Sociology

Course summary

Year 12: Topic 1: Sociological Methods • Sources of data, such as questionnaires and interviews. • The theoretical, practical, and ethical considerations influencing the choice of topic, choice of method(s), and the conduct of research. Topic 2: Families and Households • Changing patterns of marriage, cohabitation, separation and divorce. • The nature of childhood, and changes in the status of children in society Topic 3: Education • The role and functions of the education system. • Differential educational achievement of social groups by social class, gender, and ethnicity in contemporary society Year 13: Topic 4: Sociological Theory • Consensus, conflict, structural, and social action theories. • The concepts of modernity and post-modernity. Topic 5: Beliefs in Society • Ideology, science and religion. • The significance of religion and religiosity in the contemporary world. Topic 6: Crime and Deviance • The social distribution of crime and deviance by ethnicity, gender, and social class, including recent patterns and trends in crime. • Globalisation and crime in contemporary society.