and how you become one. The subculture's use of assimilating content into the subculture and general approval of business involvement in creating more content in which to enjoy and use inside the fandom along with the heavy use of sexualisation inside the fandom and the way in which individuals don't identity and agree with all areas of the fandom, combine, and cause a disconnect between the overall label of the fandom and what the members personally feel represents them. This makes the fandom more fluid where members don't become the fandom; rather, the fandom alters and changes with the participants, in accordance with contemporary post subcultural theory.
A sociological exploration of the recent welfare reform system, Universal Credit implemented in Scotland and its impact, if any, on lone parents in receipt of universal credit in East Lothian.
(2018)
The aim of this research was to explore the experiences of lone parents, what it is like to be a lone parent, particularly at a time of austerity. More specifically how lone parent participants have found the process of claiming benefits through the new welfare reform system, “Universal Credit”. Lastly, this research focused on what the dominant public opinion is on lone parents and benefit claimants and how this effects lone parents. This qualitative, phenomenological study used semi-structured interviews to gain detailed, rich data form six lone parents experiences. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data collected from the semi-structured interviews. A constructionist approach enabled themes to emerge from the data. Findings from the primary data were then discussed in light of previous research relating to lone parents, particularly with regard to the impact of welfare reform measures.
‘An In-Depth Investigation into the Lived Experience of Older People Living Within a Rural Community in Scotland Today’
(2018)
This research aims to explore how older people are coping with the trials and eras of living in rural Scottish communities, as well as managing with the growing concern surrounding social exclusion within today’s society. Thus, old age exclusion remains a fundamental challenge for ageing societies, and consequently it has also been claimed that “ageing has become a powerful factor shaping rural areas” and is also having “profound and wide-ranging effects… on the social fabric of rural areas…” (Lowe and Speakman, 2006, p.9). Social exclusion of older people is a complex process that involves not just the lack of resources, rights, goods and services as people age, but also the increased inability to participate in the normal relationships and activities that are available to the majority of people throughout the multiple domains of society today. It is this that affects both the quality of life of older individuals and the equity and cohesion of our ageing society as a whole (Levitas et al., 2007). As ‘social exclusion’ refers to the separation of individuals and groups from mainstream society (Commins 2004; Moffat & Glasgow 2009) this subject area is very relevant to the current rise in today’s ageing population. It is for this reason that this project will aim to focus on the participants’ views on what it means to be an older citizen in a rural community, their lived experiences, and feelings about the added pressures surrounding the rise in age associated social exclusion. This will be an exploratory and descriptive study, which will take into the account the use semi-structured interviews and local data collection. A constructivist, phenomenological standpoint provides an intricate account of participants’ real world narratives of their time and lived experiences about life in a small, and possibly quite socially isolating rural Scottish community. The findings indicate that within today’s society, being an elderly member of a rural area in Scotland does not mean that one is predetermined to a more limiting and socially isolating life. In fact, the main lead in this study revealed that older populations in rural areas could be rising. Increases in aiding technology, better health care and easier forms of social media mean that many elderly citizens find rural life more beneficial and enjoyable. Thus, through viewing this subject area from the rural perspective this study has attempted to provide an alternative outlook on a topic that, up until now, has been overlooked by society.
Poverty within Modernity - the experience of food insecurity in the post-2008 era
(2018)
In the post 2008 era in Scotland, financial inequalities has increased along with poverty levels. The policy response to the financial recession saw austerity introduced, and withheld, since. The prevalence and need for food banks across the UK has dramatically risen, due to diminished social security and depressed wage-levels. Through phenomenological and qualitative research methods, this study has sought to understand the experience and attitudes held by food bank clientele. By drawing on data from interviews held and view it through an ideological, political, cultural and historical lens, this study finds that social and cultural rationales in the UK are cause for social exclusion and stigmatization. This view has developed along with the spread of affluence among the majority of citizens, and fortified since the era of Thatcherism which altered the way in which poverty is presented through media and individualist political rhetoric. This study explain the prevalence of poverty amidst affluence as a political choice, informed on an unstable, ideological basis.
Spanish & Scottish Catholicism: A comparative study on social and familial cohesion.
(2018)
This research explored societal and familial connectedness and cohesion amongst Catholics from South-West (Spain) and Edinburgh, Scotland and nearby, based upon ethnographic work in Southern Spain and in-depth qualitative interviews with 6 Spanish and Scottish Catholics. Data was gathered from practising and non-practicing Catholics. The two geographical areas are very different yet are both home to well-established religious identities. Participants were of varying backgrounds, degrees of religious dedication and age. The research aim was a comparative study of a religion in two very different social and cultural contexts, with the primary focus upon Catholicism and its impact upon the family unit and social capital.
A sociological exploration of the potential challenges faced by mature male and female students in community education
(2018)
This research explores the potential challenges faced by mature men and women in community education, with three women and two men aged over twenty-one years participating. By adoption of a phenomenological approach, this research sought to provide a subjective understanding of participants lived experiences of formative and community education, relative to the social world in which they lived. It further explored the influential nature of these experiences in the potential challenges participants faced when returning to and participating in community education. Using semi-structured interviews and rigorous thematic analysis, four core themes emerged from the data. Incorporating unedited narratives, the influence of conformity to socially constructed gender roles is highlighted by participants as associated with their lack of confidence and fear of academic failure. Additionally, participants associate social class and inequality in access to education as a factors influencing life decisions. For the participants, community education provides new experiences for personal and academic development, however this requires support from educational organizations to navigate an unfamiliar environment.
A sociological exploration of perceptions and experiences of femininity among self-identifying feminist students in Scotland.
(2018)
The research is an exploration into the perceptions and experiences of femininity among self-identifying feminist students, in a Scottish context. Existing literature surrounding femininity has provided a descriptive analysis of the ‘norms’ of femininity. Through two focus groups, made up of six self-identifying feminists, this study uncovers the ways in which women perceive and experience femininity, specifically in relation to their feminist identity. In accordance with previous findings, the narratives unveil that femininity, specifically the associated ‘norms’, such as beauty and sexual availability, have influenced the participants’ ability to self-define femininity. However, this research also exposes that women have been able to resist these ‘norms’ and as a result, redefine femininity according to their desires and views. Yet, although previous literature has highlighted that feminism is now being redefined according to individual experiences and desires, the narratives within this research, in accordance with Riley and Scharff’s (2007) study, reveal that participants’ feminist identity and femininity remain a contradiction.
“Educational Practises around delivering the Curriculum for Excellence in State & Private Schools”
(2020)
The Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) is an educational programme implemented in Scotland in the academic year of 2010/11. The curriculum has focused on looking at pupils as individuals as well as learners, to form a more holistic view of how best each child can succeed. The curriculum was introduced in 2002, after the National Debate on Education by the Minister for Education and Young People, the purpose of which was to develop a policy agenda about what and how children should learn. Several areas of improvement were suggested during this national debate, and the new curriculum developed from these suggestions. Now, the aims of the programme now include more teacher autonomy when delivering the curriculum, more skills-for-work options in lessons and the ability of each child to help to guide their learning (Priestly, 2013). This dissertation will be exploring the educational practices of teachers delivering the Curriculum for Excellence in private and state schools, in order to assess whether the curriculum is meeting its aims, for example by making sure every child has the opportunity to develop skills and behaviours that sets them up for life outside of school, as well as closing the attainment gap. It is hoped that this research will shed light on whether the way the curriculum is implemented in both sectors affects the ability to meet its aims, and whether it has had an effect on closing the attainment gap.
AN EXPLORATION INTO THE EXPERIENCES OF PARTICIPANTS IN THE TRUE CRIME COMMUNITY ON TUMBLR
(2020)
This research is an exploration of the motivations and meanings behind participating in Dark Fandoms from the perspective of the True Crime Community on Tumblr. This research was informed by a range of literature which contextualized the True Crime Community as being on the receiving end of a Moral Panic, along with discussing the natural progression of these fan communities forming with growing financial incentives for the media to sensationalize violence. Through the use of online ethnography and thematic analysis data was gathered from individuals who identified with the True Crime Community. The primary aim of this study is to gain insight into the community, and to examine how they engage with gender. This study concludes that the community is made up of mainly female “outsiders” who have connected with people sharing similar experiences. Their experiences with loneliness and mental health are key to them relating to and engaging with the perpetrators of these crimes.
Environmental activism: A sociological analysis of people’s fight against climate change in Scotland
(2020)
Environmental activism has long been the focus of various scientific studies. However, a thorough examination of activism on an individual level has not been universal. This research aims to dive deeper and explore the point of view of participants of campaigns and protests. By the use of semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis, principal themes have been established in the study. The main aspects are environmental justice, networks, participation and membership in groups that are active in this field.
The attitudes of Scottish black men towards the efficacy of the police in maintaining social order in the United Kingdom during and after the 2011 riots
(2020)
The riots in London of 2011, arguably the most disruptive events of social disorder seen in this millennium, began after the police shooting of mixed-race Mark Duggan. Sociologically, the riots raise questions about the significance of the police in maintaining social order in a multi racial society and why social order remained in Scotland. Therefore, this study aims to the explore the attitudes of Scottish black men towards the efficacy of the police in maintaining social order in the United Kingdom during and since the 2011 riots. Five Scottish-born black men partook in semi-structured individual interviews, which were analysed using the interpretative phenomenological analysis approach. This analysis identified three superordinate themes; Scottish identity, police legitimacy and labelling of the “black criminal”, each with their own related sub-ordinate themes. These interviews provided valuable insight into the black experience and perception of policing and highlight important avenues for future research.