Sociology

subject overview

Sociology enables students to gain knowledge and understanding of key social structures, processes and issues through the study of families, education, crime and deviance, social stratification, religion and beliefs. Students will develop their analytical and communication skills by comparing and contrasting perspectives on a variety of social issues, and by studying sociology they will gain skills towards how to: investigate facts and make deduction, develop opinions and new ideas on social issues, analyse and better understand the social world.

unit overview - autumn term

Subject: Sociology GCSE
Skills	Analysis skills - as applied to various types of families Analysis skills as to sociological literature (i.e. studies by Rapoport and Rapoport, Young and Wilmott etc) Evaluation of sociological perspectives – as to various views of the nuclear family Essay writing skills Debate skills as applied to alternatives to the family Analysis and interpretations of various types of graphs and visual information Extended writing skills – as applied to exam questions Create Specific Research methodology – qualitative and quantitative methods
Knowledge	Types of Families in Contemporary UK Family Diversity as described by Rapoport and Rapoport The Nuclear Family and it’s alternatives Perspectives on the Family (Functionalism, Marxism, Feminism, New Right) Childhood as a Social Construct Marriage and Divorce in Contemporary Britain Gender roles and Specific roles in the family The work of Young and Wilmot
Rationale	Students will familiarise themselves with the main methodology of sociology as it relates to a topic (families) that is most immediate to their everyday experience of the world. Throughout this topic an emphasis is placed on defining the key concepts of sociology as they relate to a social experience that is immediate (family life) Students are expected to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of key sociological theories by reading and responding to extracts (summaries of sociological studies) which illustrate the different views of sociologists. They should be able to critically analyse and evaluate how these sociologists have interpreted the issues. For each topic area students are expected to demonstrate an understanding of relevant methods and methodological issues and critically evaluate issues with presented studies (AO3 Written and oral debates will be used foster an understanding of sociology as a discipline predicated on perspectives

unit overview - spring term

Subject: Sociology GCSE
Skills	Analysis skills - as applied to various types of schools Analysis skills as to sociological literature (i.e. studies by Becker, Willis etc.) Evaluation of sociological perspectives – as to various views of the functions of the education system (Functionalism, Marxism, etc.) Essay writing skills Debate skills as applied Private vs Public Schooling, Meritocracy, is it a myth? Analysis and interpretations of various types of graphs and visual information Extended writing skills – as applied to exam questions Create Specific Research methodology – qualitative and quantitative methods
Knowledge	Types of school in the UK Alternative Education (De - schooling, Home Schooling) Perspectives on the educational system (Functionalism, Marxism, Feminism, New Right) Achievement is school Factors outside of school that affect achievement (class, gender, ethnicity) Factors within school that affect achievement (class, gender, ethnicity) Educational Policy in the UK
Rationale	Students will consolidate their knowledge the main methodology of sociology as it relates to a topic (education) that is immediate to their everyday experience of the world. Throughout this topic an emphasis is placed on defining the key concepts of sociology as they relate to a social experience that is immediate (the educational system) Students are expected to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of key sociological theories by reading and responding to extracts (summaries of sociological studies) which illustrate the different views of sociologists. They should be able to critically analyse and evaluate how these sociologists have interpreted the issues. For each knowledge area students are expected to demonstrate an understanding of relevant methods and methodological issues and critically evaluate issues with presented studies (Becker, Willis, Delphy and Leonard) (AO3) Written and oral debates will be used foster an understanding of sociology as a discipline predicated on perspectives An introduction of the link between sociology and everyday life through how sociology informs Government Policy

unit overview - summer term

Subject: Sociology GCSE
Skills	Analysis skills - as applied to various types of sociological research Analysis skills as to sociological literature (various sociological studies) Evaluation of sociological methods – qualitative, vs quantitative, primary vs secondary Analysis and interpretations of various types of graphs and visual information Extended writing skills – as applied to exam questions Design Specific Research methodology – qualitative and quantitative methods – as applied to various sociological questions
Knowledge	Primary vs Secondary Data Qualitative vs Quantitative Research Observations Interviews Secondary Methods How to evaluate sociological research (GRAVE method) Ethical Standards in Sociological Research Sampling A step by step guide for conducting psychological resarch
Rationale	Students will familiarise themselves with the main methodology of sociology (this permeates all other topics) Students will evaluate the sociological methods and conceptualise why none of them are perfect This topic is part of all other elements of the course as it is part of AO2 and AO3 in all exam questions The Step by Step guide for conducting research is designed to foster an understanding of the decision process all sociologist make

knowledge Organiser

A knowledge organiser is an important document that lists the important facts that learners should know by the end of a unit of work. It is important that learners can recall these facts easily, so that when they are answering challenging questions in their assessments and GCSE and A-Level exams, they are not wasting precious time in exams focusing on remembering simple facts, but making complex arguments, and calculations.

We encourage all pupils to use them by doing the following:

Quiz themselves at home, using the read, write, cover, check method.
Practise spelling key vocabulary
Further researching people, events and processes most relevant to the unit.