About this day
For A-level students
This outstanding enrichment day for enthusiastic A-level Sociology students is back in London this autumn! In a cutting-edge and inspiring programme, leading sociologists, academics and media personalities will address a range of challenging and powerful questions on how society functions, the factors which influence our choices and how we experience life. Presenting a unique opportunity for students to immerse themselves in today’s big sociological issues, this day will take students beyond their classroom experience, and leave them buzzing with new ideas and fresh perspectives.
Topics covered on this day will include education, crime, disability, race, beliefs and gender. This exciting day will include an invaluable lunchtime exam session to propel students to even greater success. Join us for an inspirational, immersive and interactive day of sociology!
Book now to secure your places!
“Excellent, it exceeded all of our high expectations. This event really brought learning to life!”
— St John Bosco College, Autumn 2025 —
“The day was interactive and every talk was enlightening – it showed everyone’s passion for sociology!”
— Student, Autumn 2025 —
Programme & speakers
Sociological insights into the criminalisation of UK drill music Lambros Fatsis, City St George's, University of London
Drill music frequently appears as ‘evidence’ of ‘criminal’ wrongdoing in Britain’s courtrooms – turning a form of creative, artistic expression into a punishable offence. While police, prosecutors and judges insist on blaming drill for making people kill, however, there is little concrete evidence to prove any such link between drill and individual or collective offending. This talk will explore how and why drill is transformed from a music genre into incriminating evidence. Drawing on my own research and experience as an expert witness for the defence in court, I will offer an overview of the legal processes that turn beats and rhymes into punishable crimes – by exposing the racist logic that pose as evidence-based argument in the legal and political culture of the UK.
About Dr Lambros Fatsis
Lambros Fatsis specialises in and has published widely on the criminalisation of UK drill music and the history of policing against Black/Afro-diasporic music culture(s) from the era of colonial slavery to the present day. He is the author of Policing the Beats: Black Music, Racism and Criminal Injustice and works as a Senior Lecturer in Criminology at City St. George’s University of London. In addition to his scholarly work, Lambros is also a core member of the Art Not Evidence campaign against the criminalisation of UK drill and Prosecuting Rap and he has worked as an expert witness for the defence in 12 cases that relied on drill music material as incriminating ‘evidence’ in court.
What’s so sociological about disability? Tom Shakespeare CBE, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
In an illuminating session based on up-to-date research, Tom will show how ‘disability’ is ripe for sociological analysis, from the point of view of medical sociology, social policy, cultural sociology, or political sociology. But it’s not just an academic issue; it’s about changing lives and transforming the world.
About Professor Sir Tom Shakespeare CBE
Tom Shakespeare is a Professor of Disability Research. His primary research interests are in disability studies, medical sociology, and social and ethical aspects of genetics. He has focused on qualitative research about the lives of disabled people and the barriers that they face and led projects about disability and sexuality.
The end of identity politics: a new Sociology Tony Sewell, Educational Consultant, author and member of the House of Lords
This talk will centre on how ‘education’ outcomes over the last 5 years have disrupted received notions of ‘race’ and ‘institutional racism’. It will point to the need to find a new conceptual framework to explain ‘social mobility’ and ‘social disadvantage’. The talk will demand that sociologists rediscover the ‘old’ ethical frameworks based on ‘truth’, ‘integrity’ and ‘spiritual authority’.
About Lord Tony Sewell
Lord Tony Sewell CBE is an internationally respected educator, author, commentator, and member of the House of Lords whose work has shaped national conversations on education, race, and social mobility. Born in Brixton and now living between London and Jamaica, he founded the pioneering STEM charity Generating Genius, helping hundreds of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds progress into careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. He has served on the Youth Justice Board, chaired the London Education Inquiry for the Mayor of London, and was appointed Chair of the UK Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities in 2020. A prolific writer and broadcaster, he is the author of several influential books on education, identity, and Black British history, including Black Masculinities and Schooling and Keep on Moving: The Windrush Legacy. He is also a regular media commentator, appearing across BBC and Sky News programmes, and writes frequently for national newspapers and magazines. His latest book, Black Success: The Surprising Truth, explores culture, aspiration, and achievement in modern Britain.
From Women and Technology to Feminist Technoscience Judy Wajcman, London School of Economics
The underrepresentation of women in computer science/engineering is generally seen as an equal opportunity issue: providing women and other marginalised groups with equal access to well paid jobs. This talk will explain why it is also a matter of how the world we live in is designed and for whom. This is especially important as there is increasing evidence that social biases (such as those based on gender and race) are embedded in AI systems. Increasing diversity in high tech will lead to better and more inclusive technologies.
About Professor Judy Wajcman
Judy Wajcman is the Anthony Giddens Professor of Sociology at the London School of Economics. She is the Principal Investigator on the Women in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence research project at the Alan Turing Institute, a Fellow of the British Academy and has published widely. She is currently a Fellow of the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study.
Is Britain a 'Godless' Country?: Religion and Society in Contemporary Britain Dawn Llewellyn, University of Chester
In 2021, in response to the Census findings for England and Wales, media headlines declared Britain a ‘Godless’ country and Christianity the ‘new minority religion’. However, is Christianity really in decline? Is it losing its influence in British society? Or are we as ‘sacred’ as ever? In this session, we’ll explore the importance of religion in contemporary Britain; examine recent generational trends about identity, belief, non-belief and belonging; debate whether religion is – or is not! – relevant to private and public life, and consider what the future holds for the place of religion in our society.
About Dr Dawn Llewellyn
Dawn is Associate Professor at the University of Chester, where her teaching focuses on religion and gender, religious change in contemporary society, Christian Studies, and research methodologies. Her research is grounded in qualitative approaches and she draws mainly on sociological perspectives to examine gender and feminism in contemporary Christianity and new spiritualities. She has published widely and her expertise means she has featured on the BBC’s documentary Sex After Religion, and radio programmes including Beyond Belief, Sunday, The Sunday Show, and All Things Considered.