Sociology

Course summary

Sociology is a subject that seeks to tackle and provide explanations for why people do what they do, and how we can see discernible patterns and trends in human behaviour. It is the study of society, the tensions between the social forces and influences individuals are subjected to, and the agency (ability to make decisions and choices) of those individuals. American Sociologist C. Wright-Mills described Sociology as a tool that allows us to see that our private troubles, most often, have a wider cause and consequence. A Level Sociology examines social behaviour from a variety of perspectives and how far our life chances can be affected by our social class, gender and race. Sociology also looks at the institutions and forces which shape our behaviour, such as the media, religion and education. The main topics we cover are Education, Families and Households, Beliefs in Society and Crime and Deviance. Across all years, students are taught the key sociological theories and research methods.