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About the course:
About the course:
Exam Board: AQA
Subject contact: Hannah Batchelor
Sociology is the critical study of social processes and structures in society by exploring different perspectives of phenomena and the biases held by each perspective. It considers changes in society over time along with their relative causes and the importance different perspectives place on these. An understanding of the research methods of Social Sciences is developed to understand how this knowledge has been socially constructed and be able to evaluate and analyse the validity, reliability and usefulness of such data.
By the end of Sociology A-Level students will be prepared to contribute to real change in society as they understand the mechanisms already in place and how to change them.
Studying Sociology equips you to critically view the structures in society and human interaction. You learn different theoretical viewpoints such as Functionalism, Marxism, Feminism, Interactionism and Postmodernism and apply their thinking to different topics such as how they would explain educational inequality, cultural differences or crime.
There are 3 written exams at the end of the course that are 2 hours each with 80 marks per paper. Each exam is worth 33.33% of the qualification.
Units of study:
Units of study:
Component 1
Component 1
Unit 1: Education with Theory and Methods
Explore relationships and processes within schools, the significance of educational policies and explore the role and function of the education system.
Explore broader sociological theories such as Functionalism, Marxism and Feminism.
Explore different research methods such as interviews, questionnaires, participant observation and official statistics and their relative use.
Component 2
Component 2
Unit 2: Topics in Sociology
Culture and Identity and Media
This is a written exam where you will be expected to foster a critical awareness of contemporary social processes and change, and draw together the knowledge, understanding and skills learnt in different aspects of the course.
Explore the role of culture and socialisation, formation of identity, social group identities and how work, consumption and production impact culture and identity.
Explore the role of the media in society, including ownership and control, media representation of social groups and the impact of the media on audiences.
Component 3
Component 3
Unit 3: Crime and Deviance with Theory and Methods
You are expected to be familiar with sociological explanations of crime and deviance, social order and social control, the social distribution of crime and deviance by ethnicity, gender and social class, including recent patterns and trends in crime, globalisation and crime in contemporary society; the media and crime; green crime; human rights and state crimes.
Explore advanced sociological theory and methods such as interactionism and postmodernism to extend your evaluation of differing approaches.
Further explore methods through issues such as objectivity and value freedom.
What sort of issues do we look at in A Level Sociology?
What sort of issues do we look at in A Level Sociology?
Are gender identities changing over time?
Are gender identities changing over time?
We explore how popular culture, such as Disney films, represent gender over time and the impact this may have on our individual identity.
High culture - is it losing value?
High culture - is it losing value?
We explore the impact technology and the media has had on the accessibility to high culture such as the Mona Lisa as an artistic experience. Some sociologists argue the distinction between high and popular culture is blurring whilst others argue they are still distinct due to different types of 'capital'.
Social bonds as an explanation of crime?
Social bonds as an explanation of crime?
We explore a range of explanations of crime such as the lack of social bonds, subcultural explanations, symbolic resistance and structural inequality.
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