Sociology

Subject Overview

Sociology is the study of the society that we all live in. Sociology looks at how our social characteristics affect our chances and experiences in life. We study gender, ethnicity and social class and ask why different kinds of people are less likely to have good health, achieve good qualifications, have social status and be more likely to commit a crime, be poor and die at an early age.

A Level Sociology has a more theoretical base than GCSE Sociology and so we look at society from different perspectives such as Marxism, Feminism and right wing approaches.

  1. Do ASBOs work?
  2. Does capitalism exploit the working classes?
  3. Are children growing up too quickly?
  4. Why does the media portray teenagers in such a negative light?
  5. Is there any need for feminism anymore?
  6. Why do the New Right criticise lone parent families?
  7. Do violent media images make us more violent?

Syllabuses

GCSE Sociology is 100% exam

The Units we study are:

  • Families and Households
  • Education
  • Research Methods
  • Power
  • Crime and Deviance
  • Social Inequality
  • Media

Year 10 involves looking at the topics of Education, Families, Research Methods, Crime. The first exam is in January  when pupils are in year 11, contributing to 50% of the overall GCSE grade. The second is in June leading to the other 50% of the overall grade.

The full syllabus is available from here:

Complimentary Subject Combinations and Enrichment Activities

Business studies, history and geography are complimentary subjects for sociology students.Click here to enter text.

Subject Resources

Pauline Wilson GCSE Sociology Revision by Collins AQA

Schemes of Work

Past Papers

Past paper question practice is essential in sociology as it is 100% exam. Therefore it is highly advisable to download as many questions from the following website:

Other Information

Sociology is relevant to all types of careers as most will involve working with people. Sociology students will often go on to work in areas such as health/social care, education, legal or police work, journalism or in government administration. GCSE Sociology is a good introduction to studying other Social Science subjects at A level and beyond.

Miss Begum