Sociology A Level
Board: AQA
Syllabus: Syllabus 7191, 7192
About the subject
A-level Sociology offers students the opportunity to develop the essential knowledge and understanding of central aspects of sociological thought and methods. It is designed to encourage students to demonstrate the application of a range of skills and consider the integration of sociological themes:
- socialisation, culture and identity
- social differentiation, power and stratification
In the first year at Collyer’s students will look at how life is structured in both Families and Households and how these ideas are integrated into society as a whole as well as how families relate to other institutions. We will also look at the Education system how it is structured and how class, gender and ethnicity affect educational achievement. In the first year there is also the element of Research Methods to be considered and how those methods impact social study.
In the second year students will study Crime and Deviance where the idea of Theory and Methods will be added to this topic. Finally we will look at the topic of Beliefs in Society, not from the point of view of what those religions believe but how they have impacted society.
Learning styles
Students will be asked throughout the course of the two years to:
AO1 – Demonstrate and communicate knowledge and understanding of sociological theories, concepts and evidence, and sociological research methods.(40%)
AO2 – Apply sociological theories, concepts, evidence and research methods to the range of issues talked about above.(30%)
AO3 – Analyse and evaluate sociological theories, concepts, evidence and research methods in order to present arguments, make judgments and draw conclusions.(30%)
Subject Combinations and Progression
The subject matter of Sociology has links with Government & Politics, Economics, Psychology, History, Media Studies, Law, English and Film Studies. In terms of subject combinations Sociology combines well with most subjects as it is a foundational subject that gives students an understanding of ideas such as class, gender and ethnicity and therefore provides students with a useful insight into many key aspects of society.
Students who study Sociology go on to study an enormous range of subjects including a vast range of social science based courses.
Subject Modules and Assessment
A level Sociology
Paper 1 – Education with Theory and Methods (two hour exam).
Paper 2 – Families and Households as well as Beliefs in Society in Sociology (two hour exam).
Paper 3 – Crime and Deviance with Theory and Methods (two hour exam).
Entry requirements
4 in English Lit and Lang