Sociology is the study of society and social groups. Sociology provides you with the exciting opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the world around you and reflect upon social issues that are often relevant to your own social experiences. In Year 12, you will learn about the differential educational achievement of pupils based on their social class, gender, and ethnicity. In the Families topic you will explore the changing patterns of marriage, childhood, and family structure. You will also develop a strong understanding of the practical, ethical, and theoretical issues involved in sociological research, with the opportunity to design and conduct your research. In Year 13, you will learn about media representations of age, sexuality, and disability and explore the role of the media in contemporary society. You will also evaluate and compare a range of sociological theories and apply these to a variety of topics. Finally, in the Crime topic, you will learn about the social distribution of crime and the possible reasons, as well as strategies to control and punish crime. Paper 1 Education with theory and methods - Education: short answer and extended writing, Methods in Context: extended writing, Theory and Methods: extended writing. Paper 2 Topics in Sociology - Families and Households, The Media. Paper 3 Crime and Deviance with Theory and Methods - Crime and Deviance: short answer and extended writing, Theory and Methods: extended writing. You must be prepared to read and research in your own time, form opinions, and learn key concepts and theories. There will be a variety of teaching methods used throughout the course.