A Level Sociology

Please refer to EN's Entry Requirements Guide for specific advice on our Admissions Policy. This guide is supplied at interview to prospective students and is also available to Schools & Careers Advisers.

Studying Sociology gives you the opportunity to gain an understanding of the world around you and to reflect on social issues that relate to you.

Sociology studies society, how it is changing and how it can be improved. It examines the ways we learn to fit in into society and what happens if we don’t!

Sociologists are interested in the experience of different social groups related to gender, ethnicity, social class and age and how these factors may be related to issues of both identity and inequality.

There are lots of different sociological explanations for these matters and you will get the chance to think about which ones make most sense to you.

You will also learn about the research methods that sociologists use. Bringing your own experience of society to your studies is an important way of developing your understanding.

Reasons to choose:

1. It’s a contemporary subject which looks at issues in society today such as crime, social inequalities, etc

2. It gives students a range of viewpoints in understanding why people behave a certain way

3. It gives students skills in extended writing, critical thinking, exam prep, etc

4. Gives students the opportunity to create their own ideas, views and theories on the social world

5. Curriculum is centred around the world that we live in and so students gain knowledge that is observable and relevant for more than just their studies!

6. Sociology can also give students the knowledge that they need for a variety of careers based on social relationships, HR, Teaching, Social Work, Law, etc

Component 1:

Introducing socialisation, culture and identity

These themes are developed through studying Youth Subcultures

Component 2:

Research methods and researching social inequalities

Understanding social inequalities- Gender, Class, Ethnicity and Age inequalities

Component 3:

Globalisation and the digital social world

Debates explored through a detailed study of Crime and Deviance.

Assessment

For AS there are two written exams taken at the end of the academic year. For the linear A level there are three written exams taken at the end of the second year.

Grade 4 or higher in GCSE English Language and a willingness to think critically about social issues. An average GCSE score of 5.20 or higher.

Students will have the opportunity to develop a broad set of desirable key skills, including the ability to analyse and formulate clear, logical arguments with extensive evaluation from a range of different viewpoints. Developing strong critical thinking skills and being able to consider issues with a global outlook will be of huge benefit, whether this is in moving forward to university, the workplace or society in general.

Possible career paths:

• Social Work

• Nanny/ Au Pair

• Community Development and Charity work

• Policing

• Sociologist, Criminologist or Anthropologist

• Healthcare Assistant

• Teaching

• Human Resources

• Market Research and Business Management

• Marketing