Qualification

GCSE

Exam Board

AQA

Course Leader

Mrs Mainprize

Course summary

Sociology is the study of how values, beliefs or your social background can influence society. For some, the job of the sociologist is to discover behavior patterns or social trends i.e. the relationship between poverty and not doing very well at school.

Sociology GCSE is an exciting, stimulating course for students who are starting to develop an interest in what happens in wider society. Students will learn new concepts that help them make sense of current social issues. Through studying families, education, crime and deviance, class and sociological research methods; new perspectives and opinions of the world we live in will be revealed to you.

What will students learn?

Students will develop their analytical and communication skills by comparing and contrasting perspectives on a variety of social issues, constructing reasoned arguments, making substantiated judgements and drawing reasoned conclusions.

Topics covered:

• Changes in the role and function of the ‘family’
• Changes in the Education system and exploring why some outperform others – e.g. why girls outperform boys.
• The study of crime and deviance exploring why people commit crime and the role of punishment.
• The impact of poverty in society.
• How power and wealth is distributed in society and its effects.

How will students be assessed?

Paper 1 – The sociology of families and education - multiple choice, short and extended answer questions

Paper 2 - The sociology of crime and deviance and social stratification - multiple choice, short and extended answer questions

Qualification

A Level

Exam Board

AQA

Course Leader

Mrs Mainprize

Course summary

An exploration of the theories surrounding the way society functions and the ways in which different social groups work together, or not. A subject which develops critical thinking, social perspective along with analytical and evaluative writing skills. It is a ‘living subject’ so all theory is applied to contemporary society to see what the perspectives look like in real life.

What will students learn?

Unit 1= Families and Households with theory and methods

Unit 2= Education with research methods in context

Unit 3= Crime and Deviance with Theory and Methods

Unit 4 = Media

How will students be assessed?

All assessment is done through end of year exams. The A level has three 2 hour exams. These exams are equally weighted.

Class assessment is through verbal questioning, group activities, research projects and exam style questions, building from individual paragraphs up to full, timed, exam style, essay writing.