Sociology

Minimum Entry Criteria

Desired: 7 in English Language or 7 in English Literature

Essential: 6 in English Language or 6 in English Literature

Board

AQA

Outline of the Course

Unit 1 (Education with Theory and Methods): Education; Methods in Context; Theory and Methods

• Within this unit we look at the role education plays in society, and who it benefits. We investigate why some social groups get better GCSE results and whether this is due to factors inside or outside of school.
• We also explore the research methods that are used to reach such conclusions, and how this can affect our viewpoint of society.

Unit 2 (Topics in Sociology): Families and Households; The Media

• Here we look at the role of the family in maintaining the structure of society and explore how the family has changed over time and whether this is positive or negative; including the increase in nuclear, lone-parent and reconstituted families.
• In the media topic we examine the extent to which the media has an impact on audiences within society and who it benefits through the ownership, selection and presentation of the news. We also study how age, social class, ethnicity, gender, sexuality and disability are represented within the media.

Unit 3 (Crime and Deviance with Theory and Methods): Crime and Deviance; Theory and Methods

• Crime and Deviance explores why some groups are more likely to commit crimes than others. We evaluate different ways of lowering crime, from tougher punishments to early intervention and investigate the role crime has in society.
• Theory and methods takes an evaluative glance at different sociological perspectives and asks questions such as whether Sociology should be a science and whether it’s possible to be objective and value free in Sociological research.

Assessment

Sixth-Form-Programme-of-Courses-2023.pdfSociology Summer and Endeavour Tasks