SOCIOLOGY EXAM BOARD: AQA
Entry requirements: Grade 6 in GCSE English or History.
Head of department: Nabihah Ahmed
Is turning to crime a choice? Does a ‘gender gap’ exist within the education system? Is the divorce rate rising? Does social class still exist in society? Is gender a social construct? How has British society changed over the last 50 years? These are some of the questions that Sociology, the study of human society and its institutions, seeks to answer. For most pupils, Sociology is more than just an academic discipline, its a means to develop tools and skills to understand and shape the society we currently live in. We look at various institutions in society, such as, the family, the education system, the government and criminal justice system, religion, the healthcare system and much more. By critically examining evidence relating to British and international societies, you develop the ability to comprehend the social world you live in but also consider what future societies may look like too. Sociology lessons will challenge you and encourage you to go ‘beyond the textbook’ as we not only study sociological thought and research but also discover evidence from sources that are often overlooked but still
54
THE KING ALFRED SCHOOL
prove to be insightful, such as, newspaper articles, social media, film, and music. Education: • T he role and functions of the education system, including its relationship to the economy and to class structure •D ifferential educational achievement of social groups by social class, gender and ethnicity in contemporary society •R elationships and processes within schools, with particular reference to teacher/ pupil relationships, pupil identities and subcultures, the hidden curriculum, and the organisation of teaching and learning • T he significance of educational policies, including policies of selection, marketisation and privatisation, and policies to achieve greater equality of opportunity or outcome, for an understanding of the structure, role, impact and experience of and access to education; the impact of globalisation on educational policy
Families and Households: • The relationship of the family to the social structure and social change with particular reference to the economy and to state policies. • Changing patterns of marriage, cohabitation, separation, divorce, childbearing and the life course, including the sociology of personal life, and the diversity of contemporary family and household structures. • Gender roles, domestic labour and power relationships within the family in contemporary society. • The nature of childhood, and changes in the status of children in the family and society. • Demographic trends in the United Kingdom since 1900: birth rates, death rates, family size, life expectancy, ageing population, and migration and globalisation. Beliefs in Society: • Ideology, science and religion, including both Christian and non-Christian religious traditions.
