A Level Sociology
Entry Requirements: GCSE Grade 6 in English Language/Literature plus a Grade 5 in a Humanities subject (History, Geography, RE, or Economics)
Exam Board: AQA
Course content:
Education: Students are expected to be familiar with sociological explanations of the following content: the role and functions of the education system, including its relationship to the economy and to class structure: differential educational achievement of social groups by social class, gender and ethnicity in contemporary society: relationships and processes within schools, with particular reference to teacher/pupil relationships, pupil identities and subcultures, the hidden curriculum, and the organisation of teaching and learning: the significance of educational policies, including policies of selection, marketisation and privatisation.
Research Methods: Students must examine the following areas: quantitative and qualitative methods of research; research design: sources of data, including questionnaires, interviews, participant and nonparticipant observation, experiments, documents and official statistics: the distinction between primary and secondary data, and between quantitative and qualitative data: the relationship between positivism, interpretivism and sociological methods; the nature of ‘social facts’: the theoretical, practical and ethical considerations influencing choice of topic, choice of method(s) and the conduct of research.
Topics in Sociology Families and Households: Students are expected to be familiar with sociological explanations of the following content: the relationship of the family to the social structure and social change, with particular reference to the economy and to state policies: changing patterns of marriage, cohabitation, separation, divorce, childbearing and the life course, including the sociology of personal life, and the diversity of contemporary family and household structures: gender roles, domestic labour and power relationships within the family in contemporary society: the nature of childhood, and changes in the status of children in the family and society: demographic trends in the United Kingdom since 1900.
Beliefs in Society; Different theories of ideology, science and religion, including both Christian and non-Christian religious traditions. The relationship between religious beliefs and social change and stability. Religious organisations, including cults, sects, denominations, churches and New Age movements and their relationship to religious and spiritual belief and practice.
Crime and Deviance with Theory and Methods: Different theories of crime, deviance, social order and social control. The social distribution of crime and deviance by age, ethnicity, gender, locality and social class. Crime control, prevention and punishment, victims, and the role of the criminal justice system The sociological study of suicide and its theoretical and methodological implications. The connections between sociological theory and methods and the study of crime and deviance.
Assessment
At the end of Year 12 students will sit mock exams in content covered. The grade in these exams will determine entry into Year 13
Assessment A Level (Year 13) Paper 1: Education with Theory and Methods 2 hour written exam; 80 marks; 33.3% of A-level
Paper 2: Topics in Sociology 2 hour written exam; 80 marks; 33.3% of A-level
Paper 3: Crime and Deviance with Theory and Methods 2 hour written exam: 80 marks; 33.3% of A Level
Career Value
Sociology can be taken alongside a range of A-level choices, but it does combine well with History, Government and Politics, Psychology and English Literature. Entry Requirements GCSE Grade 6 in English Language/Literature. Sociology is one of the leading subjects at University level, many students have gone on to undergraduate study in pathways such as Law, Criminology, Social Policy, Sociology, Psychology, Politics, Early Childhood Studies. Career paths well linked include Social work, Police and Criminal Justice, Legal field.
