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Sociology

Introduction

Sociology is the study of society - how people interact in groups. A level Sociology examines social behaviour from a variety of perspectives: how it originates and then develops, and the ways people are organised into groups according to distinctions such as class, gender and race. A level Sociology also looks at the institutions and forces which shape and are shaped by groups within a society, such as the media, religion and education.

A level Sociology focuses on contemporary society, providing an awareness of the importance of social structure and actions in explaining social forces and issues. Some questions A level Sociology covers include:

  • Why do boys underachieve in the education system?
  • Why are black people five time more likely to be stopped and searched?
  • Why are women more religious when religion oppresses them?

A level Sociology helps you to develop knowledge and understanding of the essential sociological theories and methods (such as Functionalism, Marxism and Feminism) with which sociologists make sense of the diversity of societies, and of the forces which have and will continue to shape social change.

The AQA specification

A-Level (7191-7192) Core Content:

Students will be assessed through written responses throughout the course and should expect an essay per week – determined by course coverage.

AS-level
Paper 1: Education with methods in context
Paper 2: Research methods and families and households.
Each paper is 50% of AS (0% of the full A-level).
Each exam is 1.5 hours and 60 marks in total.

A-level
Paper 1: Education with theory and methods
Paper 2: Families and households, beliefs in society.
Paper 3: Crime and deviance with theory and methods.
Each paper is 33.3% of A-level.
Each exam is 2 hours and 80 marks in total.

Why you should consider this course?

Sociology gives students the knowledge and skills suited to a number of different career options. The British Sociological Association lists specific career routes which a study of sociology leads most obviously to. This list can be found here: https://www.britsoc.co.uk/what-is-sociology/sociologist-careers.aspx

The Sociology A Level course helps students develop a number of new skills:

  • How to use evidence to support your arguments
  • How to investigate facts and use deduction
  • How to put over your point of view fluently
  • How to work as a team to achieve results
  • How to take responsibility for your own learning

A Level Results 2022

Congratulations to our Year 13 students on achieving 100% A*-C

A Level Results 2021

Congratulations to our Year 13 students on achieving 91% A*-C

A Level Results 2020

Congratulations to our Year 13 students on achieving 100% A*-C

Future Career

Over the years our students have used Sociology as a spring board to study related courses at various UK Universities including; Pure Sociology, Criminology, Law, Social Work, Psychology, Nursing and Journalism, Sports Science and Midwifery. Many of our alumni have continued to forge excellent careers as; teachers, social researchers, solicitors, journalists, midwives, ethical marketers, counsellors, youth workers, physiotherapists and probation officers

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