Sociology is the study of societies, how they shape human behaviour and vice versa. Some Sociologists consider the way society controls the behaviour of individuals, while some emphasis how the small-scale interaction between each person creates society. Either way, Sociology provides you with the tools to understand the world you live in and, more importantly, your own actions.

In GCSE Sociology, you will study the following:-

· Component 1 - Understanding Social Processes: You will learn key concepts and processes of cultural transmission, the role of the family, how they work, what their function is and how they are changing, why there are so many different types of family: families in different cultures and sociological theories of families. You will examine Education, patterns of achievement, i.e. why some pupils do better than others in education, the role or purpose of education and how different pupils experience education. You will examine sociological research methods such as questionnaires, interviews and observations. These are used in order to study human behaviour and different issues in society. You will also explore the origins of sociological theory such as Marxism and Feminism. This is worth 50% of the qualification, and you will sit a 1 hour 45 minutes exam for this component.

· Component 2 - Understanding Social Structures: You will examine social differentiation and stratification - such as class, age, gender and ethnicity, the sociological explanations of why people commit crime: who commits the most and the debate about how effective different types of punishments are. You will also have the opportunity to apply your knowledge of research methods and carry out a sociological enquiry. This is worth 50% of the qualification, and you will sit a 1 hour 45 minutes exam for this component.

Sociology is suitable for students who:

· are interested in how society works and how people behave.

· who like to question society, for example: why are some people richer than others; why do some people have more power than others and whether what we see and hear in the news is actually real or not?

· who enjoy writing and expressing different arguments.

· who enjoy keeping up with current affairs in the news.

· who are interested in expressing their views in class and listening to the views of others

Sociology helps you to develop transferable skills which will be helpful in a wide range of careers, such as working in the police force, prisons or the courts. After A Levels, careers can include Lawyer, Management, Human Resource Management, working in various medical professions, working for and managing charities, Resource Analyst or Journalist.