Students will require an open mind to study Sociology as it’s essentially a perspective for viewing the world, analysing how societies shape our beliefs, behaviour and identity, and how this process has changed over time. Subjects like gender, sexuality, religion, ethnicity, and globalisation could all be explored. Sociologists study people in society.
The subject matter of sociology includes groups like the family, larger ones like a school or working place, very large institutions like the whole education system or the political system, and even whole societies like England or the United Kingdom. Sociology is the attempt to understand how society works. It provides description and analysis of the patterns and structures in human relationships, and it encourages us to see the world through the eyes of others. It can help us as we try to make sense of our own lives, as well as giving us a sense of our wider responsibility to society.
Key Stage 5 – Years 12/13
Year 12
Topic 1- ‘Education’: Including sociological theories on the role and function of the education system, differences in educational achievement between social, gender and ethics groups and educational policies.
Topic 2- ‘Research Methods’: Including different sociological methods, such as experiments, questionnaires, interviews, observations, quantitative and qualitative data.
Topic 3- ‘Family and Households:’Including different sociological views on the role of the family, changing patterns of family structure and demographic trends of the family in the UK.
Year 13
Topic 1- The Media: Including the significance of the new media in contemporary society, ownership and control of the media, globalization and the media and the portrayal of different social groups in the media.
Topic 2- Theory and Methods: Including research methods and sociological theories (Marxism, feminism, functionalism).
Topic 3: ‘Crime and Deviance’: Including sociological explanations of crime and deviance, the social distribution of crime by gender and ethnicity and crime control methods and punishments.
Future opportunities
Careers and degree paths– law, medicine, Social Policy, Civil Service, teaching, police, criminology, market research and advertising. Most professions now have sociological aspects to their training courses from customer-based jobs such as banking and advertising to medicine and government positions in the Civil Service. More and more universities are classifying Sociology and Criminology as a BSC degree rather than a BA and this move has opened up a number of careers, including leading to qualify and practice as a forensic psychologist.
What are the entry requirements?
Students will be expected to obtain a minimum of a grade B in English Language. As Sociology is an essay-based subject also taking a humanities subject such as History, Politics or Religious Studies is helpful but not essential.
Combinations
A level Sociology goes well with all A level subjects but particularly compliments English, Psychology, History and Politics within the arts-based A levels. Psychology and Sociology work well together due to the overlap of research methods and criminology. It works well alongside the three sciences; particularly for students considering a career in frontline care professions such as medicine, pharmacy and nursing.
