Sociology – AQA A Level
A Level sociology involves studying human groups and social life in modern societies. It considers the influence of society on the behaviour of individuals and the way in which people interpret the world around them.
Year 12
Students study The Sociology of Education, including the role of education, changing government policy on education, the attainment of different social groups and the relationship between education and globalisation.
The design of research used to obtain data on a topic within the study of Education.
Families and Households, including family diversity and the links with changes in wider society, the development of childhood, government policies on the family, demographic changes and changes to family roles.
Sociological research methods including quantitative and qualitative sources of data.
Year 13
Students study sociological theories and perspectives such as functionalism, Marxism and feminism, and how these relate to sociological research methods.
The Media unit investigates the relationship between ownership and control of the media, the media, globalisation and popular culture and media representations of age, gender, class ethnicity, sexuality and disability. In addition to this we investigate the new media and their significance for understanding the role of the media in contemporary society.
Crime and Deviance, including theories of crime, crime prevention strategies, the social distribution of crime and victimisation, the role of surveillance in society today as well as corporate and white collar crime and the impact of globalisation on crime.
The course is assessed by three written exams at the end of Year 13. There is no coursework.
Recommended Support Materials:
- Keith Trobe Sociology Year 1 and 2
- Ken Browne AQA Volume 1 and 2 course textbooks
- Tutor2u Sociology
- The Teacher Sociology YouTube videos
- Sociology Review Magazine (available from our school library on online)
- News apps websites such as the BBC, the Guardian, and Sky News
- Podcasts such as Thinking Allowed and The Sociology Show
- Sociology by Haralambos, 8th Edition
