Sociology
Subject Leader: Mr G Gartside
Subject Leader Email Address: gareth.gartside@swale.at
The function of sociology, as of every science, is to reveal that which is hidden.
PIERRE BOURDIEU
Subject overview
Studying sociology offers insights into social and cultural issues. It develops a multi-perspective and critical approach to understanding issues around culture, identity, media, crime, families and social power. Students critically examine how institutions like the education system, the family, religion and the media shape individual identities and life chances. The curriculum deeply investigates patterns of social inequality, focusing on class, gender, ethnicity, and age. Students complete a comprehensive study of crime, deviance and social control. By mastering key sociological perspectives (such as Marxism, Functionalism and Feminism), alongside practical research methodologies, students develop advanced skills in critical thinking, data evaluation, and objective debate to understand the rapidly changing global world.
Year 12
Terms 1 to Term 6
Topic: The fundamental purpose of education is rooted in its relationship to the economy and its influence on social class structures.
Enquiry Questions:
How do schools and colleges actively shape social class structures and serve the needs of the economy?
Why do different social groups experience significantly different levels of success within the education system?
In what ways do policies like marketisation, privatisation and globalisation alter who has access to quality education?
Topic: The family, the state and social structures.
Enquiry Question:
How do government policies and economic shifts influence the way modern families function and adapt?
Topic: Evolving family dynamics, relationships and childhood.
Enquiry Question: To what extent have modern personal relationships and power dynamics within the household become more egalitarian?
Topic: UK demographic trends since 1900.
Enquiry Question: How have twentieth-century trends in life expectancy and birth rates fundamentally transformed the structure of the British household?
Year 13
Terms 1 to 5
Topic: crime, deviance, theory and methods.
Enquiry Questions:
What is crime and deviance?
How have crimes been socially constructed?.
What are the different sociological explanations of crime and can we apply these to understand the causes of crime and deviance?
What do patterns of crime in relation to social class, gender, ethnicity, and age tell us?
What are the impacts of global interconnectedness on crime?
How is crime portrayed and influenced by the media?
What is the role of the criminal justice system?
What different forms of punishment exist, what is their purpose and what impact do they have?
What are the experiences of victims of crime? and the experiences of victims?
How can the theories of Functionalism, Marxism, Feminism, Postmodernism be applied to different topics?
What advanced research methods are used?
What are the strengths, limitations and ethical considerations of different research methods?
Topic: The media and its influence on human understanding of our society and our world.
Enquiry Questions:
What is the media?
How do sociological perspectives explain the ownership, control and influence of the media?
How are different social groups portrayed in the media and what are the impacts of these representations?
To what extent does the media shape our attitudes, beliefs and behaviours?
What is the impact of global media flows and digital technologies on culture and society?
What has been the impact of the rise of social media and its role in political participation, social movements and identity formation?
How is the course assessed?
At the end of Year 13, students will sit 3 exams covering all content from Year 12 and Year 13.
Paper 1: Education with theory and methods.
Paper 2: Topics in Sociology.
Paper 3: Crime and deviance with theory and method.