Key Stage 4

Examination Board: OCR

Students have the opportunity to study sociology which develops their understanding of human behaviour of individuals and social groups within contemporary society. Sociology investigates theoretical viewpoints about how society is structured, discusses reasons for specific behaviours in society and also develops student’s conceptual understanding of the relationships within society on an individual, national and global scale.

Throughout the course, students will study the following units:

B671: Sociology Basics

Within this unit students will be introduced the main theoretical viewpoints on the structure of contemporary society. Students will investigate Marxism, Functionalism, Feminism and also Postmodernism. Students will begin to investigate who humans are socialised, how our identities are created and reinforced by the culture they live in and also the factors that can affect our identity.

In addition, students will begin to understand the main principles of sociological research. Students will understand how to access a research group, how to select their research respondents, select the appropriate research method and also analyse the data gathered from the research process.

This unit is examined by a 1 hour written examination and is worth 25% of the total grade.

B672: Socialisation, Culture and Identity

This unit examines two main areas of sociology; crime and deviance and the family.

Within the crime and deviance unit, students will gain a detailed understanding of the theories that explain why people commit crime, who is more likely to commit crime, where crime takes place, how crime is reported and recorded and also issues surrounding crime statistics. Throughout this unit students will be investigating previous sociological studies into crime, reflecting on real life case studies and also discussing crime in contemporary society.

The family unit investigates theoretical viewpoints of the family from Marxist, Functionalist, Postmodern and Feminist perspectives. Students will understand the different types of family and also recent trends in marriage, divorce and also expectations within the family.

This unit is examined by a 1hour 30min exam that is worth 50% of their total grade.

B673: Applied Sociological Research Techniques

This unit builds on the knowledge gained about research methods in B671 and develops student’s critical awareness of the nature of sociological research. Students will be required to respond to a pre-release piece of research in the examination. This unit is examined by a 1-hour written examination that is worth 25% of the total grade.