Sociology, Health and Social Care

Head of Department: Catherine Reynolds

Members of Department:

  • Thaslima Begum
  • Yasmeen Jama
  • Pelumi Owoseje
  • Susan Skyers

The literal meaning of the word ‘Sociology’ is the ‘science of society’. The interactions between people as members of society are what Sociology is about. Social events and changes do not occur by accident. Sociology attempts to bring a systematic understanding to our knowledge of what goes on around us - locally, nationally and even internationally.  Using a variety of models and theories and applying recognised research methods the Sociologist sets off to try and understand our human condition a little better. This can be a demanding task - but an interesting and rewarding one!

In a sense studying Sociology is a continuous series of debates with and by Sociologists! We spend most of our time studying what sociologists have found out and how their conclusions are debated, argued and disagreed with by other people who may have other ideas and see things quite differently.

Sociology is a modern and challenging course at GCSE and A- level, and an excellent choice for students who wish to think critically about the society they live in and develop key academic skills.

 

Key Stage 4

Sociology is an option subject in which pupils complete a GCSE over the course of one year. The examining board is OCR and the course has three units.

Unit 1: Sociology the basics is made up of 2 sections, the first section covers some of the basic ideas and concepts used in Sociology and the second section deals with how sociologists use research methods to find out about society.

Unit 2: In this unit we study three topics, Crime and deviance, Youth and Education.

Unit 3: We will be studying pre-release material and apply our knowledge of research methods to the investigations to answer the questions in the exams.

Key Stage 5

Sociology is a popular A level option, and students will complete an A level over the course of two years. The examining board is AQA and the course has three units

Paper one: Education and theory and methods:

Paper two: Topics in Sociology – Families and Households and Global development.

Paper three: Crime and deviance with theory and methods.