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Sociology

Sociology is the study of society and of people and their behaviour. Sociologists create
theories to explain human behaviour and the ways in which society works. Sociology is a
subject for those interested in the world around them, in the relationships between people
and society, and in discussing issues that affect all of our lives.

AQA 7192

The course focuses on a number of key areas of sociological study, including Families and Households, Education, Religion and Beliefs, and Crime and Deviance. You will also study Research Methods and gain insight into the theories of key figures in Sociology such as Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim and Max Weber. Questions you will explore include: ‘Are men and women truly equal in today’s society?’, ‘Why do some pupils do better than others at school?’, ‘Is science a ‘religion’?’, and ‘What is a crime? And who decides?’

Course Content

Education

This component includes topics such as:

  • The role and functions of the education system.
  • Differential educational achievement of social groups by social class, gender and ethnicity.

Families and Households

This component includes such topics as:

  • Gender roles, domestic labour and power relationships within the family.
  • The nature of childhood, and changes in the status of children in the family and society.

Beliefs in Society

This component includes such topics as:

  • Religious organisations, including cults, sects, denominations, churches and New Age movements.
  • The significance of religion and religiosity in the contemporary world.

Crime and Deviance

This component includes such topics as:

  • The social distribution of crime and deviance by age, ethnicity, gender, locality and social class.
  • Globalisation and crime in contemporary society; the mass media and crime; green crime, human rights and state crimes.

Theory and Methods

This component includes such topics as:

  • The methods used by sociologists to conduct research studies; evaluation of the effectiveness of methods such as questionnaires, interviews and participant observation.
  • Key sociological perspectives such as Functionalism, Marxism and Feminism.

Assessment

Paper 1: Education with Theory and Methods – 2 hours, 33.3%

Mix of 4, 6 and 10 mark short answer questions and 20 and 30 mark essay questions

 

Paper 2: Families and Households and Religion and Beliefs – 2 hours, 33.3%

Mix of 10 mark short answer questions and 20 mark essay questions

 

Paper 3: Crime and Deviance with Theory and Methods – 2 hours, 33.3%

Mix of 4, 6 and 10 mark short answer questions and 20 and 30 mark essay questions

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