Knowledge

Sociology is the academic study of human society and involves exploring the social interactions and relationships between different groups of people.  Many students find the subject interesting as it is relevant to their lives as we investigate topics that are familiar to them such as the family and education.

Ways of thinking

Critical thinking is central to the study of sociology and we focus on the following to develop this way of thinking:

  • Encouraging students to be curious about what they are learning and wider society
  • Promoting open-mindedness about different perspectives about the world
  • Learning to communicate verbally and in written expression clearly
  • Helping students to analyse evidence so they can form their own well-founded judgements about the world

This involves our students looking at society and the people within it by asking questions about who, what, where, when, why and how?

Character

Sociology aims to develop wisdom, so that students are open-minded and curious about not only their own society but also the wider world. As a subject sociology will expose students to a wealth of perspectives and viewpoints that will be at difference with their own. Being respectful and tolerant of these is key to studying sociology because by doing so we can explore how society might be innovated.

Experiences

As part of the sociology curriculum we offer students experiences that will not only support them with their academic studies but also life beyond the academy. To develop key life skills every student will learn to construct an argument to justify their point of view so they can answer academic questions, participate in formal classroom debates and present on topics in front of an audience of their peers. In addition to this, students will have experiences outside of the classroom such as working closely with our sister TRUST schools.

  Term 1  Term 2  Term 3  
Year 12  What is Sociology The Sociology of Education Family and HouseholdsThe sociology of EducationResearch methods Family and HouseholdsFamilies and households Methods in Context 
Year 13  Crime and Deviance The media  Media  Theory and methods  Revision