Sociology
| Head of Department | Miss B Pickernell |
| b.pickernell@habstrustsouth.org.uk |
Curriculum Overview and Philosophy
The sociology curriculum is centred around empowering with knowledge and understanding of the society that they have grown up in, to help them understand their position within it, and that of others in it, also. The knowledge on the sociology course is sometimes challenging and uncomfortable, however, it is always delivered with sensitivity and the message of empowerment is reiterated to students, in lessons. To help students develop this sociological knowledge and understanding, they are introduced to a classical range of theories and studies, and research methods.
Our curriculum consistently provides opportunities for oracy and self-expression and promotes the habit of reading widely and often, with the intention of creating life-long readers for both pleasure and information. The sociology department encourages creativity when writing whilst using accurate sociological subject knowledge; in sociology, creativity without accuracy doesn’t equate to effective learning.
Students at Hatcham will be equipped to independently analyse and evaluate different arguments on a range of topics from the specification. They learn how to interpret exam questions and judge what opposing arguments are to create debate and reach conclusion in their writing. The sociological department uses the AQA specification and as such teaches a classical sociological education, at Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 5, which prepares young people interested in studying sociology at university, excellently well.
Year 10
By the end of year 10 students should be able:
- to interpret 12 mark questions and identify proposition and opposition arguments
- to write 12 mark responses that debate proposition and opposition arguments and reach a conclusion that makes a judgement
- to make judgements about which theory/arguments they find most convincing
- to use a wide range of key concepts learned on the course in their spoken and written responses
- to listen to ideas that are different from their own and share their own views with respect
- to answer the full range of exam questions from the AQA Paper 1 (same as Paper 2) exam paper
- to apply the key studies from the 2 topics studied in year 10 in their 4 and 12 mark answers
|
Term |
Focus |
Key Knowledge The knowledge students need to enable them to progress to the next stage? |
Tier 3 Vocabulary Subject specific vocabulary (non-exhaustive) |
Links to previous and future knowledge |
|
1a |
The sociological approach theory and concepts |
-Know the difference between conflict and consensus theory arguments, and action theory arguments -Know and use a range of core vocab, e.g. norms, values, socialisation -Be familiar with 12 mark questions and interpreting proposition and opposition arguments |
Norms, values, socialisation, consensus, conflict, revolution, organic analogy, power, hierarchy, culture, ethnicity, gender, social class, social groups, (agencies of) social control, communism, capitalism, authority, social constructionism, |
Possible links with content from KS3 RE, history and English |
|
1b |
The sociological approach, research methods |
-Learn full range of quantitative and qualitative primary and secondary methods and data sources, and strengths and weaknesses of each -Learn and practice answering structures for 4 mark methods in context questions -Conduct a mini research project, using questionnaires
|
Quantitative data, qualitative data, (un/semi/structured) interviews, (postal/self-completion) questionnaires, (non/participant, c/overt) observation, (lab/field) experiments, bias, practical issues, ethical issues, reliability, validity, representativeness, hawthorne effect, interviewer bias, observer effect |
Previous knowledge – Building on prior from the ‘sociological approach, theories and concepts’
Future knowledge – research methods in context, families and education, Y10, crime & deviance and social stratification, Y11 |
|
3 |
Sociology of families, with research methods |
-Wide range of identifiable family structures that exist in the UK, and globally -Debate around extent of family diversity in UK -learning trends in families, e.g. size/birth/life expectancy/marriage/divorce -Theories of families, Marxist, feminist, functionalist, New Right - 7 key studies |
Nuclear/extended/same sex parent/lone parent/family, divorce, separation, Equal Marriage Act, Civil Partnerships Act, Divorce Act 1969 and 2019, family diversity |
-Key concepts from the sociological approach run through the families unit, as all other units -Research methods are integrated in answering methods in context questions |
|
4 |
Sociology of education with research methods |
-History of education in the UK, 1870 Education Act through successive 20th century education acts building to 21st century policy on academisation as part of marketisation started in 1988 -theories of education, Marxist, New Right, functionalist, feminist, action theory/labelling -Trends in education, progress and attainment/subject choice/student experience - 7 key studies |
Marketisation, ethnocentric curriculum, labelling, self-fulfilling prophecy, ability grouping, compensatory education e.g. EMA, comprehensive education, tripartite system, 11+ exam, anti-school subcultures |
-Key concepts from the sociological approach run through the education unit, as all other units - Research methods are integrated in answering methods in context questions -Families topic is learned as a chronological introduction to the next topics on the course – education in Y10 and social stratification and then crime and deviance in Y11 |
|
5 |
revision |
Revision of all content and exam skills from the year |
See above |
Completion of Y10 feeds into start of Y11 |
|
6 |
Revision, end of year PPEs |
|
|
|
Year 11
By the end of year 11 students should be able:
- to understand their position in society, in terms of their social class, ethnicity, gender; and use sociological vocabulary to explain who they are and how they fit into society
- to make links between what they learn on the course, in terms of theories, studies and concepts, to experiences in wider society e.g. their own observations or experiences
- to confidently write 12 mark answers that debate two or more sides to a proposed argument and reach a conclusion that make a judgement on which argument is most convincing
- to confidently answer the full range of exam questions from the AQA Paper 1 (same as Paper 2) exam paper
- to apply key studies from each of the four topics taught on the course in their 4 and 12 mark answers
|
Term |
Focus |
Key Knowledge The knowledge students need to enable them to progress to the next stage? |
Tier 3 Vocabulary Subject specific vocabulary |
Links to previous and future knowledge |
|
1 |
The sociology of social stratification, with research methods |
-Social class as the main system of stratification in the UK and other systems of stratification, e.g. ethnicity, gender, religion - Intersectionality - Poverty, different definitions of - Trends in life expectancy and life chances by social groups - Theoretical explanations of the above |
Hierarchy, stratification, intersectionality, absolute and relative poverty, life chances, life expectancy, |
Key concepts from the sociological approach run through the social stratification unit, as all other units - Research methods are integrated in answering methods in context questions - Teaching social stratification first in Y11 makes strong links with the education topic
|
|
2 |
The sociology of social stratification, with research methods |
- Political socialisation and political power -Globalisation and deindustrialisation - Social constructionism, in more detail - Power - Embourgeoisement - Patriarchy - Theoretical explanations of the above - 7 key studies |
Political socialisation and political power, globalisation, deindustrialisation, social constructionism - in more detail, power, embourgeoisement
|
-Social stratification bridges Y10 content very well with Y11 and sets foundation of learning from crime and deviance as final topic |
|
3 |
The sociology of crime and deviance, with research methods |
-distinguishing crime from deviance -studying crime using official statistics -studying crime using victim surveys and self-report surveys -questioning the accuracy/relevance of Marxist, functionalist, feminist and New Right theories of crime
|
Positive and negative sanctions, criminogenic capitalism, status frustration, marginalisation, inadequate socialisation, hereditary intelligence, maternal deprivation, |
Key concepts from the sociological approach run through the crime and deviance unit, as all other units - Research methods are integrated in answering methods in context questions
|
|
4 |
The sociology of crime and deviance, with research methods, revision |
-Explaining trends in crime and deviance by social class, ethnicity, gender and recognising links between all three social groups -debate over whether agencies of social control have adequate control over society -debate over whether prison sentences should be harsher -debate over the role of media in patters of crime and deviance -7 key studies on the topic |
Desensitisation, rehabilitation, in/formal social control, institutional racism, deferred sentencing, life sentencing, copy-cat crime, techniques of neutralisation, edgework |
-Learning from all previous units feeds into crime and deviance unit and makes it the perfect topic to finish with, students often find it most interesting so it works well to maintain momentum also |
|
5 |
Revision, final exams |
Revision of all topics from Y10 and Y11 |
|
|
|
6 |
Final exams and summer break |
All done! |
Best of luck! |
See you on enrolment day! |
Useful websites
- Centre for longitudinal studies: The 1970 British cohort society (information on the study that followed more than 17,000 people in Britain in a single week in 1970).
- Crime survey (data on the changing levels of crime over the last 30 years).
- Data.gov.uk (with a focus on social trend statistics).
- Ipsos MORI (social researchers).
- Joseph Rowntree Foundation (organisation dealing with poverty in the UK through research and solutions).
- Office for National Statistics (UK’s recognised national statistical institute).
- Office for National Statistics: 2011 Census (2011 Census statistics).
- Office for National Statistics: divorce statistics 2014 (divorces in England and Wales in 2014).
- Sutton trust (research in educational inequality).
- UK data service blog: the Great British class survey (blog introducing the survey, with links to the ‘class calculator’ and further articles.
- BBC Bitesize: Sociology (bank of videos for use in the classroom for different topics within sociology).
- British Sociological Association (subject association).
- Podology (resources website).
- Sociology central (resources website).
- YouTube: Sociology (bank of videos relating to various topics).
Fawcett society (charity for women’s rights).
- Gov.uk: modern slavery (the government’s work to end slavery).
- Gov.uk: Social Mobility Commission (promoting and improving social mobility in England).
- Parliament: general elections (information on general elections: what they are, when they occur, how to find results).
