Sociology is the study of the societies and how they shape people's ideas, their social behaviour and their cultures, and how, in turn, people interact together and shape their societies. This 'A' Level course will appeal to students who enjoy exploring issues dealing with how and why our society is structured and shapes our lives.
Sociology combines well with most other subjects you may study at 'A' Level, including English, Government & Politics, History, Media Studies and Psychology. This course is open to anyone who has achieved 5 GCSE passes, grades A* - C and it is helpful if you have studied a subject like History at GCSE, where you have been able to practise writing essays and discussing issues.
Course Content
We follow the AQA specification. The AS, which is studied in Year 12 is the first half of the Advanced course. The AS course consists of 3 units:
Unit 1 - Families and Households, Health and Mass Media
Including the study of:
Changing patterns of marriage and cohabitation
Different explanations of the relationship between the mass media and their audiences.
Unit 2 - Education, Wealth and Poverty, Work and Leisure
Including the study of:
Different explanations of the existence and persistence of poverty
The causes and social effects of unemployment.
Unit 3 - Research Methods
You will study the theories and research methods used by sociologists.
Unit 4 - Power and Politics, Religion and World Sociology
Including the study of:
The way in people vote
Cults, sects and religious denominations.
Unit 5 - Coursework
You will be involved in conducting an investigation into a topic – for example you may be looking at how gender roles within a family are changing. Your investigation will form the coursework.
The full Advanced qualification is made up of the AS units plus 3 more units which are studied at Year 13.
Unit 6 - Synoptic - Crime and Deviance
This unit will draw from material across different areas of the 5 earlier units and allows you to show knowledge and understanding of the whole course. It includes the study of:
Different explanations of crime
Sociological issues arising from the study of suicide.
As well as covering advanced level study of Sociology, this course will enable you to develop a wide range of Key Skills, which will be essential to you whatever you go on to do afterwards. This course is excellent preparation for a wide range of university degree courses and careers.