Sociology
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. 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
- Analyse and better understand the social world.
Students study key ideas of classical sociologists including Durkheim, Marx and Weber, referencing their view of the world and their contribution to the development of the discipline.
Students will also learn how to apply various research methods to different sociological contexts.
Students will be introduced to sociological terms and concepts concerned with social structures, social processes and social issues.
Subject content:
- The sociological approach
- Social structures, social processes and social issues
- Families
- Education
- Crime and deviance
- Social stratification
- Sociological research methods
This specification requires students to:
- Draw on information and evidence from different sources and demonstrate the ability to synthesise them
- Analyse and evaluate different research methods used in sociological investigations and assess, critically, the appropriateness of their use
- Analyse and evaluate information and evidence presented in different written, visual and numerical forms
- Apply their understanding to explore and debate the current sociological issues outlined in each of the topic areas
- Use sociological theories and evidence to compare and contrast social issues, construct reasoned arguments and debates, make substantiated judgements and draw conclusions
- Draw connections between the different topic areas studied.
