Sociology

In GCSE Sociology we will aim to help our students discover the hidden workings of society.

Sociology is the study of human social relationships and the various institutions set up by human beings to make society work. Sociology’s subject matter is hugely diverse, ranging from crime to religion, from the family to the state, from the divisions of race and social class to the shared beliefs of a common culture, and from social stability to radical change in whole societies.

GCSE Sociology helps students to gain knowledge and understanding of key social structures, processes and issues through the study of families, education, crime and deviance and social stratification.

The Sociologist’s aim is to understand and explain how societies work, why they change and how they change through time. Sociology is the study of human societies and of human behaviour in social settings. Our aim is to instil in our students an understanding and critical awareness of the social world that they live in. Students will develop their analytical, assimilation and communication skills by comparing and contrasting perspectives on a variety of social issues, constructing reasoned arguments, making substantiated judgements and drawing reasoned conclusions.

By studying sociology, students will develop transferable skills including how to: investigate facts and make deductions, develop opinions and new ideas on social issues and analyse and better understand the social world. We expect our students to develop knowledge and understanding of a wide variety of areas of social life including crime, education, families and stratification and inequality. In particular, to understand how different social groups experience these differently. We work to ensure our students can:

Critically analyse information and use evidence to make informed arguments and reach judgements and conclusions.

Develop secure understanding of sociological theories and be able to apply these to understand social issues, debates and changed over time.

Use sociological terminology correctly and appropriately

Develop literacy skills through producing essay responses which are well-structured, address the question and make accurate use of sociological vocabulary.