KEVI

Handsworth Wood Girls’ Academy

A Level Sociology
Induction Booklet
Year 12 2019-20
Induction Booklet
Summer 2019
 Subject: Sociology A Level

Specification No: 7192

Minimum Entry Requirements:

Usual requirements for entry into 6th form – 5 A to C GCSE grades.
B grade in English language is required.

Information about the course

Awarding Body: AQA
Qualification: A level
Subject: Sociology
Who is the course for?
This course is for students who have an interest in studying the individual and society. It is an appropriate
course for those who wish to broaden their horizons and develop skills that will be applicable and useful
across the range of Arts and Sciences.
Studying sociology will not change your life but it will change the way you look at life, at people, at society,
both in this country and worldwide. It will help you develop your opinions and your ability to see both sides of
an argument and to back up your points with facts, research studies and evidence. Sociology does attempts
to take an objective look at the social world and avoid personal and moral preferences, values and
prejudices that lie behind much journalism and TV output and political positioning.
Sociology is for students with a questioning mind who do not take everything on face value and who are
able to make points logically in an attempt to be scientific and objective
Information about the units of study: Optional
Subject content 4.2 Topics in Sociology
Compulsory content Option 1

4.1 Education with Theory and Methods 4.2.1 Culture and Identity
4.2.2 Families and Households (option chosen)
4.1.1 Education 4.2.3 Health

4.1.2 Methods in Context 4.2.4 Work, Poverty and Welfare

4.1.3 Theory and Methods Option 2
4.2.5 Beliefs in Society

4.3 Crime and Deviance with Theory and Method 4.2.6 Global Development
4.2.7 The Media (option chosen)
4.3 Crime and Deviance with Theory and Methods 4.2.8 Stratification and Differentiation

4.3.1 Crime and Deviance

4.3.2 Theory and Methods
How you will be assessed? Paper 2: Topics in Sociology
This is a 2 year course with exams at the end of the What's assessed?
second year. Section A: one from option 1: 4.2.1, 4.2.2, 4.2.3 or 4.2.4
Assessments Section B: one from option 2: 4.2.5, 4.2.6, 4.2.7 or 4.2.8
Paper 1: Education with Theory and Methods Assessed
What's assessed? 2 hour written exam
Compulsory content 4.1.1, 4.1.2, 4.1.3 80 marks
Assessed 33.3% of A-level
2 hour written exam Questions
80 marks Section A: extended writing, 40 marks
33.3% of A-level Section B: extended writing, 40 marks
Questions Paper 3: Crime and Deviance with Theory and Methods
Education: short answer and extended writing, 50 What's assessed?
marks Compulsory content 4.3.1, 4.3.2
Methods in Context: extended writing, 20 marks Assessed
Theory and Methods: extended writing, 10 marks 2 hour written exam
80 marks
33.3% of A-level
Questions
Crime and Deviance: short answer and extended writing, 50 marks
Theory and Methods: extended writing, 30 marks
What will you learn? You will also find out about different theories of
* Education with theory and method crime, deviance, social order and social control
* Crime and Deviance with theory and with analysis of the social distribution of crime by
method age, ethnicity, gender, locality and social class.
* Families and households Crime control, prevention and punishment
* The media All the following must be an integral part of the
You will learn about the impact of social study of each topic area:
groups including whole societies and Sociological theories, perspectives and methods
international and global groups. Examples of the design of the research used to obtain the
areas you will consider include the data under consideration, including its strengths
relationship of the family to the social and limitations. Attention must be given to
structure, domestic labour and power drawing out the links between topic areas
relationships, the nature of childhood, studied.
demographic trends, the role and purpose of
education, differential educational
achievement of social groups by social class,
gender and ethnicity in contemporary society,
relationships and processes in schools (with
particular reference to teacher / pupil
relationships, educational policies, application
of sociological research to the study of
education.
Core themes

Students must study the following two core themes:

socialisation, culture and identity social differentiation, power and stratification.

These themes are to be interpreted broadly as threads running through many areas of
social life and should not therefore be regarded as discrete topics.
In addition, students must understand the significance of conflict and consensus, social
structure and social action, and the role of values

How you will learn?

• Teacher-led classroom teaching including lectures and Power Point presentations

• Individual tasks / group-work / problem solving
• Homework / past exam questions / research / essays
• Personal study through the internet and published materials / independent learning
in preparation for university education.
2 year course with 3 final exams.

It is important to have the ability to evaluate and analyse information

from a variety of sources and the ability to write essays with good
sentence construction, good use of paragraphs, arguments for and
against, including evidence, sociological research, relevant sociological
theory, conclusion etc.
The key starting topics for your subject in September:
Families and Households
Education
Resources that will be useful (e.g. websites, books, journals etc.)
Most sociology text books cover these topics.
See old AQA AS Sociology and A2 sociology textbook (published by Nelson Thornes)
Also old Sociology AS and AA2 in focus (published by CP)
And the weighty book Sociology Themes and Perspectives – Haralambos and Holborn
(published by Collins)
See also Student Support Materials for AQA Sociology on Families and Households and on
Education. (Published by Collins).
Many other sociology textbooks are available.
You are required to complete a piece of work over the summer break, before the start of the course
in September. This is good as it helps you to focus on the requirements of the course and puts you in
the right frame of mind to begin the first term. It prepares you for the beginning of the course and
means that we are ready to start. It will form part of the information for a baseline assessment in the
first few weeks in September.
Summer Work.
Preparation for the course (July and August study)
Research Families and Households – types of family, sociological views on family
diversity, social class and family diversity, family life cycle, ethnic differences in family
patterns, growth of single parent families, critical and positive views on single parent
families.
Produce a 2 page report to answer the following:
1. * What is a Family?
2. * Describe and explain what different types of family there are.
3. * What are the Functions of a family?
4. * What are the reasons for the growth of single parent families in Britain.
(To be handed in first sociology lesson in September).
Your Name …………………………………………………
Course preparation work on The Family

1. * What is a Family? (5 marks)

2* Describe and explain what different types of family there are. (5 marks)
3. * What are the Functions of a family? (5 marks)

4. * What are the reasons for the growth of single parent families in Britain. (5 marks)

NAME………………………………………………………………………………………………. TOTAL /20 Marks

Good Luck!

Have fun
Enjoy the
research and
Summer study
work

See you in September , well prepared and ready to study A Level Sociology.
PJB