Sociology
Do you wonder what fuels our apparent fixation with celebrity? Is it just gossip in a modern
form? Is it that it provides endless, easily obtained content for our multiplying TV channels,
newspaper pages and magazines? Could it be both? Or even something much more
profound about the class system of modern Britain? You may be already thinking ‘But
class doesn’t mean anything any more’. Are you sure? Why is the number of years you
can expect to live still associated with your occupation? What about the way that your
gender, religion, and ethnic background open up or close down opportunities in your life?
What kinds of spiritual faith do people have in Britain today? And how far do the media
affect how personal lifestyle choices are viewed by wider society?
Sociology is the study of how society is organized and how we experience life. It has been
taught in British universities since the very beginning of the twentieth century, first at the
London School of Economics and soon after at Liverpool University. These and other
pioneering departments did groundbreaking research in major social issues such as
poverty and crime.
AS specification – AQA exam board
Unit 1 – Families and households
This unit looks at the changing patterns of families over the previous century. It attempts to
see if things really have got better for women, how differently children are now treated, and
how different relationship patterns have affected society.
Unit 2 – Education and research methods
Here we will consider the changing patterns of achievement in schools, and investigate if
gender, class and ethnicity have a significant outcome on educational achievement. We
will then try and explain why that is.
The final part of this unit will look at methods of conducting research into sociological
issues, allowing students to conduct small investigations of their own.
A2 specification
Unit 3 – Beliefs in society
In this unit we will be looking at the various religious beliefs that exist in our society, and
investigating to what extent they influence social change. We will then be looking at the
significance of religion in the contemporary world.
Unit 4 – Crime and deviance and research methods
This final unit will look at crime statistics, and attempt to explain them in terms of what
motivates criminal behaviour, and what can be best done to prevent it.
Research methods in this unit will follow on from those studies at AS level, and further
equip students to conduct sociological research of their own choosing
There is no coursework
Reading list
AS
AS Level Sociology: The Complete Course for the AQA Specification
· Rob Webb , Hal Westergaard, Keith Trobe, Liz Steel
· Napier press
A2
A2 Sociology: The Complete Course for the AQA Specification
· Rob Webb , Hal Westergaard, Keith Trobe, Liz Steel
· Napier press