Sociology is the study of society and is about understanding how and why society changes. This involves investigating topics as varied as the family, education, belief systems and crime. If you are interested in finding out why society is the way it is then this is the course for you!
Subject content
In Year 12 you will study the Sociology of Education where you will evaluate the impact a students' class, gender, ethnicity and their teachers can have on their educational attainment. You will also study ‘Families and Households’. Key issues which are considered include whether husbands and wives are equal today in comparison to the past? How have patterns in marriage, divorce and cohabitation changed over time? In addition to these topics, you will also study how sociologists conduct sociological research and the strengths and weaknesses of research methods.
Year 13 concentrates on ‘Crime and Deviance’ where you will examine who commits crime as well as investigating reasons why they do so. You will also study ‘Beliefs in Society’ where you will evaluate reasons for the decline in religion and why people may choose to join religious movements such as sects and cults.
Learning methods
You will learn through group work, discussions, debates, lectures and research projects.
You will be assessed by three 2 hour exams which are worth 33.3% of the final grade.
Sociology is a popular A-level choice and can lead to students completing degree courses in a variety of subject areas including Criminology, English, Law, Psychology and Sociology itself. Sociology is relevant to a wide range of careers, particularly careers where analytical and evaluation skills are required such as journalism, social work, teaching and the law.