Sixth Form Girls

Sociology

Examination Board: AQA
What will I study?

The following themes run through both the AS and the A2 courses:-

  • Evidence of theories and perspectives and the sociological explanations for each individual area studied
  • The design of the research used to obtain the data under consideration, including its strengths and weaknesses.
  • Socialisation, culture and identity
  • Social differentiation, power and stratification

Topics for special study at AS are:-

In Unit 1 you will study

  • Families and Households (The Relationship of the Family to the Social Structure and Social Change, Changing Patterns of Marriage, Cohabitation, Separation, Divorce and Childbearing and the diversity of contemporary family and household structures, The Nature and Extent of Changes in the Family with reference to Gender Roles, Domestic Labour and Power Relationships, The Nature of Childhood and Demographic Trends in the UK since 1900 including changes in Birth Rates, Death Rates and Family Size.

In Unit 2 you will study

  • Education (The Role and Purpose of Education in Contemporary Society, Differential Educational Achievement of Social Groups by Social Class, Gender and Ethnicity, Relationships and Processes within school, The Significance of Educational Policies and the Application of Sociological Research Methods to the Study of Education.
  • Sociological Methods (The Strengths and Limitations of Quantitative and Qualitative Methods of Research Design, Sources of Data and the distinction between different types of data, The Relationship between Positivism, Interpretivism and Sociological Methods and the Theoretical, Practical and Ethical Considerations influencing Research.  

Topics for special study at A2 are:-

 In Unit 3 you will study

  • Beliefs in Society Different theories of ideology, science and religion, including both Christian and non – Christian religious traditions, The relationship between religious beliefs and social change and stability, Religious organisations, including cults, sects, denominations, churches and New Age movements, and their relationship to religious and spiritual belief and practice, The relationship between different social groups and religious / spiritual organisations and movements, belief and practices, The significance of religion and religiosity in the contemporary world, including the nature and extent of secularisation in a global context.

In Unit 4 you will study

  • Crime and Deviance Different theories of crime, deviance and social control, The social distribution of crime and deviance by age, ethnicity, gender, locality and social class, including recent patterns and trends in crime, Globalisation and crime in contemporary society; the mass media and crime; green crime; human rights and state crimes, Crime control, prevention and punishment, victims, and the role of the criminal justice system and other agencies, The connections between sociological theory and methods and the study of crime and deviance.
  • Theory and Methods (The Strengths and Limitations of Quantitative and Qualitative Methods of Research Design, Sources of Data and the distinction between different types of data, The Relationship between Positivism, Interpretivism and Sociological Methods and the Theoretical, Practical and Ethical Considerations influencing Research.
Do I need any particular skills or background knowledge? You do not need any specific GCSE's to take the course. However, candidates who have a Grade C in English Language will find that those skills will suitably equip them for the study of this specification.
How will I be examined? Assessment will take the form of written examinations at both AS and A2 level. Examinations for AS Unit 1 will consist of 1 question that consists of 5 parts and will have a duration of 1 hour. Unit 2 consists of 1question that consists of 4 parts regarding Education, 1 question on Social Research Methods in the Context of Education and 1 question that consists 4 parts on free-standing research methods and will have a duration of 2 hours. Whilst Unit 3 at A2 level has an examination of 1½ hours duration and consists of 1 question with 3 parts on Mass Media and 1 essay question on Mass Media. Unit 4 has an examination of 2 hours duration consisting 1 question with 2 parts on Stratification and Differentiation and 1 question with 2 parts on Sociological research Methods in the context of Stratification and Differentiation and 1 essay question on Theory and Methods.
Will the subject go with the other subjects I am studying? Sociology complements many other subjects particularly History, Geography, Religious Studies, Politics, Psychology, Economics and Business Studies.
What courses in Higher and Further Education are there? There are literally hundreds of degree and sub-degree courses available in the Social Sciences. Sociology is often combined with linked areas such as Criminology, Education, Psychology, Economics or Business Studies.
How useful will this subject be for me? Sociology is a subject which, by its very nature, relates directly to all areas of human experience and is particularly relevant if you are considering careers in Market Research, Human Resource Management, the Police or Probation Service, Social Services and Journalism.

Sixth Form News

  • AS/A2 results

    Thursday 19th August