Sociology

Course summary

The sociologist’s aim is to understand and explain how societies work and why they change. Sociology is the study of human societies and of human behaviour in social settings. It uses social categories (such as class, gender, age, or ethnicity), and various social institutions (such as family, the media, education, politics, or crime) to look at how humans interact with each other. Subject topics can range anywhere from race, religion, social class, crime and law, the media and education to more theoretical issues such as the impact of social policy and radical change to whole societies. Sociologists across the globe use a critical eye to analyse sensitive social issues such as these and play an integral role in policy change and development. As well as deepening and broadening students' understanding of Sociology, the A Level course aims to develop skills such as debate and discussion, critical thinking, analysis and evaluative essay writing.