SOCIOLOGY
Welcome to Petroc PACE +
A Level Sociology
The information on this page will give you a flavour of what life is like studying Sociology A Level at Petroc and help to expand your knowledge. Take a look around!
Start by watching the welcome presentation and learn what the content you will be learning on the course. You can also gain an understanding of the careers you could go onto and find out what our current and previous students have got up to this year.
Once you are finished why not check out what else Petroc has to offer on the Life at Petroc page.
June Content
Introduction to A Level Sociology
This stimulating and topical study programme enables you to better understand people's behaviour and the societal influence on their lives. It will give you a real insight into the world around you. As you learn, you'll build up your knowledge and understanding of sociological thought and methods.
Meet Steph Fry
My name is Steph and I am one of the A level Sociology teachers at Petroc. I currently teach the Sociology of Education and of Crime and Deviance. Along with theory and methods this covers paper one and three of your A levels. I am passionate about Sociology and believe that it challenges and encourages us all to see society from different perspectives and question what we are told about it. I love to see students engage with the topics that we cover, to question and debate! My goal through the teaching of Sociology is to see you succeed in your A level and grow in confidence to understand, question, and ultimately, change society for the better.
An activity for you to try at home
What is Sociology?
Many people approaching the subject of sociology for the first time have a vague idea that the subject is about people and society. This is a good start, as sociology looks at how influences from society shape and affect people and their behaviour, their experiences and how they interpret the world around them.
At the heart of Sociology are three questions:
What is happening in society?
Why is it happening?
What can be done about it?
In order to understand and answer these questions, Sociology looks at a number of important areas and if you begin to consider these, alongside being interested in what is happening in the world, prior to starting your A’ level Sociology studies at Petroc, you will be well-placed to get the most out of studying this incredible subject.
These activities reflect how we approach the subject as a whole. We want you to think, to reflect, to challenge and ultimately we want you to be confident in being able to interpret the world around you and see your role within it as a proactive member of society, able to positively influence your own life and that of others.
So, welcome to Sociology! We are really happy to have you! Throw yourself into the tasks, start conversations at home and with your friends and stay in touch with us if you have any questions or simply want to discuss anything you have come across.
We are always available and run a really active Twitter account if you want to find out more about the subject over the coming months.
https://twitter.com/PetrocSociology
Take care. Speak soon. Good luck!
James (james.baldaro@petroc.ac.uk) and Steph (stephanie.fry@petroc.ac.uk)
Social Institutions
Sociology is the study of human groups and social life in modern societies. That means everything and everybody around you! The way we all organise Society ourselves everyday is through things called ‘social institutions’. These are found throughout society and sociologists are fascinated by how they operate. For example, the family is a social institution that exists in many forms and a version of the family is found in almost every human society. Many developed societies have education systems, which perform a number of functions such as providing children with skills for work. Work and the economic system are the way in which goods and services are produced and distributed. The Media is an institution we all turn to for information, and for social connection. The law ensures social control and regulation of people’s behaviour and politics enables people’s views to be represented democratically. Therefore, society is made up of many parts (or institutions) and they all contribute something to the operation of society and to your experience of life every day.
Things to consider, discuss and question:
What institutions are YOU part of? What roles do YOU play in these institutions? How much of an influence on your life does each institution have? How much does being part of these institutions influence your identity? Are there any important institutions you are not yet influenced by but may well be in the future? Do these institutions operate for the benefit of all? How is power distributed within these institutions?
Create a diagram or mind-map illustrating your response to these questions. Put yourself at the centre and build it from there! Keep adding to it!
Discuss these issues with your friends and family, what is their view? You might not even be aware of the roles you take in institutions or of the influence they have in your lives - Discussion and debate will really help!
Meet a current student
Rhianna is an A Level learner studying Psychology, Sociology and Philosophy of Religion. On top of this, she has also excelled in an industry placement with Citizens Advice alongside her studies.
We caught up with Rhianna whilst she was at Citizens Advice to ask her how she was getting on in her placement. She told us “This placement was presented to me in my first year at Petroc and it sounded like an important and meaningful opportunity that I would benefit from. The placement has been everything I expected and I have been given a lot of training which has built my confidence and allowed me to speak with members of the public about their rights and what help is available to them. I have passed my assessment with them and have started to regularly engage with the public over the phone."
Rhianna has been offered a place at Leicester University to study Sociology! She believes “This experience has helped me decide what I am looking for in my future career. I am really interested in social work and social policy making. I want to make a positive difference to people’s lives and believe this industry placement has hugely informed my decision.”
For more information about industry placements, please see our Life at Petroc page or email industryplacements@petroc.ac.uk.
July Content
Continuing to learn about Social Institutions
Hello again!
We hope you enjoyed the first task and that it led to lots of discussions, self-reflection and maybe even the chance for you to view the world and your role in it in a slightly different way. That is what Sociology is all about!
Remember, in addition to these tasks, you can see the kinds of issues we are discussing in relation to current events by following us on Twitter, and, as ever, you can contact us at any time if you have any questions or just want to discuss the issues you have come across.
https://twitter.com/PetrocSociology
Take care. Speak soon. Good luck!
James and Steph (james.baldaro@petroc.ac.uk; stephanie.fry@petroc.ac.uk)
Learn more about Social Institutions
At the very heart of Sociology is the study of social differences and inequalities….. Sociologists are really interested in how society may be divided into social groups – or how they are stratified. it is a key area of disagreement within the subject, just as it is in wider society. For example, some sociologists would argue that social class is a significant form of stratification, or inequality, found in our society – wealth and incomes are distributed unevenly, which may result in some members of society having privileges and wealth, while others have low incomes and may live in poverty. in the UK, for example, the richest 10% of people own 44% of the nation’s total wealth. The poorest half of the population share only 9% of the total wealth. A person’s income, occupation and ownership of wealth are related to other aspects of their lives such as how much power and influence they have, their level of education and their social status.
There is a lot of disagreement about how we measure social class but roughly, we can divide society into broad categories like these, each with distinct cultural and economic characteristics.
Things to consider, discuss and question:
Create a photo montage/collage or even a short video illustrating differences between these classes. Walk around the area you live, collecting visual evidence.
As you do this, ask yourself whether the differences you have found contribute to inequalities of opportunities, or of outcomes, in terms of life chances and successes or failures (you may wish to think about the areas of education, health, career as a starting point). How fair or unjust are these inequalities?
August Content
Social Issues
Hello again!
We hope you enjoyed the last task and that it enabled you to really consider issues relating to social class and inequalities of wealth, health and opportunity. We look forward to seeing your findings and hearing about any thoughts you had and discussions the task hopefully led to!
If your interest in social inequalities was sparked by this task you might want to complete something similar but this time focus on issues of gender inequality, or that based on ethnicity or disability. Again, focus on discovering the extent of inequality and on how that presents itself in daily life.
Remember, in addition to these tasks, you can see the kinds of issues we are discussing in relation to current events by following us on Twitter, and, as ever, you can contact us at any time if you have any questions or just want to discuss the issues you have come across.
https://twitter.com/PetrocSociology
To explore the content of the sociology A level you can have a look at the overview here:
https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/sociology/as-and-a-level/sociology-7191-7192
Take care. Speak soon. And enjoy your summer!
We are really looking forward to meeting you all in person in September!
James and steph (james.baldaro@petroc.ac.uk; stephanie.fry@petroc.ac.uk)
Social Issues
Sociology is the study of social problems and issues……As well as studying how society works, sociologists are interested in why societies sometimes don’t work well, or why certain features of social life may be harmful. For example, as you saw in the last task, poverty may be found in many societies, and this can lead to other forms of disadvantage. Many would argue that crime in society is harmful, especially to victims. Family breakdown and divorce may also occur which may lead to other social problems. Sociologists often research these issues to uncover useful information which could be used by governments and policy makers to try to improve the lives of individuals and wider society. So, sociology is the study of human society, social institutions, social differences, social problems and human behaviour, all of which are touched on in this final task which shows you the actual work of sociologists - an area which one day you may even end up working in!
The work of the sociologist
“Gang Leader for a Day” - Sudhir Venkatesh
This fascinating study gives a brilliant insight into the life of gang members in Chicago. Watch, read about and explore this study - ask yourself whether you think you’d be able to do this type of social research?! Is there any similar social group or phenomenon you would like to study? Why? How would you do that? What might you find? Make a note of your ideas and any discussions you have on this with family/friends.
Here’s some resources on Venkatesh to start you off:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRq1AhFAN-4
Want more?
Here are some suggestions for you to read and watch in advance of September - the best things for you to look at are things that you find interesting!
Introduction to Sociology;
Watch this to set the scene - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32KG_ba_NJc
And dip into this series to find out more - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnCJU6PaCio
And pick something from this playlist if you really want to stretch yourself!
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLA6V0BVqCx2oSQbSduDo6wYsmATu-9CRx
If you prefer to listen, one of these can introduce you to ideas about specific areas of society, have a look through and choose one which interests you:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qy05/episodes/player
Finally, here’s a link to the British Sociological Association - it will give you loads of information about potential career routes you might follow after studying sociology:
https://www.britsoc.co.uk/what-is-sociology/sociologist-careers/
https://www.topuniversities.com/student-info/careers-advice/what-can-you-do-sociology-degree