Sociology

WHY STUDY SOCIOLOGY?

GCSE Sociology is an increasingly popular subject which offers students an opportunity to develop an understanding of many topical issues in society, including the balance of power between men and women, the impact that the media has on our lives and explanations of criminal and deviant behaviours. Students will gain a wider understanding of the world during the course, including contemporary social and political debates. It will also develop transferable skills, such as thinking critically, evaluating and applying knowledge, and writing persuasively.

Sociology is an interesting and exciting subject which provides a well-respected GCSE for people who want to pursue work in law, politics, public relations, teaching, business, human resources and management, public services and many other careers. Sociology suits students who are curious about the world.

DESCRIPTION OF COURSE

This will look at different approaches to viewing society, from the ideas of Karl Marx to Feminists. It will analyse the impact that class, gender, culture, ethnicity, and other factors, such as the media, have on individuals and society.

Crime and Deviance

Delve into the causes of criminal behaviours. This topic will consider the explanations for criminal acts and analyse topical issues such as how criminals should be punished, institutional racism and how the media portrays different types of crimes, such as crimes committed by the working class and middle class.

Education

This topic explores differing views on the role of education, from feminist views, which suggest education reinforces gender inequalities, to Functionalist views, which see education as a key agent of socialisation. This topic will enable students to debate questions such as, “Why are girls outperforming boys at GCSE?”,  “Can money buy a better education?” and “Why do people fail or succeed in education?”.

Social Stratification

This topic will look at how class, ethnicity, age, and gender affect people’s life chances. This topic will examine questions such as “What is poverty?”, “Does social class still matter?”, “Why is there a gender pay gap?”, “Why are people in the UK using foodbanks?” and “Is there an underclass who causes their inequality?”. These will be examined by looking at official statistics and explanations such as Feminism, New Right and Marxism.

Families and Households

This includes debate and analysis of key family and society issues, including reasons for the changing attitudes towards alternative family types, how families differ in other countries, rising trends in divorce rates and different sociological views of society.

Research Methods

This will enable students to see how sociologists conduct research by analysing different methods, such as using official statistics to study crime rates or undercover observations to investigate anti-school subcultures in education.

HOW WILL STUDENTS BE ASSESSED

There is no coursework in the GCSE Sociology course. Students will follow the AQA specification and take two examinations, each equally weighted and lasting 1 hour 45 minutes at the end of Year 11.

Paper 1: The sociology of families and education (50%)  

Paper 2: The sociology of crime and deviance and social stratification (50%) 

CAREERS LINKS

There are many careers linked to sociological pathways. Analysis and critical thinking skills provide a sound foundation for many careers. Public sector, social services, police, and criminal justice professions, as well as journalism and marketing. Sociology leads to a depth of knowledge of the society in which we live, arguably valuable for any future career. Careers links are regularly made within lessons and as homework research projects. 

Further information on this specification is available from the qualification website:  

https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/sociology/gcse/sociology-8192