When considering the exciting opportunities to further your study in sixth form, Sociology is offered as an esteemed A Level qualification of which you may not yet know much about. From urban living, to gender, to psychology—sociology entails more than just its basic definition of studying society as a whole. This is because society and the way it has formed into what it is today has been influenced by so many different factors.
Have you ever wondered how we developed into the society we are today? How the way you see yourself determines the way people identify you? Whether men or women are more likely to commit a crime? Sociology will help you to make sense of the society we live in and understand the cultural and identity issues which affect us all.
The full course involves three modules covering sociological aspects of ‘Education’, ‘Families and Households’ and ‘Crime and Deviance’.
There are two exams at AS each worth 50% of your AS qualification. Each exam lasts for 90 minutes. The full A Level consists of three exams, each accounting for one third of your grade and lasting for 120 minutes. All of the exams consist of a mixture of short answer and extended writing questions.
Good writing skills are desirable to study A Level Sociology successfully and a reasonable level of attainment in a subject such as English, History or Religious Studies will show that you are prepared for the essay writing on the course. You need to be able to consider a variety of different perspectives and present a balanced argument. An active interest in current affairs enabling you to consider the topics covered in class within a wider context, relating what you have learned to events that are happening in the outside world. Above-all, you need to be outward-looking and empathetic to others, preparing yourself to ‘walk in another person’s shoes’.
You will develop your abilities to use evidence to support your arguments, investigate facts, and apply critical thinking. The quite unique nature of Sociology is to constantly analyse the world around you, leading to a mature and outward-looking perspective and understanding that will be of interest to future Higher Education providers and employers. As a sociologist, you will develop as a proficient and considerate communicator, both in your writing and verbal interactions, and discussion and presentation are important components of the course.
A Level Sociology provides an excellent starting point for any social science degree from Economics, Psychology and Politics to Criminology and Philosophy. Sociology is well-regarded as a facilitator to many exciting career options including social work, human resources, advertising and marketing, policing, journalism, law and teaching. This is an academic subject choice that teaches you transferable skills leading to a broad range of post-18 options.
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