The course is made up of two compulsory units at which are Education with research methods and Crime and Deviance with theory and Methods There are two optional units each year which are Families and Households and Mass Media.

There will be three exams at the end of Year 13 which are 2 hours long. The exams count for 100% of your final grade.

Sociology suits those who have an interest in understanding how the world around them works, and who enjoy critical thinking and exploring ideas from different viewpoints. Students who have shown an interest in and ability for English and/or History almost always do well in Sociology, although success in the subject is not limited to such students. We have had many Geography students who have found the overlap with their subject to help them be very successful Sociologists too.

Sociology is an academic subject which nevertheless equips students with a range of skills beyond those of the core curriculum. In our classes you will learn to think critically, to question common-sense assumptions, to solve problems, to work independently and as part of a group and to write a clearly structured, analytical essay. All of this is excellent preparation for university or for a whole range of careers.

Sociologists go on to work in the media, law and other institutions of criminal justice, public relations, market research, social work, foreign aid and development and teaching; many of course are inspired to stay in an academic environment researching aspects of sociology for the remainder of their careers!

Sociology is an excellent complement to other subjects in social sciences and humanities, such as Government and Politics, Psychology, History and Health and Social Care, but it also provides a good balance if your other subjects are mainly science-based.

The entry requirements for Sociology are 5 GCSE grades and grades 5 plus including English. It is desirable but not compulsory to have History and/ or geography included in this 5 as the skills you will have learnt at GCSE with help at A level.

You will be taught by Mrs Mears

If you want to get an idea of what it is like researching crime and deviance, try 'Gang Leader for a Day: A Rogue Sociologist Crosses the Line' (Venkatesh, published by Allen Lane); an excellent book on gang culture in Britain that is a riveting read is ‘Among the Hoods’ by Harriet Sergeant. Other recommended reading: ‘Chavs: The Demonisation of the Working Class’ by Owen Jones; ‘Living Dolls: The Return of Sexism’ by Natasha Walter.

As for websites, the most important are the quality newspapers and news websites such as the BBC, The Guardian, The Times, The Independent and The Telegraph. Learn the political allegiances behind different newspapers and notice how the same story can be reported differently accordingly. Compare these newspapers to the more sensationalist papers such as The Sun or the Daily Mail. Why not learn about the reading age of different newspapers; what does that say about how the news is reported? Most importantly, stay up to date with what is happening both here in the UK, but also round the world.