AS

A/S Sociology in more detail

Integral elements

All the following topics are brought together

• Sociological theories, perspectives and methods
• The design of the research used to obtain the data including its strengths and limitations.

Core themes

Two core themes run through all of the topics studied:

• Socialisation, culture and identity
• Social differentiation, power and stratification.

But these are not discreet topics; the themes are applied as threads running through the each major topic areas. The central focus is on UK society today, with consideration given to comparative dimensions where relevant, including the siting of UK society within its globalised context.

Topics

Education with Methods in Context

You will be studying Education and Research Methods. You will be doing your own research, which you can comment on in the exam. You will learn a critical awareness of contemporary social processes and change, and draw together the knowledge, understanding and skills learnt in different aspects of the course.

You will explore:

• The role and functions of the education system, including its relationship to the economy and to class structure.
• Does education function merely to keep the working class in their place?
• Differential educational achievement of social groups by social class, gender and ethnicity in contemporary society. Why do girls do better than boys in terms of exam results?
• Is the dice loaded against equal opportunities for the poorest children?
• The relationships 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.
• Do teacher attitudes affect student performance?
• The 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.
• You will also learn to apply sociological research methods to the study of education. You will be learning about the following areas:
  • 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’ the theoretical, practical and ethical considerations influencing choice of topic, choice of method(s) and the conduct of research.

Families and Households

This Includes:

• 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. Have we given up on marriage and family?
• Gender roles, domestic labour and power relationships within the family in contemporary society, including sensitive subjects such as domestic violence.
• The nature of childhood, and changes in the status of children in the family and society. Is childhood real? Is it a positive experience for all children?
• Demographic trends in the United Kingdom since 1900: birth rates, death rates, family size, life expectancy, ageing population, and migration and globalisation.
• Applied theories such as Functionalism, Marxism, Feminism, The New Right and Post Modernism.

A/S Examinations

There are two A/S Sociology examinations. All questions are compulsory

Paper 1

EDUCATION

• Define the term.... (2 marks)
• Using one example, briefly explain.... (2 marks)
• Outline three... (6 marks)
• Outline and explain two... (10 marks)
• Applying material from Item A and your knowledge, evaluate...(20 marks)

METHODS IN CONTEXT

Applying material from Item B and your own knowledge of research methods, evaluate the strengths and limitations of using (*a research method*) to investigate (*and issue in education*)... (20 marks)

Paper 2

RESEARCH METHODS (two compulsory questions)

• Outline two problems .... (4 marks)
• Examine some of the... (16 marks)

FAMILIES AND HOUSEHOLDS

• Define the term .... (2 marks)
• Using one example, briefly explain.... (2 marks)
• Outline three... (6 marks)
• Outline and explain two... (10 marks)
• Applying material from Item A and your knowledge, evaluate...(20 marks)
• All questions are compulsory