A Level in Sociology

A Level Sociology

Sociology is the ‘Study of Society’ and focuses on what influences people’s actions. Therefore sociology is relevant to any career that involves dealing with people and can help us answer some of the big questions about the world we live in and how our society affects ours and others behaviour. Specifically we will explore questions such as: ‘Do men get a better ‘deal’ than women from living in a family and why?’; ‘Why do certain groups of people do better in education than others?; ‘What role do new media such as Twitter and Facebook play in society today?’; and ‘Why do some groups in society commit more crime than others?’.

Within this course you will study units which include:

* Unit 1: Families & Households

This unit considers the role of the family and how it has changed.

* Unit 2: Education with Research Methods

This unit considers what the role and purpose is of education and how to undertake research.

* Unit 3: Mass Media

This unit considers the role of the media in society today.

* Unit 4: Crime & Deviance with Theory and Methods

This unit considers who commits crime, how it can be controlled and provides more depth on research methods and sociological theory.

A combination of methods are utilised in the delivery of the sociology course including debates, discussions, research activities, case studies, documentaries, group work and ipad activities. This is in addition to traditional classroom methods. Students are expected to complete a number of hours of independent study and a virtual learning environment (moodle) is made available with numerous resources including weblinks and access to ‘Sociology Review Magazine’ archives. The assessment is 100% exam. However there is a compulsory programme of essay questions that you will be required to complete throughout the course and which will be marked in accordance with exam mark schemes in order that an accurate representation of your progression is achieved and monitored.

5 GCSEs at 4 or above including: English Language at 4 or above and Mathematics at 4 or above. At least one of the GCSEs should be at 6 or above.

Course availability is at the discretion of the Sixth Form Team.

Sociology, being the study of society, is an aspect of many university courses and careers. A Level sociology is also directly linked to degree courses and careers in: social work, criminology, social policy, health and social care, education, welfare services, the criminal justice system and research to name but a few.