| Overview | The Sixth Form Sociology course on offer at Queen Elizabeth’s is the AQA specification. This course represents a good progression from GCSE History, Geography and Religion & Society in particular. A good standard of written English is required, especially at A2 level. In recent years all students have studied AS Sociology as a foundation for further study at A2 level; in this time no students have studied AS sociology as a stand-alone qualification although this is possible. This is testament to the popularity of the course. |
| Examination board | The Sixth Form Sociology course at Queen Elizabeth’s follows the AQA specification. Full details of the specification and additional support materials can be accessed here. |
Unit 1 - Families & Households Examination to be taken in January of Year 12 | This unit is built around two core themes in Sociology - socialisation, culture and identity; and social differentiation, power and stratification. The topics explored are the relationship of the family to society and the state, changing patterns of marriage and the diversity of contemporary family structures, changes within the family, the nature of childhood, and demographic trends in the UK since 1900. |
Unit 2 - Education & Sociological Methods Examination to be taken in June of Year 12 | This unit is built around the same core themes as the first. However, in addition to understanding these, attention is given to drawing out links with the content of the first unit. The topics explored are role and purpose of education, differential educational achievement, relationships and processes within schools, educational policies, and the application of sociological research methods to the study of education. Throughout this unit, students are encouraged to use examples drawn from their own experience of small-scale social research. |
Unit 3 - Mass Media Examination to be taken in January of Year 13 | This unit is built around theoretical debates as well as the research process. The examination will explicitly assess candidates’ understanding of the connections between the topic studied in this unit and the nature of sociological thought, methods of sociological enquiry, as well as the core themes. The topics explored are the relationship between ownership and control of the mass media, globalisation and popular culture, processes of selection and presentation of news, media representations of social groups, the relationship between the mass media and audiences and the ‘new’ media. |
Unit 4 - Crime & Deviance & Theory Examination to be taken in June of Year 13 | This unit fosters a critical awareness of contemporary social processes and change, and draws together the knowledge, understanding and skills learnt in different aspects of the course. The examination will explicitly assess candidates’ understanding of the connections between the topics studied in this unit and the nature of sociological thought, methods of sociological enquiry, as well as the core themes. The topics explored are different theories of crime, deviance, social order and social control, the social distribution of crime, recent patterns and trends in crime, globalisation and crime, mass media and crime, green crime, human rights and state crimes, crime control, prevention and punishment, victims, the role of the criminal justice system, and suicide. |
| Course support & enrichment at QE | The Sociology department provides full access to all teaching and revision materials via the School’s Learning Resources Area. The sixth form sociology curriculum is enriched through departmental subscriptions to academic journals such as Sociology Review. There is a Sixth Form Social Science Discussion Group, which is very popular with all students, and there are opportunities to attend external conferences. Teachers in the department lead extension seminars for those interested in studying beyond the A-level specification and this is particularly useful for those who go on to study Sociology or one of the many related subject at University One-day student conference trips to central London are organised in Year 12 and Year 13. |
| Progression from A-level Sociology | A-level Sociology is considered a uniquely critical academic qualification by universities and employers, as it questions the basic assumptions of wider society. As such, it has applicability in many related fields such as philosophy, psychology, anthropology, politics, history, archaeology and biology. Many sociology students come to the subject with an interest in these related subjects which are not represented in the 6th form curriculum. This interest is encouraged both in and outside the classroom and guidance is readily provided by sociology teachers. Sociology graduates end up in a diverse range of careers in anything from Law, journalism and employment in the City to social policy, senior civil service and development organisations. Many other A-level sociology students go on to study medicine and architecture at university. A rapidly growing proportion of A-level sociology students from Queen Elizabeth’s go on to read the subject or related subjects at undergraduate level. There are currently old-Elizabethans on such courses at Oxbridge and Russell Group Universities. The department is extremely active in supporting students with the preparation of personal statements and mock interviews are organised for all Oxbridge applicants. |
Recommended wider reading This is particularly relevant for those considering further study beyond A-level | - Bourdieu, P. 1993. Sociology in Question, London: Sage
- Giddens, Anthony. 1990. The Consequences of Modernity, Cambridge: Polity
- Mann, M. 1986. The Sources of Social Power, esp. ch. 1. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Social Philosophy - Callinicos, A. 2000 Equality, Cambridge: Polity
- Rawls, J. 1999 A Theory of Justice, Oxford: Oxford University Press
Social Anthropology - Malinowski, B. 1999 Argonauts of the Western Pacific, Routledge
- Evans-Pritchard, E. E. 1976 Witchcraft, Oracles and Magic Among the Azande, Oxford: Oxford University Press
Social Psychology - Aronson, E. 1995. The Social Animal, New York: W. H. Freeman and Company.
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