‘The function of sociology, as of every science, is to reveal that which is hidden’ – Pierre Bourdieu 

‘I often say that sociology is a martial art, a means of self-defence. Basically, you use it to defend yourself, without having the right to use it for unfair attacks.’ 

Pierre Bourdieu

Sociology is an academic subject which will give students the opportunity to delve deeper into society and consider how it functions through critically analysing it. Students will require a broad set of skills to study sociology and the curriculum is designed to facilitate this.  In sociology, we will create students who appreciate the importance of generating opinions and using evidence to support these. In doing so, this will better prepare our young sociologists for the wider world in that they will understand human behaviour and the norms, values, laws, customs and traditions that govern our culture. 

Our young sociologists will also draw on a wide body of knowledge as they analyse data and come to their own conclusions when tackling some of the most pressing social issues confronting humanity. It’s not ‘just’ sociology that students are learning, it’s psychology, anthropology, political science, human geography and philosophy combined. Students will examine the workings of our everyday world and the political and social attempts to make a difference, firmly equipping them with a new way of interacting with the world for the rest of their life. This offers a powerful and transformative understanding of the social world and will enable them to recognise that they can help change things for the better. 

The five power concepts covered throughout the curriculum are: Social Structures, Social Processes, Social issues, Social Stratification and Consensus and Conflict perspectives.

Year 10

The Sociology GCSE is a 2-year course. It is divided into 6 units which develops skills and knowledge that students will have acquired through studying PRE in KS3. 

An Introduction to Sociology is the first unit that students will study as part of their studies in this discipline. It will enable students to learn the key language of a sociologist together with the main perspectives that are central to the subject. The intent of this unit of work is to open our students’ curiosity to be reflexive. To hold a mirror up to society and debate why things are this way, rather than assuming there are no alternatives. This unit will therefore initiate critical thinking and embed an understanding of the relevance that sociology has in their own lives. 

In the second part of the first term students will then begin the second topic Research Methods in Sociology. Building on the introductory unit students will begin to understand how important social research is. In particular they will develop an awareness that research and social theory is based on empirical evidence as well as allowing scope for abstract theories. Students will be assessed formatively and summatively on these two introductory topics with example exam questions designed to familiarise students with the command words associated with the different types of questions. 

In term 2, students will start the next unit of work, The Sociology of the Family. In this unit students will begin the process of applying the sociological theories to the context of the family in contemporary society. They will also study the first 6 of the named 25 sociologists that they are required to have an in-depth knowledge of. In doing so students will draw on skills gained from the introductory units enabling them to practice and process the higher order skills of evaluation and critical analysis that are necessary to achieve the AO3 marks in this subject, particularly when writing the ‘mini essays’. Students will build on this knowledge of the Sociology of the Family through making sense of quantitative and qualitative data to identify trends and social changes in wider society. This will enable them to develop insight into future patterns so as to be able to develop hypotheses and thereby conduct social research themselves and become ‘mini sociologists’. The Family Unit will be formatively assessed via example exam questions and formally assessed with an abridged version of a past exam paper so as to familiarise students with the different types of question that will be asked. 

In term 3, students will study The Sociology of Education. In this unit students will again build on their knowledge and understanding of the named sociologists and their relevant perspectives. The foundation of the unit will concern itself with discussing the importance of education for society and will ask students to consider why we have schools. Building on their prior knowledge of the Functionalist, Marxist and Feminist ideologies students will be able to interpret the roles of education in society and generate an understanding of these key themes. This allows students   to look out for connections or links between the different areas of sociology and empowers them to look out for similarities and differences between the different perspectives. Furthermore, it enables students to look out for correlations between the core areas of sociology between Families and Education. As with the family unit students will be formatively and summatively assessed via abridged versions of past exam papers and example exam questions. Students will attempt a full past exam paper before the end of the academic year so that they are able to consolidate their learning through revision. 

Year 11

At the beginning of Year 11, students will study Crime and Deviance. A large part of this unit is concerned with justice in that it exposes inequality and informs debates about fairness. Students will be able to build on prior knowledge of stratification and social inequality in society from the Education and Family units to constructively critique the institutions and social relationships that these inequalities permeate through. Institutional racism will be a fundamental concept for students to understand and links will be made between different social structures and institutions in society where disparity and polarity between different groups has been exacerbated and reproduced. This will be essential prior study for the final unit of work on Social stratification. In this unit students will interpret statistical data and build on their knowledge of the main sociological perspectives from previous units to help them generate ideas about why people commit crime. This will empower students to develop their opinions on contemporary debates on crime, further supporting them with the skills of analysis that are required of them to secure higher band marks on the ‘mini essays’. This unit will be assessed via an abridged version of a past exam paper of Unit 2 so that students are able to familiarise themselves with the commands words and types of questions. 

In term 2 Students will study the final unit of work, Social Stratification. Students will learn about different types of stratification and debate on the necessity of stratification in wider society. In doing so, students will consider concepts, such as meritocracy and social mobility, with reference to both consensus and conflict theories. This topic will allow students to be reflexive of the entire sociology curriculum. It will enable them to draw on ideas from all the units and make connections between the topics.

The Curriculum Overview provides information as to how the curriculum is sequenced to enable students to build their knowledge and skills towards ambitious endpoints in each subject area. Click the picture to enlarge it and read more. Each terms’ learning is complemented by a knowledge organiser.