Sociology

By the end of the course students will have an understanding of the world in which they live, they will be more adept at critical thinking be more open to challenging inequalities and a more empathetic individual. They will learn how to engage with and understand some of the most complex theoretical principles used to explain society. This will make them more able students in their future academic study and eventual careers.

GCSE Entrance Requirements:

  • English Language - Grade 5

  • Humanities Subject - Grade 5

More info:

Combines well with:

Head of Department:

Mr J Hegarty- jhegarty@hswv.co.uk

WHAT YOU STUDY 

In Year 12 you will study

  • The Sociology of the Family: How our lives have changed in the last 50 years; how we explain these changes in society; specific aspects of change such as increase in divorce or the changing experiences of childhood. 

  • The Sociology of Education: You may think that because you’ve spent 11 years in school you understand education; we’ll enlighten you to what you may not have noticed. Like the reasons why some groups do better in school than others or the reasons why education is continuously changing. 

  • Research Methodologies: How do we investigate society, what is ‘ethical’ within research and how can we use the data we collect? 

In Year 13 you will study

  • Global Development: Why are some countries rich or poor, how does our history and our economic strength form a key aspect of Global Politics? What is ‘globalisation’, and how will it affect you? 

  • The Sociology of Crime: Why people commit crimes, how we respond to crime and we take a critical look at racism, sexism and biases of the CJS. 

  • Theory and Method: How we explain society and social interaction from a range of different perspectives. 

HOW YOU STUDY 

You will need to write extended essays on all of these topics, so the Sociology team work tirelessly at stretching your knowledge of society, through reading materials, discussions and structured lessons. We are proud of our work on developing the critical literacy of our students and spend a lot of our time shaping our students’ ability to formulate a strong argument and sustain this over their extended writing. 

DEPARTMENT STRENGTHS AND RESOURCES

We have a strong team of Social Scientists, who are all subject specialists in the areas they teach. Our assessment practise and the understanding that our teachers  have  about  the  processes  of  external examination enables our students to focus upon the core skills for success. We have written the majority of the resources we use ourselves and they are tailored specifically for the courses we provide.

PROGRESSION TO UNIVERSITY/CAREERS

Sociology is recognised as an academic discipline which embeds excellent research skills, fosters critical thought and empathetic understanding. As you advance through a range of disciplines such as Politics, Business or Psychology there will be an emergence of sociological themes, either in theoretical modelling or in active research. As we move into Higher Education, an understanding of Sociology will become invaluable to your higher order thought.

OUR SUCCESSES

Over the last two years the Social Science department have had some excellent examination results. In Sociology 38% of students have achieved A*-B or equivalent and 69% have achieved at least a C or equivalent. We are rightly proud of how effectively we support the critical literacy of our students. This makes us one of the best Sociology departments nationally.