Students will be expected to have met St Paul’s entry requirements of 2 Grade 5’s and 4 Grade 4’s. A minimum of grade 4 in English and Maths is essential for all courses.

What is Sociology?

Sociology is the study of people in society. It is an academic subject in which sociologists explore many aspects of social life using a wide variety of theories and research methods. Sociology is a way of trying to understand society and improve aspects of social life.

Why study Sociology?

Sociology has always been interested in the changes that have led to the creation of the modern world and covers a wide range of topics such as education, crime and deviance, religion and families and households. It is a fascinating subject in which the aim of research is to describe social contexts and comprehend the world in order to change it.

Assessment Board: AQA

Assessment in Year 13:

There are 3 papers (all are 2 hours written exams):

• Paper 1: Education with theory and methods
• Paper 2: Family & households/ Beliefs in society and Theory & Methods
• Paper 3: Crime and Deviance with Theory and Methods

Students who study Sociology will increase in their skills in the following:

• Essay writing- you will be writing various essays on a frequent basis in which you will be comparing and contrasting sociological views on social issues, interpreting evidence to support the view that you take, making sure that your essay has a good clear rationale.
• Presentation skills – you’ll increase in your confidence in doing presentations both in groups and individually feeding back to the rest of the class.
• Independent work- you will increase your ability to work independently, making sure that you remain organised and managing time appropriately in order to meet any given deadlines.

Work load:

Sociology is very much an essay-based course, you need to be interested in the world around you and feel confident in your ability to write a good structured essay/ argument that examines or identifies various social issues.

Sociology is the study of society, explanations of social behaviour and an investigation into individuals’ relationships with society. It focuses on the social world to include the influences of families, mass media, education, religion, the criminal justice system, social class, race and gender. If you have an enquiring mind, along with an unfailing curiosity about the main drivers and influences in our society, then Sociology is the subject for you.

Sociology is related to many disciplines and students can go on to a range of degrees, including: Sociology, Criminology, Psychology, Law, Social Work, Media, Education and Business. Sociology lends itself to most public sector careers because it analyses social systems and organisations. However, it also prepares you for many private sector careers as well. In particular, it equips you with a range of transferable skills that support analysis, data handling and writing.

For further information, please contact:

Miss Jerman (kjerman@st-pauls.leicester.sch.uk)