In simple terms, Sociology studies society. It examines the institutions that make up society and the patterns of behaviour of people in society. You will examine both whole society (using large scale social research and statistical data to gain a view of how society is functioning), and social interaction and attempts to understand people’s motives for their actions. Topic covered include families and households, education and sociological methods, beliefs in society, and crime and deviance. Sociology is lively course and involves lots of classroom debate and discussion. It focuses on current and often controversial issues in society therefore students need to have a mature attitude to social issues. Students should have an enquiring mind – you will be required to discuss issues from different viewpoints and to analyse and assess these views in terms of their strengths and weaknesses. The A-Level course requires a lot of essay writing, so a talent in this area is very helpful.