Sociology

OVERVIEW

Sociology is the study of how society is organised and how we experience life. The subject has formed the basis of ground-breaking research into major social issues, such as poverty and crime. Many sociological ideas, such as a ‘moral panic’ and charisma, are now in everyday use and the subject raises many questions concerning how people live their lives, such as ‘how important is the job that you do for your sense of self and your future?” or, “Are national governments able to ensure that most people have a job and will they be supported with health and social care when they need it?” The subject explores a wide range of issues, including education, the changing roles of women in society, how national statistics are used and how sociologists conduct meaningful research.

STUDY

We follow the AQA specification. The content of the AS examinations is as follows:

Paper 1: Education and Research Methods in Context

Paper 2: Research Methods and Families and

Households The A Level examination has the following content:

Paper 1: Education, Research Methods and Research Methods in Context

Paper 2: Families and Households and Beliefs in Society

Paper 3: Crime and Deviance, Theory and Methods

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

You may be interested in this subject if you are interested in careers in the civil service, police, social work and other caring professions. It has excellent links with other social sciences such as Psychology and Health and Social Care, but fits well with most other A Level subjects.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

5 grade 9-4’s GCSE or equivalent plus grade 5 in a related subject (e.g. History).