Explore every episode of the podcast Sociology Staffroom

Dr Lena Lozano, research officer at Live DMA, joins Katie in the Sociology Staffroom to discuss the sociology of live musicians and the music business, especially in the context of France where there is a clear distinction between professional and amateur musicians, causing a range of social problems for those who might be considered "semi-professional". This is useful to consider Dr Lozano's research methods and also for those teaching/studying Culture & Identity or Media.

Award-winning criminologist, Dr Kate Herrity, joins Katie in the Sociology staffroom to discuss her ground-breaking research into soundscapes within prisons.

Professor Jo Littler, from Goldsmiths College, joins Katie in the Sociology Staffroom to discuss her research into representations of working-class women in comedy: a must for anyone teaching the media topic, but a great listen for the rest of us too.

Lecturer at Mahidol University, Thailand (and former visiting lecturer in Sociology at City, University of London) Kullanit Nitiwarangkul joins Katie in the Sociology Staffroom to discuss her research into the experiences of older women in Thailand. This is very useful for students considering culture and identity, but also families and households and global development, as well as for understanding research methodology.

Dr Alicia Denby, Sociology lecturer in Sociology and Criminology at Manchester Metropolitan University, joins Katie in the Sociology Staffroom to discuss the concept of "single positivity". Really useful for Families and Households, Culture and Identity, feminism and postmodernism. Lots of fascinating insights into research and research methodology too.

Professor of Sociology at LSE, Aaron Reeves joins Katie in the Sociology Staffroom to discuss elites in the UK and his book "Born to Rule". Useful for all sociology teachers and students, and especially those exploring Stratification and Differentiation.

Professor Laurie Taylor, sociology researcher and lecturer and long-term presenter of Thinking Allowed on Radio 4, joins Katie in the Sociology Staffroom to discuss his extraordinary career, his work in crime and deviance, and his thoughts about sociology and advice to up-and-coming sociologists.

Lecturer and researcher in Sociology and Education at the University of Manchester, Dr Kirsty Finn joins Katie in the Sociology Staffroom to discuss the experience of working-class girls in higher education and the idea of the "side hustle" and "girl boss".

Subject lead for Sociology and Citizenship at AQA and experienced sociology teacher and examiner, Sarah Fawcett, joins Katie in the Sociology Staffroom to discuss her role and what's coming next for A-Level Sociology at AQA.

Doctoral student from Central European University, Khadija Aftab, joins Katie in the Sociology Staffroom to discuss her research on AI, and particularly its impact on gender.

The President of the British Sociological Association, Professor Les Back joins Katie in the Sociology Staffroom to discuss his role, his research and the continuing importance of teaching sociology in the today's society.

Reader in Sociology at the University of Warwick, Dr Stella Chatzitheochari, joins Katie in the Sociology Staffroom, to discuss the experiences of pupils with disabilities in education and its impact on later educational and employment experiences and opportunities. This is a fascinating discussion for those teaching the Education and Stratification topics and for all of us as practising teachers.

Assistant Professor at the Indian Institute of Technology, Rituparna Patgiri, joins Katie in the Sociology Staffroom to discuss online/remote learning and its impact on women and girls and marginalised groups, especially in India. This is a fascinating discussion which might be of particular interest with regard to those teaching the topics of Education, Global Development, Culture & Identity and Stratification, but also to all of us as teachers.

Sociology and Criminology Subject Advisor for OCR, Tom Genillard, joins Katie in the Sociology Staffroom to discuss a range of topics, including developments to their A Level specification.

Sociological researcher at the National University of Singapore, Satanik Pal, joins Katie in the Sociology Staffroom to discuss his research into comparative global sociology, with particular focus on masculinities and status hierarchies and caste systems in India and Japan.

Well-known sociologist, Finn MacKay joins Katie in the Sociology Staffroom to discuss their wide-ranging research into a range of sociological topics surrounding gender. Finn's research features in the AQA and OCR specifications and this is an excellent opportunity to learn more.

PhD student Ashley Collar joins Katie in the Sociology Staffroom to discuss her research into the Manchester Arena bombing. Fascinating discussion about research practice, interviews, subjectivity, sensitive issues and values as well as Ashley's own inspiring story of how she came to be an academic sociologist.

Melbourne University sociologist, Leah Ruppaner - a public sociologist active on TikTok and podcasts, joins Katie in the Sociology Staffroom to discuss her research into gender, families and mental load.

Professor of Public Sociology at Lancaster University, Michaela Benson, joins Katie in the Sociology Staffroom to discuss her research on Brexit, post-Brexit and migration - fascinating for those of us teaching culture and identity, demographic changes, stratification but also for research methods.

Sam Teague and Chad Morrison, who are launching a new degree in Applied Social Care, join Katie in the Sociology Staffroom for a fascinating conversation about their research, their new degree and the importance of social care. This is of particular interest to those studying the Health optional topic, but also to consider issues around social policy across a range of topics, as well as theory and methods. Also some interesting insights for fans of Bluey!

Former Director of Education for Lambeth, sociologist, and former teacher, Abrilli Phillip, joins Katie in the Sociology Staffroom to discuss education policy and equality, drawing on her vast experience of working in education and local and national government.

In the first episode of the new season, public sociologist Aaron Winter, from Lancaster University, joins Katie in the sociology staffroom to discuss his research on racism and anti-racism, as well as issues relating to values and objectivity in research.

Professor Heidi Mirza, author of many books and articles on ethnicity, race, gender, education, families, inequalities and intersectionality, joins Katie in the Sociology Staffroom for the last episode of Season 3. This is a fascinating conversation and lots in there that you can share with your students too!

Professor Lucinda Platt, from the LSE, joins Katie in the Sociology Staffroom to discuss her research across a wide range of topics relating to inequality, poverty, social mobility, migration, intersectionality and much more! Great for teachers of Stratification and Education and also for questions around the links between Sociology and Social Policy.

Senior lecturer in Sociology at the University of Essex, Dr Katy Wheeler, joins Katie in the Sociology Staffroom to discuss her research into how sustainability and environmental issues are taught in school. This is a fascinating discussion for teachers generally - how should we broach this subject - and for sociology teachers in particular, both in terms of the Education topic, and the places where the environment is in the spec (green crime, consumption, global development, etc.)

Professor Diane Reay from Cambridge University joins Katie in the Sociology Staffroom to discuss her research into education and social class, and her thoughts on the impact of recent policies on students as well as what might come from the new government.

As you might imagine, from this famous author of Miseducation and many, many journal articles, she does not hold back!!

Assistant headteacher, PhD student and experienced sociology teacher, Andrew Jones, returns to the Sociology Staffroom to discuss how teachers of sociology (and other subjects) can maintain political neutral in the classroom, as well as the limits to that neutrality. Another fascinating chat with this great returning guest.

Sociology lecturer at the University of Bath, Helen Kowalewska, joins Katie in the Sociology Staffroom to discuss her research into the impact of social policy on women and gender inequality. They discuss Helen's most recent research into women over the age of 60 (including the WASPI women) and the different research methods that she has employed. They talk about the often double-edge nature of social policy that can on the one hand help women but in other respects reinforce patriarchal assumptions (e.g. maternity leave). They also consider some of the reasons for why there has not been more progress towards gender equality.

Dr Katherine Davies, from the University of Sheffield, joins Katie in the Sociology Staffroom to talk about her research into siblings and other family and friendship relationships, as well as her work on the impact of Brexit on families. She also discusses her qualitative and creative research methods. Definitely worth a lesson to hear about some contemporary research (relevant to families, education, identity, stratification and more) and research methods.

https://manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9781526142177/

Criminologist and sociologist from the University of Kent, Dr Emma Cooke, joins Katie in the Sociology Staffroom to talk about her journey into the subject and her research into the criminal justice system, as well as how we can support students for Higher Education. Want to add something really contemporary to your lessons on the CJS? Here's a good starting place!

https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/the-hidden-world-of-the-legal-aid-lawyer

The Sociology Staffroom returns in a new "every other week" schedule with lots of great guests scheduled. In this episode, the subject lead for Sociology at tutor2u, Duncan Hall, joins Katie in the Sociology Staffroom to look at those important words that can be key to higher marks in Sociology essays. One area they particularly focus on is "today" and "contemporary" and the importance of contemporary research is an important focus for the rest of this academic year on the Podcast. Stay tuned folks!

Subject lead for Sociology and Criminology at OCR, Tom Gellinard, joins Katie in the Sociology Staffroom to discuss what's coming up for A Level Sociology (and Criminology) at OCR over the coming years, and to talk about their new specification.

Experienced sociology teacher Richard Brinkley joins Duncan in the Sociology Staffroom to discuss how to make lessons more interactive, including some great ideas!

Experienced social science teacher Rhiannon Watson joins her old Sociology teacher Katie Tyler in the Sociology Staffroom to discuss issues relating to GCSE Sociology and how to engage and inspire the students.

Experienced sociology teacher, Zenab, joins Katie in the Sociology staffroom to discuss how we can apply various aspects of brain science to our teaching as well as exploring some popular misconceptions.

In this episode, a teacher panel (consisting of Anna Lise White, Craig Gelling and Duncan Hall) discussed a range of issues relating to the start of a new term, mostly ones raised by teachers in the AQA A Level Sociology Teachers Group.

Experienced sociology teacher Richard Brinkley joins Katie in the Sociology Staffroom to talk about the important links between sociology and literacy.

ECT social science teacher Lizzie Skinner joins Katie in the Sociology Staffroom to discuss her experiences of ECT 1.

Regular host Katie Tyler and subject lead for Sociology at tutor2u, Duncan Hall, look back on what's been a fascinating second "season" of the Sociology Staffroom and forwards to what's coming in September.

Experienced teacher Fran (otherwise known as Norfolk Fran) joins Katie to discuss ways to check, develop and update our Sociology subject knowledge.

Experienced sociology teacher Liv joins Katie in the Sociology Staffroom to discuss how to support, stretch and challenge high achievers in A Level Sociology.

Experienced Sociology teacher Anna Lise returns to the Sociology Staffroom to talk to Katie about the importance of multicultural awareness in Sociology teaching.

Experienced Sociology teacher Bridget Gray joins Katie in the Sociology Staffroom to discuss her experience of teaching the Global Development optional topic for A Level Sociology.

Experienced teacher, Nicole Levy, joins Katie in the Sociology Staffroom to share her experiences of teaching sociology remotely, challenges and opportunities, and effective techniques.

Experienced sociology teacher Ian joins Katie in the Sociology Staffroom to share some of his great ideas for starting lessons, and explore the reasons why simple, effective starter activities work.

Subject lead for GCSE Sociology, Geography and History at tutor2u, Vicki Woolven, joins Katie in the Sociology Staffroom to discuss misconceptions about GCSE Sociology and how to deal with some of the problems that are specific to that qualification.

Subject leader for PGCE Social Sciences at UCL, Alison Wiggins, joins Katie in the Sociology Staffroom for a fascinating discussion about trainee teachers and how we can support them in the early part of their career.

In a departure from the usual format, usual host Katie and subject lead Duncan have a conversation about issues that teachers face at this time of year: when to "start revision", what to do if there's content still to complete, etc.

Experienced sociology teacher, Shahina, joins Katie in the Sociology Staffroom to discuss switching to the optional topic of Culture & Identity, why you might want to, challenges faced, and advice for teaching it.

Regular host Katie Tyler joins Duncan in the Sociology Staffroom to discuss how and why to lecture less and have more student-focused lessons. Lots of practical tips and professional discussion about teaching and learning.