Sociology

Sociology is the study of social life, social change and the social causes and consequences of human behaviour. Sociologists investigate the structure of groups, organisations and societies and how people interact within these contexts.

Course Aims

Our A-Level course teaches candidates to:  

• Understand sociological theories, research, terminology, concepts and methods  
• Develop skills of analysis, interpretation and evaluation 
• Design, present and critique sociological investigations and analyse and interpret data  
• Develop an understanding of what society is and how people interact and behave 

Qualities Required

• An interest and ability to do independent reading and research  
• An interest and enthusiasm for learning about society, people and how they behave

Teaching and Learning Methods

• Individual and group based learning  
• Using texts, articles or videos to make notes and answer questions  
• Carrying out small scale investigations  
• Researching a topic or critiquing a sociological theory and presenting the information to the class  
• There will be regular written and research work set for homework, alongside past paper questions and exam technique exercises.

Key Stage 5

The A-Level consists of three modules with a variety of sub-topics:

Paper 1: Education with Methods in Context (2 hour paper)
Paper 2: Topics in Sociology- Families and Households and The Media (2 hour paper)
Paper 3: Crime and Deviance with Theory and Methods (2 hour paper)

Assessment

• Students’ knowledge is assessed regularly during the ‘A’ level course through discussions and through written questions, including short answer questions, worksheets, end of unit tests and extended writing tasks.
• Assessment for ‘A’ Level is through examination only, although students will have the opportunity to carry out sociological research throughout the course. All three ‘A’ Level examination papers are taken at the end of Year 2.

Complementary Subjects and future pathways

• Sociology complements a wide range of subjects. There are clear links to Religion, Philosophy and Ethics and Psychology. It also works well with Geography, Politics, History and with other courses that develop analytical and evaluative skills in written work like English Literature. 
• It is useful in careers in social work/research, law, politics, human resources, business, counselling, child care and teaching.

Useful links

AQA specification:

https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/sociology/as-and-a-level/sociology-7191-7192/specification-at-a-glance

The British Sociological Association website  https://www.discoversociology.co.uk/