Course Content
Component 1: Education with Methods in Context
Students will explore the nature of the education system and the differing opportunities of success for certain pupils, based around social class, gender and ethnicity. Why are some people less likely to succeed in school than others? Students will also consider new ideas such as ‘the hidden curriculum’, what do we really learn in school? In addition to this, Component 1 consists of learning the various research methods used by sociologists and relate those methods to the Education System.
Component 2: Families and Households and The Mass Media
Families and Households: Students will see the patterns and trends of societal changes regarding the family from 1900 until the present, resulting from attitude changes and Government Policy changes – gender equality being a good example. How equal are the UK’s families in 2018?
The Mass Media: When studying the media, students will explore ideas such as the power of the media in shaping the way that we think and feel. Students will consider how the media reinforces stereotypes – and if those stereotypes pose wider problems in society. Do you control ideas that you read, watch and hear? Or can you only see what is available? Do you believe everything that you read in the newspapers?
Component 3: Theory and Methods and Crime and Deviance
Theory and Methods: During the course, students will have become familiar with sociological perspectives such as Marxism, Feminism, Functionalism and Postmodernism. Students will have the opportunity at this point to explore these ideas like this in greater depth, with some new ideas linked in!
Crime and Deviance: Students will consider the ways in which the state aim to control peoples’ behaviour and what happens when this does not work. Students will research into how certain social groups (such as social class, gender and ethnicity) appear on crime statistics in a disproportionate way and the reasons behind this. They will also debate on how society should deal with offenders.
| Component | Assessment | Duration | Weighting |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1: Education with Methods in Context | Written exam | 2h | 33% |
| 2: Families and Households and The Mass Media | Written exam | 2h | 33% |
| 3: Theory and Methods and Crime and Deviance | Written exam | 2h | 33% |
Year 12
Half Term 1 (Sept-Nov)
Half Term 2 (Nov – Dec)
Half Term 3 (Jan – Feb)
Half Term 4 (Feb – March)
Half Term 5 (April – May)
Half Term 6 (May – July)
Half Term 1 (Sept-Nov)
Focus and Topic
- Introductory ideas for Sociology
- Families
- An introduction to Families and Households and the sociological perspectives
Core Knowledge
- Intorduction to Sociology
- What is Sociology?
- Nature Vs. Nurture
- Social Class, ethnicity and gender
- The Sociological Perspectives
- Sociological problems, social problems and social policy.
- Families
- What is a family? What is a household?
- Family Types, is the nuclear family universal?
- Sociological perspectives
Core Skills
- Introduction to Sociology
- Learning how to ‘read between the lines’
- What is analysis?
- What is evaluation?
- Families
- Compare and contrast
- What is analysis?
- What is evaluation?
Assessment
- Introduction to Sociology
- Knowledge based assessment, a blend of small to medium scoring questions.
- Families
- Extended writing assessment (essay style)
Half Term 2 (Nov – Dec)
Focus and Topic
- The Education System
- The Impact of Systems
- Families
- Social policies, changes of the family in society
Core Knowledge
- The Education System
- The role of the education system
- Sociological Perspectives’ views
- Vocational Education and human capital
- School organisation and processes
- Labelling theory and stereotyping, halo effect
- Setting and Educational Triage
- School subcultures
- Evaluation
- Families
- Changing families and households
- Divorce
- Family diversities
Core Skills
- The Education System
- Knowledge building
- Skills development, analysis and evaluation
- Families
- Knowledge building
- Skills development, analysis and evaluation
Assessment
- The Education System
- Extended writing assessment (essay style)
- Families
- Extended writing assessment (essay style)
Half Term 3 (Jan – Feb)
Focus and Topic
- The Education System
- The Impact of Interactions and Wider Social Considerations
- Educational Policy in the United Kingdom
- Families
- Domestic Labour, are families/relationships now equal?
Core Knowledge
- The Education System
- Meritocracy(?) and Social Class
- Gender
- Ethnicity
- Overall analysis
- Essay development for Paper 1
- The aims of educational policy
- Opportunities and outcomes
- Admissions policies
- The marketisation of education
- Private education
- Families
- Gender roles
- Questioning of equality
Core Skills
- The Education System
- Knowledge building
- Extended ability; skills development, analysis and evaluation
- Ability to refer back to previous themes
- Families
- Knowledge building
- Skills development, analysis and evaluation
Assessment
- The Education System
- Extended writing assessment (essay style)
- Families
- Extended writing assessment (essay style)
Half Term 4 (Feb – March)
Focus and Topic
- Research Methods
- Research Methods
- Families
- Childhood
- Demography
Core Knowledge
- Research Methods
- Positivism and Interpretivism
- Research Choices and Operationalising
- Types of data
- Variety of Methods
- Methodological Pluralism and Triangulation
- Families
- Popular views of childhood
- The social construction of childhood
- Is childhood disappearing?
Core Skills
- Research Methods
- Knowledge building
- Extended ability; skills development, analysis and evaluation
- Comparing methods and placing value.
- Families
- Knowledge building
- Skills development, analysis and evaluation
Assessment
- Research Methods
- Knowledge based assessment, a blend of small to medium scoring questions.
- Families
- Knowledge based assessment, a blend of small to medium scoring questions
Half Term 5 (April – May)
Focus and Topic
- Research Methods
- Education and Research Methods Project
- Families
- Review of Families and Households
- Support the Education and Research Methods Project
Core Knowledge
- Research Methods
- Students carry out a full sociological project.
- Families
- Students will identify areas of improvement through self assessment of the topics covered and work with the teacher on improving these areas.
- Students will identify areas of improvement through self assessment of the topics covered and work with the teacher on improving these areas.
Core Skills
- Research Methods
- Practical Learning, blending methods and education, also preparation for ‘methods in context’.
- Families
- Skills development, analysis and evaluation
- Revision skills
Assessment
- Research Methods
- Project Presentation
- Families
- Knowledge based assessment, a blend of small to medium scoring questions.
Half Term 6 (May – July)
Focus and Topic
- Methods in Context and Mock Revision
- Methods in Context
- Introduction to Crime and Deviance
- Families
- An introduction to The Media (Yr13 content).
Core Knowledge
- Methods in Context and Mock Revision
- Students will learn to connect their learning from ‘education’ and ‘research methods’ to prepare them the section on paper one; methods in context.
- Mock preparation
- Students will explore an introduction to teaching of Crime and Deviance and some key highlights from that section.
- Families
- Students will explore an introduction to teaching of The Media and some key highlights from that section.
- Students will explore an introduction to teaching of The Media and some key highlights from that section.
Core Skills
- Methods in Context and Mock Revision
- Blending methods and education, also preparation for ‘methods in context’.
- Identifying links between different sections
- Learning the P.E.R.V.E.R.T scale (practical, ethical, reliability, validity, example, representativeness, theoretical).
- Families
- Knowledge building
- Skills development, analysis and evaluation
Assessment
- Methods in Context and Mock Revision
- Extended writing assessment (essay style)
- Families
- Extended writing assessment (essay style)
Year 13
Half Term 1 (Sept-Nov)
Half Term 2 (Nov – Dec)
Half Term 3 (Jan – Feb)
Half Term 4 (Feb – March)
Half Term 5 (April – May)
Half Term 6 (May – July)
Half Term 1 (Sept-Nov)
Focus and Topic
- Theory and Methods
- Sociological Theory
- The Media
- What is the media?
- Globalisation
- The Social Construction of the News
Core Knowledge
- Theory and Methods
- In depth learning of sociological theory and perspectives.
- The Media
- Ownership
- Controls
- Government Influence
- Globalisation
- Pop Culture
- Postmodernism
- The social construction of the news
Core Skills
- Theory and Methods
- In depth learning
- Making correlations
- Analysis
- Evaluation
- The Media
- In depth learning
- Making correlations
- Analysis
- Evaluation
Assessment
- Theory and Methods
- Extended Writing Assessment
- The Media
- Extended Writing Assessment
Half Term 2 (Nov – Dec)
Focus and Topic
- Theory and Methods
- Is Sociology a Science, should it be?
- Is Sociology Value free?
- Social Policy
- The Media
- Media Representations
Core Knowledge
- Theory and Methods
- The scientific method and critique
- Sociology and Science
- Can sociology be scientific?
- Is sociology a science; conclusions
- Positivist, Interprestivist and Feminist Methodology
- Value Freedom, possible, desirable?
- Influence of sociology on social policy
- The Media
- Sterotyping
- Age
- Social class
- Ethnicity
- Gender
- Sexuality
- Disability
Core Skills
- Theory and Methods
- In depth learning
- Making correlations
- Analysis
- Evaluation
- The Media
- In depth learning
- Making correlations
- Analysis
- Evaluation
Assessment
- Theory and Methods
- Knowledge based assessment, a blend of small to medium scoring questions.
- The Media
- Knowledge based assessment, a blend of small to medium scoring questions.
Half Term 3 (Jan – Feb)
Focus and Topic
- Crime and Deviance
- Crime and Deviance; introduction, social control and sociological perspectives
- Patterns of Offending and Statistics
- The Media
- Methodological Problems in Media Research and Media Effects Models
Core Knowledge
- Crime and Deviance
- What is crime? What is deviance?
- Sociological Perspectives
- The problem of statistics
- Ethnicity
- Gender
- Social Class
- The Media
- Methodological Problems in Media Research
- Models
- Audiences
- Violence
- Conclusions Drawn
Core Skills
- Crime and Deviance
- In depth learning
- Analysis
- Evaluation
- The Media
- Knowledge and application of knowledge
- Analysis
- Evaluation
- Decoding
Assessment
- Crime and Deviance
- Extended Writing Assessment
- The Media
- Extended Writing Assessment
Half Term 4 (Feb – March)
Focus and Topic
- Crime and Deviance
- Globalisation and Crime
- The CJS, the impact of systems and approaches to reducing crime
- The Media
- The New Media
Core Knowledge
- Crime and Deviance
- The impacts of globalisation on crime, e.g. green crime, state crime
- The CJS
- Surveillance,crime control and prevention
- Theoretical approaches to crime control and prevention
- The victims of crime
- The Media
- The New and the traditional media
- Stratification of the Media
- Technology
- Effect of the media in contemporary society
Core Skills
- Crime and Deviance
- In depth learning
- Analysis
- Evaluation
- The Media
- In depth learning
- Making correlations
- Analysis
- Evaluation
Assessment
- Crime and Deviance
- Knowledge based assessment, a blend of small to medium scoring questions.
- The Media
- Extended Writing Assessment
Half Term 5 (April – May)
Focus and Topic
- Examination Preparation
- Revision
- Examination Preparation
- Extended Essay Skill Preparations
- Understanding the Papers
- The Media
- Revision
- Examination Preparation
- Extended Essay Skill Preparations
- Understanding the Papers
Core Knowledge
- Revision
Core Skills
- Examination Preparation
- Knowledge and application of knowledge
- Analysis
- Evaluation
- Decoding
- The Media
- Knowledge and application of knowledge
- Analysis
- Evaluation
- Decodin
Assessment
- Exam Preparation
- Extended Writing Assessment
- The Media
- Extended Writing Assessment
Half Term 6 (May – July)
Focus and Topic
- N/A
Core Knowledge
- N/A
Core Skills
- N/A
Assessment
- N/A
Key Info
- Start Date: September 2026
- Awarding Body: AQA
- Study Mode: Full Time
- Course Length: 2 Years
Entry Requirements
TBC
Complementary Subjects
Career Opportunities
Studying psychology gives you a broad range of skills that span both science and the arts and opens up opportunities with a variety of employers. Specific areas of employment include clinical, educational, forensic and occupational Psychology. Careers in counselling and further education are also available.