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St Mark's Catholic School

St Mark's Catholic School

Sociology

Ms J Armstrong - Subject Leader
Mr C Greensmith

  • How does society work?
  • What influence does the media have in society?
  • What is the importance of religion in a modern industrialised society?
  • What happens to those who break the rules?
  • Why do some people succeed in school whilst others do not?
  • Are equal opportunities for all an unrealistic expectation to have?

These questions and many, many more are examined by a sociological investigation of the society in which we live. Sociology is about understanding society. We believe its task is to demonstrate that men and women create the society in which they live and it is within their power, ultimately, to change it. We take our society for granted until something goes wrong……….

What Will You Do In Sociology?

Firstly, the course enquires into a number of social areas relating to the way groups organise themselves and provide for their needs. We study 2 topics in Year 12 and a further 2 in Year 13.  The topics on offer include, The Family, Crime & Deviance, Education and The Mass Media.Secondly, we need to learn how to carry out Sociological investigations of our own. Doing this, we can gain an understanding of how Sociologists gather the information necessary to draw conclusions about particular sociological issues. This is also examined on two of the three A Level papers.

What About Universities and Careers?

This course provides an excellent background study for those students considering careers in; Law, The Civil service, Social Work, Personnel, Teaching, Hotel Management, Police work, Paramedical services, The Media and Advertising. In fact any career involving working with PEOPLE as you will gain a better understanding of them on this course.
Sociology as an A Level is complemented by; History, English, Theology, Politics, Psychology, Business Studies, Performing Arts and Science and Maths. It is a good qualification for University entrance.

Qualification Requirements

It is not necessary to have studied Sociology at GCSE level. However, you will need to have at least 5 GCSE’s at a grade 6 or above, with at least 6s in English.
Sociology is an academically demanding course. There are theoretical and conceptual ideas, which are difficult to grasp. Good essay writing skills are essential, as is the ability to read widely and absorb relevant information. It is NOT a soft option!

Assessment

Our exam board is AQA.
The course is assessed with three 2 hour exam papers

Results

The Sociology department have extremely high expectations of their students and these are matched in our results which are also consistently high.