Sociology explores how society shapes who we are and how we live.
You will understand the hidden forces behind everyday life, such as culture, inequality, education, and media.
Developing a ‘sociological imagination’, you will learn to connect individual lives with social patterns, giving a deeper, critical understanding of the world.
'Sociology is the study of social life, social change, and the social causes and consequences of human behaviour.’
Anthony Giddens
Families and household
Explores how family structures and relationships have changed over time, including different family types, roles, and inequalities, alongside sociological theories and the impact of social change, culture, and policy on family life.
Education
Explores how schools shape achievement and inequality, focusing on gender, class and ethnicity.
This includes factors affecting achievement, the role of teachers and policies, and sociological perspectives, alongside debates about whether education benefits everyone equally.
Crime and deviance
Explores why people break social rules and how society responds.
Patterns of crime, the role of control and punishment, and different sociological theories on the causes of crime are studied, alongside debates about justice, power, and inequality.
Media
Explores how the media shapes our views of the world.
Representations, ownership, and the influence of new media, alongside sociological theories and debates about power, control, and inequality are studied.
ASSESSMENT
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Three exams at the end of year 13
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Each paper is 2 hours and is worth 33.3% of the grade
SUBJECT EXPERTS​
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Ms Balgobin, Subject Lead
Ms Balgobin has BSc Sociology degree from the University of Surrey. She has taught Sociology for 15 years.
Study Visit
An opportunity to visit the Old Bailey in London. The Old Bailey is the Central Criminal Court for England and Wales, at the centre of the criminal justice system.
We will see the courts in action and learn more about how this system operates.
SOCIOLOGY CAN LEAD TO A CAREER IN:
Social researcher/ data analyst
Social work
Police, criminology and the justice system
Law
Journalism