What this course is about:

The course will be of interest to anyone who is interested in understanding human behaviour and how society influences groups of people such as gender, social class, sexuality, disability, ethnicity and criminal groups. The curriculum covers a wide range of subjects with the most up-to-date changes in society including the recent developments of social media and digital technology. The course is studied over two years.

What you will study:

Education with theory and methods
• Role and function of the education system
• Significance of educational policy
• Apply sociological methods to the study of education
• Quantitative and qualitative methods of research

Topics in Sociology
• Culture and identity
• Families and households
• Health
• Work, poverty and welfare
• Beliefs in society
• Global Development
• The media
• Stratification and differentiation

Crime and deviance with theory and methods
• Crime, deviance, social order and social control
• Quantitative and qualitative methods of research; research design
• Sources of data, including questionnaires, interviews, participant and non-participant observation, experiments, documents and official statistics
• The distinction between primary and secondary data, and between quantitative and qualitative data
• The relationship between positivism, interpretivism and sociological methods; the nature of ‘social facts’

How you will be assessed:

The course is assessed by a number of exams which are completed at the end of the two-year course. 

What it will prepare you for:

A-level Sociology is a highly valued qualification that will enable students to gain access to higher education and may help students gain employment or apprenticeships in the following sectors:
• Education
• Nursing
• Youth work
• Social work
• Counselling and housing provision