Sociology A Level

Course Description

Studying sociology helps you develop a critical approach to understanding society. You will explore issues around culture, identity, media, crime, politics, education, globalisation, inequality and social power.

You will be able to evaluate sociological theories such as Marxism and Feminism.

Further Information about our courses including results

Three year average 50% A*-B

Course Content and Teaching Units

Culture and identity:

• different conceptions of culture, including subculture, mass culture, folk culture, high and low culture, popular culture and global culture.

• the socialisation process, the relationship of identity to age, disability, ethnicity, gender, nationality, sexuality and social class in contemporary society, production, consumption and globalisation.

Education and methods in context:

• differential educational achievement of social groups by social class, gender and ethnicity in contemporary society.

• the significance of educational policies, including policies of selection, marketisation and privatisation, and policies to achieve greater equality of opportunity or outcome

Theory and Methods:

• Functionalism, Marxism, Feminism, Interactionism and Postmodern.

Crime and deviance:

• crime, deviance, social order and social control.

• the social distribution of crime and deviance by ethnicity, gender and social class.

• crime control, surveillance, prevention and punishment, victims, and the role of the criminal justice system.

Media:

• The relationship between ownership and control of the media

• Media representations of age, social class, ethnicity, gender, sexuality and disability

• The relationship between the media, their content and presentation, and audiences

Financial Information

Class workbooks are used so text books are optional and can be purchased to support learning at approximately £20 per year.

Revision guides available for approximately £12.

Some years we are able to offer a trip that costs around £50.

Trips, visits and extra-curricular

Students may attend after school for private study and extra exam practice.

Students are provided with links and a list of suggested media content to consume.

There are two internal mock exams in year 12, 1 formal mock exam in year 13. In additional, regular exam practice occurs in lessons.

The A-level has are three exams, each account for one third of your A-level grade. The three exams last 2 hours and are worth 80 marks each. The exams consist of a mixture of short answer but predominantly extended writing questions, which require a proficiency in essay writing. There is no coursework.

Grade 5 or above in English Language and English Literature. A grade 6 or above in humanities course is desirable.

Around half of our sociology students go on to study either sociology, law, criminology or journalism at university.

Careers where a foundation in sociology is valued include:

• Law

• Journalism

• Social Work

• Criminology

• Teaching

• Media

• Advertising and Marketing

• Human Resources

• Youth Services

• Politics

• Social Policy Planning

• Probation

• Academic Research

• Police

• Business/PR

• Medical related careers/nursing/midwife