A Level - Sociology

The Course

Sociology is great for those who wish to learn more about institutions like family, education, religion and crime and deviance. Sociology will enable you to develop a range of skills that universities value and employers need, such as the ability to think critically and develop an argument. You will become much more socially aware and will start to see society in a whole new light as you learn about culture, identity, social class, gender and race and ethnicity.

There are six main topics of study on the course which include:

• Families and Households: You’ll learn how the family has shaped the nature of society and the economy. We also examine how government policy has attempted to influence the family and examine whether women still take responsibility for domestic chores and childcare or whether it is shared more equally between both partners.
• Education: This focuses on the role of the education system and why certain groups do better or worse than others in terms of performance. Students examine the hidden processes that go on in the classroom concerning roles, regulating behaviour and teacher student relationships.
• Sociological Methods: You’ll learn about the different ways in which we actually generate knowledge about society. These methods might include questionnaires, surveys, observation, experiments or interviews.
• Beliefs in Society: Learn about a range of systematic beliefs and how science relates to religion. We debate whether religion promotes change in society or keeps things the same. We look at different types of religious organisations like churches, sects, cults and denominations. Students also examine how religion influences the contemporary world and assess whether we are becoming more secular (non-religious and rational) or not.
• Crime and Deviance: Here you’ll learn about who commits crime and to what extent, by examining factors such as gender, race and ethnicity, social class, age and locality. Prevention of crime, the criminal justice system, deterrence and punishment are also covered. Other issues include globalisation of crime, a sociological understanding of suicide and theories and methods used in understanding crime and deviance.
• Sociological Theory: You will learn about key sociological perspectives such as Marxism and Feminism and discuss debates such as ‘Is Sociology a Science?’

Why study Sociology?
Sociology will enable you to develop a range of skills that universities value and employers need. You will become much more socially aware and will start to see society in a whole new light as you learn about culture, identity, social class, gender and race and ethnicity. Sociology is also great for those who wish to learn more about institutions like family, education, religion and crime and deviance. You will be taught by staff who have many years of experience working with the examination board and our results are consistently above national benchmarks

What else can you do on this course?
You can take part in different enrichment activities and trips to exhibitions.