Sociology

• 5 GCSEs at grade 4 or above
• GCSE English Language at grade 4
• Evidence of success in essay-based subjects (e.g. History or Religious Studies)
• GCSE Maths at grade 3 or above

You will study topics including:

• Families and households and social change
• Education and patterns of achievement
• Research methods in sociology
• Social inequality (class, gender, ethnicity and age)
• Crime and deviance

Skills Developed

• Essay writing and structured argument
• Analytical and evaluative thinking
• Interpretation of data and research
• Understanding of theory and evidence

Students learn through:

• Lectures and class discussions
• Written assignments and essays
• Use of videos and presentations
• Regular testing and feedback

The course will be examined in the following pattern:

PAPER 1:

• Socialisation and Culture
• Cultural diversity and subcultures
• Socialisation and identity
• Families & Households
• Family diversity in the UK
• Social change and how it has changed family structures
• Patterns and trends relating to families and households e.g. marriage, divorce and our ageing population
• Theoretical perspectives of families and households: Functionalist, Marxist, Feminist, Postmodernist, New Right
• Education
• The role and function of education
• Patterns and trends of achievement; factors affecting achievement by class, ethnicity and gender
• Social policy and education
• Theoretical perspectives of education

2 hour 30 written paper

(40% of total A-level)

PAPER 2

• Methods of Sociological Enquiry
• Key concepts of research, such as validity, ethics, reliability, objectivity
• Primary and secondary research methods
• Methodological approached to research
• Sampling
• Ethical, practical and theoretical issues with research

1 hour 45 written paper

(20% of total A-level)

PAPER 3

• Power and Stratification
• Inequality related to social class, gender, ethnicity and age
• Changing patterns of inequality including the distribution of income, wealth and social mobility
• Theories and explanations for inequality: functionalist, New Right, Marxist, neo-Marxist, Weberian, neo-Weberian, feminist, postmodernist and theories of racism
• Crime and Deviance
• Patterns of crime and deviance
• Measuring crime; official government statistics including police statistics and the British Crime Survey, victim studies and self-report studies
• Definitions of crime and deviance as social constructs including the role of the media
• Theories and explanations of crime and deviance: functionalist, Marxist, neo-Marxist, interactionist, right and left realism, postmodernist, feminist, sub-cultural

2 hour 30 written paper

(40% of total A-level)

Students benefit from:

• Access to extensive Teams documents and video extracts
• Use of the Library with internet access
• A wide range of sociology books and reference materials

Students will be advised on recommended textbooks for their studies.

Sociology can be studied alongside most academic subjects.

This course supports progression into:

• Higher education in sociology or related subjects
• Careers in areas such as social research, education, public services and policy

No specific enrichment activities are listed.