ADVANCED HIGHER

Summary of Course Content
Advanced Higher Modern Studies departs from the traditional political aspects of the discipline to focus more on the sociological.

Students must study two contexts from within one study theme. In addition they must complete compulsory units on Research Methods and complete a dissertation.

At Wellington, the study theme is law and order. The contexts are:

• Context B - The Causes and Effects of Crime

Students examine competing explanations of why crime exists and why people commit it. This is done principally through scrutinizing existing sociological and psychological theory. Students then proceed to study the relationships between criminality and different social groups before looking at the effects of crime at micro and macro level.

• Context D - The Penal System

The focus of this unit is on what happens to those found guilty of committing crime and the extent to which intervention is effective. Key areas include the efficacy or otherwise of prison and the role of non-custodial sanctions, the policies of the different political parties to reform in the penal system and the ongoing debate concerning the use of the Private sector

The Dissertation
To be completed by the end of March, the dissertation must be an independent research project based on an area of study from within the contexts. It is 4000- 5000 words in length and is worth 1/3 of the overall grade. Topics covered by Wellington students in recent years include

• 'Criminals are born not made'
• 'The media is responsible for a growth in violent crime'
• 'Social deprivation and crime are inextricably linked'

Research Methods
Students study all methods used in the social science and their uses and limitations. They also learn to question the reliability and validity of data.

Assessment & Examinations
Students sit one three-hour exam worth 2/3 of the overall grade. They answer one question from each context and one question on research methods.