Sociology A Level

Course summary

Sociology is a wide-ranging study of the dynamics at work in our society. We focus on the influence of families, media and education on society as well as evaluating the causes and consequences of inequality in society. As an A Level Sociology student, you will also examine the work of Sociologists, exploring how they conduct their work using various research methods. This subject encourages students to think critically about real-world problems and consider a variety of perspectives. Course Details: Component 1: You will study the ‘Education’ topic. This topic considers the role and functions of the education system, including its relationship to the economy and to class structure. For this topic, you will explore why there are differences in educational achievement of social groups by social class, gender and ethnicity in contemporary society. Additionally, you will consider a range of research methods used by sociologists and consider which methods best suit the research of different educational contexts. This component is assessed through a 2 hour exam. Component 2: You will study the ‘Families and Households’ and ‘Media’ topics. The ‘Families and Households’ topic looks at the changing patterns of marriage, cohabitation, separation and divorce. For this topic, you will also examine gender roles, domestic labour and power relationships within the family in contemporary society. The ‘Media’ topic looks at the relationship between ownership and control of the media as well as media representations of age, social class, ethnicity, gender, sexuality and disability. This component is assessed through a 2 hour exam. Component 3: You will study the ‘Crime and Deviance’ topic. This topic encompasses the social distribution of crime and deviance by ethnicity, gender, and social class, including recent patterns and trends in crime as well as the impact of globalisation on crime in contemporary society. This component is assessed through a 2 hour exam.