Introduction to Sociology

Sociology is the study of people in society. The aim of Sociology is to try to explain why different people behave in different ways and how our lives are shaped by factors such as our social class (wealth), gender and ethnicity.

This subject is offered at the end of KS3 (Yr 9) and KS4.

Exam Board and Syllabus – Eduqas GCSE Sociology (C200QS)

Students study the following topics;

Y9
  • Socialisation – we examine why people behave the way they do and how sociologists carry out research.
  • Research Methods – Students gain a brief understanding of the process of conducting research. They begin to understand the impact that research can have, as well as understanding how research and statistics can be manipulated for one’s benefit and how to identify bias.
  • Education – we explore the purpose of education and how achievement in education is influenced by our social class, gender and ethnicity.
  • Families – we look at the different types of families that exist, along with the changing relationships within families.
Y10
  • Crime & Deviance – we explore why some people commit crime and what effect this has on society.
  • Mass Media – we examine how the media represents different groups of people and what effect the media has on audiences.
  • Social Inequality – this unit involves examining how people’s lives are affected by the amount of money they have, their gender and ethnicity.
Y11
  • Power – Students focus on different groups who have control over others, whether it was through coercion, ignorance or election. Some of the groups include; the government, the bourgeoisie, patriarchal societies etc.
  • Applied research methods – Students are given hypothetical scenarios and they are asked to justify using certain methods, sampling techniques etc. as well dealing with ethical issues
How are students assessed?

There are two 105 minute exams

  • Paper 1 – Socialisation, Research methods, Education, Families
  • Paper 2 – Crime & deviance, Social differentiation and stratification, Applied methods of sociological enquiry.
  • Students will be marked on their spelling and grammar.
  • They will be assessed on their understanding of reading and interpreting sources and statistics.
  • They will be expected to demonstrate and apply knowledge and understanding of theories, concepts and research.
  • They will be judged on how well they can make links between topics.
  • They will be assessed on their ability to evaluate within an essay format.

Contact Information

Please contact us on info@plashet.newham.sch.uk.